Q. Jordan, just how much confidence do you have after the round you played today?
JORDAN SPIETH: It was good. I feel like I played that way most of the last couple weeks, and I've had a couple rounds show for it and a few others kind of hold it a couple under. Yeah, I've been -- I just tried to come into this week and just be as patient, nonreactive as possible, dumb it down to try to win the golf tournament and not worry about anything else.
Just knowing that I'm a lot better golfer than I've been in a very long time and continue to believe in that. If low scores come, they come. If they don't, it doesn't change the fact that I know that I'm better than I've been in a long time.
That mentality is what I came into today and stuck with it throughout the round, and it paid off.
Q. You heard Tommy just said it was a stress-free round. Did it feel stress free to you?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, if you look at the stats, you'll see four or five missed greens, but I had a putter in my hand on every single one of them, they were on the fringe. If you want to count that as 18 greens, it becomes about as stress free as it can be.
I had a couple of those last weekend, which was nice. But I could have gotten into some trouble early in the round today, and I played the right spots, stayed patient, and my tap-ins didn't frustrate me. In fact, it was like, all right, well, this is kind of the worst that I could have played this hole and I tapped in for par. So let's just stay the course.
Once one fell on No. 9, the lid came off, and I made a few early there in the back.
Q. You've been in this position before, last year specifically, trying to make the 50 bubble. I think you referenced it. Can you learn from being in those positions?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it was tough. I think the tougher part was the last couple of years I was very clearly going in this direction (indicating down). I was not as good as I was earlier in the season.
I had a lull this season from essentially Memorial through the British where I was kind of trying to do -- press something that I probably didn't need to, and it got me in trouble. But I stayed on it for five or six weeks and didn't get many results there.
The rest of the season statistically has been very good. I just missed a lot of those big events of just finishing in the top 20 like I did most of the other events this year, which would have left this week to be completely stress free. But outside looking in versus inside trying to hold onto it is a little different mentality, maybe helpful, but after a good start that all changes, right?
I just feel that I'm -- I just feel like, as I just mentioned, I'm just in a very different place about the game of golf than I was the last couple seasons heading into this event. Again, if it's going to work out, great. If it doesn't, I know next year is going to be an awesome year for me. So it takes a lot of the stress off of this week.
Q. Jordan, in between the par saves on 3 and 7 and then the 40-foot birdie on 11, what does that do for you mentally the rest of the week?
JORDAN SPIETH: I look at the par on 7 as a missed eight-footer for birdie, but you can call it a par save if you want.
But the one on 3 was really nice. I don't know what happened on the drive. I haven't hit a high hook in 20 years, and I was able to -- I hit it. I had a little mud on the left side of the ball, which with a 4-iron in with water short and right, that shot could have gotten me in some trouble today, and it was definitely my best swing of the day.
I put a really nice, solid 4-iron to whatever that was, 15 feet, to 225, and that shot was like, okay, this is how -- like I didn't have that shot. I haven't had that shot in a long time. I've had it lately, but I haven't had it other years.
It's just, hey, that just reiterates the belief in, okay, I don't have to do anything special. The way I'm playing is great, and I just need to make some more putts from 10, 20 feet, and I made a few of them today.
Q. Birdieing those three straight, 11 through 13, how much confidence does that give you not only through the rest of the round but for the rest of the tournament knowing it's such a big week?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, just shooting 1 or 2-under, you know you're going to be somewhere in the middle of the pack, but when you press it from there, you end separating a little bit, which is nice. I'm sure there will be a 6 or 7 today. It could have been me. I had the chances on the last few holes.
But I really think the shot I hit on 14 meant more to me. The way I played 12 and then the shot on 14 were really important. After making a few birdies, you come to that par-3 14th, and I just forgot about the pin. I stood and picked a target. It's hard for me to pick targets away from holes, and I did it there.
Once I hit a nice 7-iron onto that green, I was like, all right, get this in in two, and there's a couple more out there.
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