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 The American arrived in Sydney last November ranked 14th in the
world with just one U.S. PGA title to his name but shot a course
record 63 to beat Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott, then the top two in
the world, and secure the Stonehaven Cup.
It triggered a year in which everything the 22-year-old Texan
touched seemed to turn gold as he captured his first two majors at
the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open and won the Tour Championship to sew
up the Fedex Series.
"I didn't think it would launch that type of year," Spieth told
reporters at The Australian Golf Club on Tuesday.
"But in that Sunday round I really learned how to close in my head.
I played one of the best rounds of my life when I really needed it.
"I really had that mental edge over the weekend to really close the
deal. I had it for my whole life but I had lost it for a while.
Winning here really launched it."
Despite his remarkable year, Spieth still believes he can get
better.
"If I could somehow duplicate that year for the rest of my career,
I'd be pretty pleased," he conceded.
"But there's a chance it could all come together and we could
improve on the last year. I have to believe that, but I do believe
it."
Adam Scott, who leads a strong local contingent at his home Open, is
still seeking his first title of the year after a horror third round
saw him fall out of contention at the Australian Masters last week.
"I think he's the guy to beat this week," Spieth said of the 2013
U.S. Masters champion.
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"He's fresh and he's probably got a bit of a chip on his shoulder
too after last week, especially being back home and everyone saying
you haven't won since 2014. Guaranteed he doesn't like hearing that.
"If I can get into contention, I feel my game is on point ... I'm
looking forward to trying to do exactly what I did last year."
Former world number one Lee Westwood and 2011 U.S. Open champion
Darren Clarke are among a handful of European Ryder Cup veterans who
will be teeing off for the first round on Thursday.
Another local hopeful is Peter Senior, who won the Australian
Masters last week at the age of 56. Senior also won the Australian
Open in 2012.
"It's inspiring that you can play this great game for so long and
still be winning," Spieth added.
"When I'm 56, I'll maybe be on a beach somewhere where nobody knows
me."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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