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DEAN & DELUCA INVITATIONAL

May 28, 2017

Jordan Spieth

Fort Worth, Texas

Q. Here's a kid who knows exactly what it's like to slip on that tartan jacket. Jordan, you played superbly today. I thought you did an outstanding job trying to go back to back. Talk about with pride how you played today.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, 3-under through five out here is tremendous. Looking at getting under par through the first five holes, and that's gaining some on the field.

So I didn't do any scoreboard watching and really thought I needed to get to 11-under. I thought 11 was a number - which is 7 on the day and very difficult to do on this course - but through ten holes there we're all the sudden at 4 and I'm striking the ball well enough that I know I'm going to give myself another five or six chances.

And I had 'em and they are close.

Q. Let's go through them, the putts on 3, 8, 9, 12, lip out there, and then again on 17. I mean, any one of those goes down it's a different story.
JORDAN SPIETH: That's right. I wanted to get to that 10 number standing on 18 tee. I had my opportunity there on 17. I hit so many great putts today; I hit a bad putt on 17. It was pretty frustrating.

But really struck the ball well today. Struck the ball well all week, kind of the way I've been doing to this year. Did an awesome job around the greens the second kind of I want to say two rounds, two and a half rounds.

We were 3-over on the Friday for the tournament. We were outside the cut line on Friday late morning. So to go from there to a second place finish and almost having a chance at a playoff is tremendous fight.

I will just try to get off to a little better start maybe the next time.

Q. And knowing you're a proud Texan as well...
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah.

Q. Seems like Hogan's Alley might have a bit of Spieth success in the future.
JORDAN SPIETH: Well, yeah. I'll have I think plenty of chances to give myself those back-to-back opportunities in the future. I went second, first, second the last few years. I love this place. Kiz was the deserving winner this year. Really happy for him. He's a friend of mine.

Just come back next year and again try not to be 3-over through Friday so we don't have to make up that much ground. It was a lot of fun this week. Crowds were fantastic.

Q. I know it wasn't what you wanted, but talk about this round of golf.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it was. I mean, bogey-free. I think there was one hole, and that was the 18th, where I didn't have a putt at birdie. Couple fringe putts.

But that's awesome out here. The wind changed, which makes the course a bit different because we didn't prepare for that. Well, you know it's going to happen, but the first three rounds are the opposite wind. You changed clubs on tee boxes and changed kind of the way that you play holes, which ones you back off on and play aggressive on.

We did an awesome job. I thought I putted the ball well, too. I had a couple kind of nasty lip-outs from mid-range on 3 and 12 that I was ready to walk in. It was really close.

All in all, very solid round. It's to ask for much more than 65 on the last day to come from behind. Just too far back starting the day. Was way behind standing on 17 tee box yesterday.

So to go 7-under on the last 20 holes out here was fantastic just to have a chance. Very proud of the way we played here, especially with the last two weeks and where I was standing Friday midway through the round this week.

It could have gone anywhere. I could have been sitting home watching Kiz, and instead had a chance to battle it out with him and Sean, Webb, and Jon as well.

It was a really fun finish, very similar to two years ago. Hopefully next year we can then do what we did the year after.

Q. (No microphone.)
JORDAN SPIETH: I thought starting the day -- I told Michael before the day I needed to be 10-under standing on 18 tee box. I was 10 feet or 12 feet away from that on 17. It was a putt I knew what it did. I've hit my lines all day. I had a couple putts very similar to that putt miss just around the high side on the left side.

I went just a little lower on my read, and I knew halfway through the putt it was going to miss low. If the other ones, you know, dive off, then I probably make the one on 17. I just tried to adjust, even though every putt is different, thinking it was maybe my alignment or something.

Shoot, the one on 16 almost went 50 feet. So just wanted to give myself a chance on 18. A little bummed the way we played that hole, because I was scaring it from anywhere.

All in all, once again, I wanted to get three a side, and then get to 18 tee box and have a chance of to get to 11.

I thought that's what we needed to do; 9 was almost enough.

Q. (No microphone.)
JORDAN SPIETH: Very fun. It was lights out to start. I felt fantastic. I mean, three and a half under through 5, and then it kind of cooled off a little. But I was playing really steady golf again, having really good looks at birdie on 8, 9, 12.

Yeah, I felt great. I didn't feel any better than other days over the ball or over my putts. Just like I've been saying, it's really close. I keep on reiterating that, even through the missed cuts the last couple weeks. A break here or there or just finding a rhythm on the greens, making a couple midway putts from being at the top of my game.

Minus the starts to my rounds in rounds one and two, you know, we're right back to where we want to be.

Q. How close are you to the ton of your game?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, very. Yeah, I think so. We went -- our last, what is it, 45 holes we went 12-under out here, and that's leading by five shots or so if those are my first 45 holes.

So very close.

Q. Talk about the difference between last couple weeks and this week.
JORDAN SPIETH: It's tremendously different. Last Friday I didn't know what putter I was using. I didn't know -- I knew I was coming to a place fortunately we have had success and fits my game.

So even if I didn't quite have it, I knew we could still hang around and get some rounds in and at least try and fix things. A lot of times when you're struggling a little bit it just takes rounds on course.

There is only so much you can do in practice. Takes on-course reps with pins that are tucked, putts you kind of need to make 'em in order to get your mojo back.

I feel totally different. I was confident still in my game, but in my short game it's a world of difference.

Q. (Regarding Memorial and Erin Hills.)
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, you know, Memorial, I think I finished third with a really good final round maybe two, three years ago. I love the course next week, Jack's place. It's a top notch event, just like this one.

Q. And Erin Hills?
JORDAN SPIETH: Erin Hills we got to the quarterfinals in the U.S. Amateur. We've got as much experience as anyone except Kelly Kraft or Patrick Cantlay if they're there, and Michael caddied for Justin.

So it's not going to mean much I don't think at Erin Hills. We still need to get there and redo all of our homework. Just having played there, I mean, it was a while ago, so I don't know if that helps a lot. I know we obviously played it pretty well, so yeah, a lot of confidence going forward.

This tournament going second, first, second, the last three years, obviously one of my favorite stops. I've got some work to do next week to kind of fine tune it and try and get in contention again.

Q. You talk about the mental challenges you had all week long and maybe even last week. Does this Sunday come at just the right time for you?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, yeah. I could look back at the end of the year and this could have been the most important round of the year. I hope that's the case.

Friday's second nine was tremendously important as well. Went 4-under on the first 5, and at 9, take all the pressure off of any kind of cut line, which was in my head at that point after missing two in a row.

I knew I needed it and then did it. When that happens, mentally it's a breather. A lot more room for error. You feel that way.

Yeah, today was a big round. Feel really good about my ball striking. Got a little off towards the end of the round when the nerves were really on. That's what I wanted to see, where exactly is it and how do we adjust.

So hopefully we get in contention next week and do a little bit better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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