Spieth: Masters preparation better than last year

Jordan Spieth - Cropped

Jordan Spieth said he is feeling better than 12 months ago heading into the 2015 Masters, after finishing tied for second in '14.

Spieth, 21, continues his preparation for the first major of the year at Augusta in April, when he tees off at the Texas Open on Thursday.

The world number six is in hot form this season, with wins at the Hero World Challenge in December and the Valspar Championship in March - and producing another three top-seven finishes in eight starts all up.

The Texan was beaten only by now two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson at the famed major in Georgia, but Spieth - 2013 PGA Tour rookie of the year - said he is brimming with confidence to go one better.

"I feel better going in this time around than I did last year," Spieth said on Wednesday. 

"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, very confident about where I'm at going in."

Spieth will also play the Houston Open as his final lead-up to the Masters, and said the Texas tournaments offered different challenges.

The Texas Open is hosted at TPC San Antonio, before the final Masters prelude at the Golf Club of Houston.

"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 [TPC San Antonio], 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."

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