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Will Jordan Spieth continue to set the pace for Americans to dominate the majors this year?
The 22-year-old wunderkind from Dallas, Texas, defends his US Masters title at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, US, from Thursday. The event, the first major of the year, also referred to as simply The Masters, has been the strong preserve of American players (see graphic), who have won it 59 times since it was first played in 1934.
Golf fans are still captivated by the awesome manner in which Spieth emerged from obscurity last year by beating veteran fellow American Phil Mickelson and Englishman Justin Rose by four strokes to wear the coveted green jacket for the first time.
Spieth tapped in his final putt to cap off a record performance and bent over in relief. He could just as easily have been taking a bow.
It was a Masters for the ages. Then 21, Spieth became the second-youngest player to win at Augusta, narrowly behind only Tiger Woods’ 1997 effort, when Woods was also 21.
Spieth’s great victory at this prestigious event spurred him and his countrymen on to have a great 2015.
Spieth was so revved up that he caught another big fish in the form of the US Open at Chambers Bay, Washington, just two months later to become the world’s number one player. He disposed of compatriot Dustin Johnson and the surging South African Louis Oosthuizen by a single stroke to lift the trophy.
Besides winning other key showdowns last year and proving his global worth as a gem on the course, it is the Masters, in particular, that counts most for Spieth, as the contest launched him into the big leagues.
Now ranked as the world’s second best player, he is hellbent on repeating the feat that saw him take the US PGA tour scene by storm last season.
He started the year on a high by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, outclassing compatriot Patrick Reed by eight strokes at the Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii in January.
As usual, competition will be intense at the unforgiving Augusta course, whose layout makes play very challenging. Among the trickiest holes are those in the Amen Corner, the nickname given to a three-hole section of the back nine of the course, comprising the 11th, 12th and 13th greens, which are difficult to reach because of water hazards.
Among the top players expected to show their class will be recently installed world number one Australian Jason Day; Irishman Rory McIlroy (world number three) and Jason Dufner from the US. Four-time champion Woods (40) will not take part due to a back injury. He has not played competitively since August and has had two operations. The former world number one also withdrew from the tournament in 2014, citing a back problem. He finished in a tie for 17th last year.
Day won the WGC-Dell Match Play title with a 5&4 thrashing of Oosthuizen in a one-sided final in Texas last Sunday.
But Oosthuizen, who is currently enjoying a rich vein of form, will probably show his class again at Augusta. He will be in a five-man South African group at the event. The others are Trevor Immelman, Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els and Branden Grace.
Legends Jack Nicklaus (US) and Gary Player (SA) will share the first tee on Thursday at Augusta when they hit ceremonial opening shots. Nicklaus won the green jacket six times during his era, while Player wore the jacket three times.
As is tradition, these granddaddies of golf will each be accompanied by one of their grandchildren, who will be wearing white overalls during the proceedings.
