Jordan Spieth Has One Big Advantage in Attempt to Cut New Notch in Golf History

“I have a chance to make history in many ways. But in order to do that, I have to really focus on this week,” Jordan Spieth said earlier this week. “The U.S. Open is about as challenging mentally as any tournament in the world. So you have to go in positively. You have to go in with enough confidence to get yourself into contention.”

He’s right where he wants to be.    

With a victory at the U.S. Open, he could become one of only six players to win the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year. The most recent was Tiger Woods in 2002. The others are Craig Wood in 1941, Ben Hogan in 1951 and 1953, Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Jack Nicklaus in 1972.

Two rounds in, Spieth is very much in contention and has one significant advantage over challengers in the top 15 places on the leaderboard. Spieth has won a major championship, the Masters, already and knows what it takes. The others have not.

Spieth admitted that he did take the green jacket out of his closet last week and put it on once.

“I was just kind of watching TV and wanted to slip it on, just kind of felt like it,” he said. “Why wouldn't I put it on, to be honest with you?”

Why indeed? Phil Mickelson was known for wearing his green jacket many places after his first Masters victory, including the Krispy Kreme drive in window and the David Letterman Show.

Right now Spieth is playing well, has a great opportunity, and so the question is: Will he be able to press on to victory?  

He said most of his game is in good shape, but after his second round, he went to work on his driver.

“I struck the ball significantly better with my approach shots (Friday). I hit my irons and wedges better today than yesterday; I also putted better today,” he said after posting 67. “I hit my 3-wood better today. I'm not striking the driver in the middle of the face. But it's something so minor, maybe a ball position. I'll find it on the range.”

He said he believed it was an easy fix and did not have time at the end of the day on Thursday to go to the range and determine what the issue was. It was nearly sunset when his group finished that day.

“I was able to find some fairways with it even on the misses,” he said. “But as this course gets harder, I'm going to want to strike it better so I can hit less club into these greens.”

Spieth gave his caddie, Michael Greller, credit for calming him down at the first hole in the second round when Spieth hit his drive into the rough.

“I was really frustrated walking off the tee box, and Michael did a great job coming in and telling me, sit back, you're still very much in this tournament, don't let this get to you,” Spieth said. Then he added, “The second something gets to you, you're in trouble in a U.S. Open.”

Modest, disarming and junkyard dog tough, Jordan Spieth will tee it up very late in the afternoon on Saturday in an attempt to lock down a position for a Sunday charge and ultimately a bigger place in golf history.

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials from the PGA Tour, USGA or PGA of America.