Jordan Spieth has returned to Sydney for this week’s Australian Open declaring that if he continues to win two tournaments a year, as he has done to date in 2016, then he’s in Phil Mickelson territory.
The double Major winning American faced the media at Royal Sydney but it had to be one of the tamest pre-tournament interviews one of the game’s top golfers has faced.
They call themselves journalists. If was though the Aussie press (and I am not singling out the dedicated ‘down under’ golf writers) had been hand-cuffed and gagged!
For starters, what about Spieth’s reaction to golf-mad Donald Trump winning the US Presidential election. C’mon!
Jordan Spieth faces a ‘tame’ Aussie press contingent ahead of this week’s Australian Open.
Topics NOT thrown at the Texan included:
- Jason Day’s convenient decision to again not to compete in Australia.
- Thoughts on the pretty poor decision by Matt Jones not to defend his Australian Open.
- Being on a winning USA Ryder Cup team, and the last event he contested before heading ‘Down Under’.
- Reaction by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood to changes to the European Ryder Cup team qualifying process.
- Views on the announcement Jay Monaghan will take over at PGA Tour Commissioner from January 1st.
- What has he been doing the past six weeks.
- Reaction to Donald Trump’s US Presidential victory and has he met Trump.
- AND does he believe Tiger Woods, who is returning to competition early next month, can get back to his winning ways.
Maybe I’ve been doing this job for too long but after watching Spieth’s interview via the official Australian Open website, the only line that stood out was his reference to Mickelson.
Jordan Spieth ahead of this week’s Australian Open in Sydney.
Spieth has won twice this year in capturing the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and then in May he won the Dean & Deluca Invitational wheres Mickelson, despite going winless in 2016, has been winning since 1991, and many times winning more than twice in a 49 pro tournament winning career.
“I guess in winning the Ryder Cup it’s been like three wins this season so it’s been a really good year,” he said.
“However I thought the second half of the year, I was a little disappointed with my performance but all in all that happens as you go on rises and dips and it’s all about figuring out how to get it back on the rise.
“I look back to 2014 when I won two Majors as similar to 2016, and funny back then everyone told me that was a great year but 2016 was much better than 2014.
“Last year you have to have the right breaks and a bit of fortune to close out the tournaments and I just didn’t have that last year.
“So 2016 will go down as a really solid year but then if I was to win two tournaments a year over the next 20 years then that’s Phil Mickelson territory, and people think he’s a pretty good golfer.
“So I am really positive about this year and really positive going forward.”
