Jordan Spieth enters this week's Valero Texas Open as the clear favorite after winning the Valspar Championship two weeks ago. He spoke to the media Wednesday about his chances this week, and about the Masters.
The 21-year-old Texas native shot an even-par 72 in the final round of last year's Masters to tie for second. Spieth ran into a buzzsaw in Bubba Watson on the back nine, but he feels more confident heading into Augusta this year.
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"I feel better going in this time around than I did last year," Spieth said. "Last year at this point I'd actually had a really good season. This year I feel a little better having closed that tournament out.
"I also missed the cut in Houston last year, so I went in with some questions, I guess, right off of an early finish. Hopefully this year I can play eight tournament rounds prior to arriving on the grounds. My swing feels better, putting stroke is getting there. I putted well the last two weeks. But that's just going to be a whole another thing once you get on those slick greens.
"So all in all (I'm) very confident about where I'm at going in."
Spieth was disappointed with the runner-up finish, but he also learned a lot.
"I was frustrated at the end of the round," he said. "Looking back I raced out, which is great, you want to — my whole point was let's get off to a good start Sunday and then we can play the way we want to play from there.
"I just got a little ahead of myself. And I say that because I just lacked a little bit of patience of looking at the round as a marathon, especially the back nine at Augusta on Sunday."
Spieth will also play in next week's Shell Houston Open as he prepares for golf's most coveted jacket. He talked about the importance of the Texas swing as a Texas native.
"These tournaments do a lot, because the week right after is an important week for us," he said. "First and foremost they're very challenging tracks to help prepare us for the first major.
"In their own right they're both very different golf courses, they have different feels to them. "Here (at the Texas Open) you've got to deal more with the wind and kind of the stuff right off the fairways that get you in trouble. And there (Houston) you've got to keep it out of the water."
Though he's only 21, Spieth recently purchased a nicely sized mansion right next to Mark Cuban's digs in Dallas. He also talked about the responsibility he faces as a star and role model.
"I understand that the better you play the more the attention is on you," he said. "I still want to play better, so I know that if I do there's going to be more attention placed on me, and I accept that and really enjoy it. I kind of have fun with it."