Jordan Spieth on his 65: “I’d call it a top five major round”

Jordan Spieth had an opening round of 65 to set the early clubhouse lead with Brooks Kopeka at five-under-par, and said it was one of his top five major rounds. 

In fact, of the five Open’s the 23-year-old has played it was actually one of Spieth’s best ever rounds – equalling the 5-under 67 he shot during the opening round at St.Andrews in 2015, where he finished 4th overall. 

The World no.3 said he would probably give it a 9 out of 10 in terms of how he felt he performed, and with no dropped shots and a putting performance reminiscent of when he won his two major titles in 2015, it’s really no surprise he felt that way.

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His score was even more impressive given the slightly cooler and tougher conditions endured by the early starters, and Spieth acknowledged he felt there was a huge importance to post a number given the rough weather forecast for the next three days. 

“I thought I give it a nine across the board for everything – tee balls, ball-striking, short game and putting,” Spieth said after his round. “So things are in check. It’s just about keeping it consistent.”

“I’d call it a top five probably, major round that I’ve played, maybe fifth or sixth, something like that. There are scores that I’ve shot that were closer to par that were better given what I needed to do. But I couldn’t have done much better today.”

“I thought today’s round was extremely important, as they all are, but given the forecast coming in, I thought you really needed to be in the red today. You can certainly make up ground, in a round like tomorrow, and we’ll see it happen, but being able to kind of play with shots or play a little more conservative, you make a bogey, because you don’t try to do too much on a day like tomorrow, that’s nice and very helpful. So really good start. Everything was strong.”

“I missed two greens. I think I missed three, but one of them I was putting from the fringe. So essentially missed two greens today in some 15-mile-an-hour winds. This course has a lot of crosswinds, so it’s tough to judge how far the ball is going to fly depending on what shot you play. So that speaks a lot to the ball-striking of the day.”

Spieth began the day with a birdie on the second before back-to-back gains on the 8th and 9th to make the turn in three-under-par. 

He picked up another shot on the 14th, but arguably more impressive was his bunker shot on 16th which helped him save par and continue a bogey-free run.  

“I thought it was the best shot of the day, no doubt about it,” said Spieth. “I’ve been practicing out of uneven lies this entire week in preparation for a shot like that. And that certainly won’t be the last one I’ll have either, but that up-and-down was harder than hitting a 7-iron to 15 feet and making it. And I was only 35 feet from the hole. It happens out here. That was a really, really nice bunker shot.”

Spieth rolled in one more birdie on the 17th, but narrowly missed his chance to get to six-under on the final hole. 

After his round he said that he felt close to being his best, and maintains a lot of it is down to both working hard on his putting, but also taking care of himself a little better than perhaps he had been – which translates to better golf. 

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work with the putting and trying to get it back to the confidence that I’ve had the last couple of years. It’s just been the one thing that’s been off this year. My ball-striking has been better in any years that I’ve ever played golf. It’s been about capitalizing, which is frustrating, considering I’m used to seeing the ball go in.”

“But my speed control was decent today. I ran — but when I missed my putts, when I missed my speeds, I hit them past the hole, which is different from how I’ve normally done it over here. I’m hitting the ball solid and firmer. And then I see it go by the hole, I know what the putt does on the next, and I was able to knock in putts anywhere from three to six feet today.”

“I feel like I’m more physically fit than I have been, and it’s allowing me to consistently get around my body better. I’ve just been more focused on what I’m putting in my body. And then I’ve just been a little more adamant about when I’m at the gym.”

“This is as important as anything else that I’m doing, not to bulk up, but just to make sure I’m strengthening what needs to be strengthened, and I’m mobilizing what needs to be mobile. And it’s very important in golf for elongating a career. I’m fortunate to be playing at the age I am, at the time that I’m playing, to where there’s been a lot of trial and error on either side, and there’s a middle ground there that these trainers are, including mine, is finding out what to do to make sure you’re strong, but more importantly you can maintain and prevent injury.” 

“I haven’t cut out anything. I’ll still go have a burger and a beer, but I think as a whole when I’m home I’m just trying to be — just trying to learn a little bit more about what’s best for me to be at my best.

“And it matters, I think, what you put in your body and then how you take care of it, and then how that translates into results that I’ve seen in my swing on the course this year. And so I gain confidence from that and understand that it is having the impact that I want it to have. And so keep with it, because I enjoy hitting the ball better, it makes me happier.”