The enormity inherent in
His lack of experience on the ancient, quirky Old Course – he'll have played just four times here before putting his peg in the hallowed ground Thursday– doesn't have him sweating. And the potential for scorecard-wrecking torrents of foul weather blowing in off the North Sea doesn't have the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion fretting.
Instead, the youngster from Dallas is steadfast in his attention to the first hole he'll play, and then the second and so on.
He is certainly aware of his place right now and yet he's as calm as he was when he hit his first tee shot of the year in the
But all he's worried about is the place he has to play in the Home of Golf, the rumpled grounds where golf's icons named
"I like to study the history of golf, and I think it's extremely special what this year has brought to our team. And to have a chance to do what only one other person in the history of golf has done doesn't come around very often," Spieth said Wednesday before heading out for his final practice round. "I'm sure embracing that opportunity, but by the time I start on Thursday, it won't be in my head. It'll be about how can I bring this Open Championship down to just another event, and get out there and try and get myself into contention.
"I don't look as this as trying to win three in a row. I look at this as trying to win the Open at a very special place. The hardest thing for me is trying to forget about where you are because being here at St. Andrews and looking at the past champions and who wins Open Championships here, that's elite company, and that's something I'm just going to have to forget about."