Jordan Spieth isn’t starting a new season Thursday in Hawaii.
He’s not looking at 2016 as starting over.
“I’ve had three weeks off and this is just a continuation,” Spieth said at his news conference Tuesday at the Tournament of Champions.
Spieth made these points as he looks forward to keeping his momentum from the super performance of 2015:
“We put a plan together,” he said, a plan spearheaded by his teacher, Cameron McCormick. McCormick did the numbers-crunching on Spieth’s statistics from 2015 to find the areas where the world’s No. 1 player can improve.
Spieth said he hopes to improve his wedge play. “My wedge play was great at Augusta,” he pointed out but admitted that it can get better overall. He might have been thinking back to the 72nd hole at the Open Championship at St. Andrews where he had a short wedge shot for his approach. A birdie would have gotten him into the playoff but it didn’t carry far enough and ended up rolling back off the tricky green.
Unlike some players, Spieth will use the same equipment he carried in 2015. He tested the AP2 716 irons last year but didn’t play well enough with them and is staying with his 714s for now.
As for the majors: “I hope to be there on Sunday in at least two,” Spieth said.
Spieth was coy about the “plan” he and his team put together for each tournament. Whatever the plan was last year, it’s worked pretty well.
Spieth’s “continuation” begins Thursday when he tees off at 5:50 p.m. with defending champion Patrick Reed. They will go right after the twosome of Rickie Fowler and Jason Day (5:40 p.m.)
Television coverage is on the Golf Channel.
