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(LEAD) World No. 1 Jordan Spieth feels no added pressure ahead of Presidents Cup

All News 20:08 October 04, 2015

(ATTN: ADDS photo)
By Yoo Jee-ho

INCHEON, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- Jordan Spieth, the world's No. 1-ranked golfer, said Sunday he doesn't feel any added pressure ahead of the Presidents Cup in South Korea despite his recent success and fame.

The 22-year-old will be competing in his second consecutive Presidents Cup, a biennial competition pitting the Americans against the International Team of non-European stars. Two years ago, Spieth was one of two captain's picks, an up-and-comer ranked 22nd in the world. Today, he's the best player in the world, having won five times on the PGA Tour in the 2014-2015 season, including the Masters and the U.S. Open, and having topped the tour in money and scoring average.

He has gone from being a promising youngster to a go-to-guy who will be counted on for multiple points, when the Presidents Cup is played in Asia for the first time at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, west of Seoul, starting Thursday.

After landing at Incheon International Airport, Spieth said he will just try to enjoy himself at the Presidents Cup.

"The last couple of times at the team event (the 2013 Presidents Cup and the 2014 Ryder Cup), I was caught up in what I should do, what I can do right and I can do wrong," he said. "Now, I am here to enjoy it and spend a lot of time with the guys. We've got a great team. We've known who's been on the team for quite a few weeks now. We've been able to have dinners and just get to know each other better. We're excited about the opportunity ahead."

The United States has beaten the International Team eight times in 10 Presidents Cups so far, with a tie in 2003. Spieth is one of five U.S. players ranked inside the top 10 in the world rankings, and will once again be favored this week.

That hasn't prevented the underdogs from throwing down the gauntlet. Danny Lee, a South Korean-born New Zealander, has said he'd like to take on Spieth in the singles and try to beat him.

Spieth responded that he'd love the opportunity himself.

"I've played a good amount of golf against Danny in Dallas. I've known him for a few years now," he said with a smile. "Anybody I am paired against, I'd love the opportunity. I am sure at some point, we'll play against each other."

Spieth hit a rough patch early on in the FedEx Cup playoffs, but closed out with a bang by taking the season-ending Tour Championship last week. He earned a record $12.03 million in prize money and added a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.

Spieth said he will try to keep up his strong play of late at the Presidents Cup.

"It was big to get a really good week at the Tour Championship because I had a couple of off-weeks at the beginning of the playoffs," he said. "But the end of the season was a lot like the way the season went. It was nice to get some confidence back and see a lot of putts go in, and build some momentum heading into what was one of my goals this year, which was to represent the United States at the Presidents Cup."

Spieth has been one of the strongest putters on the tour. He led the PGA Tour this season with 27.82 putts per round, and said the short stick "will be a great equalizer."

"If this course is like other Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, we're going to have to have really good speed control on the greens," he said. "There will be a lot of tricky putts."

The PGA Tour reduced the total number of points at this year's Presidents Cup to 30, down from 34 in previous events. It's designed to help the underdog International Team, which will be able to stash some out-of-form or lower-ranked players in early foursome and four-ball matches.

The onus will then fall on top guns on both teams. Spieth, however, said he doesn't think the changes will affect his team much.

"I will play as much as the captain wants me to play," he said. "I'd like to play them all."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)

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