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HIS focus firmly on winning a second Australian Open crown, Jordan Spieth has little interest in adding length off the tee in a bid to reel in his long- hitting rivals.
After a dominant, almost historic, 2015 season, Spieth was dethroned as the world’s top-ranked golfer this year by Australian Jason Day. Fellow driving monsters Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson also leapfrogged Spieth in the rankings, with the American entering this week’s Australian Open as No.5 in the world.
But on arrival to Royal Sydney, Spieth made it patently clear he wasn’t trying to keep up with the Jones’s, so to speak, as he strived to win back the Stonehaven Cup he relinquished to Matt Jones in last year’s thrilling Open finale.
US golfer Jordan Spieth ponders a question at a press conference.Source: AFP
“I’m not searching for distance right now,” Spieth said ahead of Thursday’s first round.
“As I go through this process of what I’m working on with my swing right this second, which it’s not there yet because I’ve only started it a couple of weeks ago, but I think by the new year it will be there.
“That combination with the rest and the work in the gym, I think it will just come naturally.
“I’m not trying to do anything to gain distance because if I end up five yards longer, which we’ve kind of been five yards longer each year the past few years, if that continues this year, I don’t need to hit the ball any further.
“Certainly, if I can hit it further and keep it as consistent, then that would be ideal but it’s a dangerous game going out searching for distance and I’m not looking to play that game because I don’t think I need to.
“I hit the ball well further than average on tour.”
Jordan Spieth during practice for the Australian Open.
Picture: Phil Hillyard
Source: News Corp Australia
According to US PGA stats, Spieth ranked 51st for driving distance on the 2016 US PGA Tour.
JB Holmes ranked first, with Johnson second, Bubba Watson fourth, McIlroy ninth, Adam Scott 13th and Day 15th.
“There’s a few guys at the top that hit the ball further than I do for sure,” Spieth said.
“But you can certainly make up for it in other parts of the game.”
But amid speculation he was overhauling his swing after a relative unproductive second half to 2016 following his Masters meltdown, Spieth insists he’s not hitting the panic button.
“I want to clarify, it’s not a new swing whatsoever,” he said. “It’s just progress through the back swing.
“I’m even working on the same things I was doing the second half of 2015, which I was even working on it those weeks, and those were my best ball-striking weeks, the second half of ‘15, which was after the Masters and US Open (wins).”
Source:
AAP
foxsports.com.au
