Jordan Spieth is in the Valero Texas Open field this week and whilst all his efforts will be on defending his title, he will do so with Augusta National in mind. Speaking ahead of the tournament in his hometown, the 28-year old said: "I want a 10-day stretch of peaking from Thursday through the next Sunday."
The Texan appeared in fine spirits and looks to be relishing the opportunity ahead: "The golf course itself is such a challenge. You normally have to play it in wind, you normally have to play it in different winds, so you almost play two different golf courses.
"You've got to flight the ball, got to shot make, got to be really precise with your distance control into these greens. I really enjoy that challenge here. Fairway surfaces, green surfaces are money. I'm sure they'll be able to speed these greens up as this wind dies down as the week goes on, and it's in as good of shape as I remember seeing it."
Spieth joins the likes of Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Hideki Matsuyama in the field this week as they all look to fine tune their game ahead of first Major championship of the year.
The three-time Major winner offered glimpses of his best in 2021 and although that hasn't quite been replicated this season, he enters the Masters with a terrific record. The American came close to winning the tournament on his debut in 2014 but couldn't fend off a spirited back-nine charge from Bubba Watson, who went on to claim his second Green Jacket.
A resurgent Spieth returned the following year and made history by opening with a 64, becoming the youngest first round leader in the history of the tournament. With a 66 the following day, Spieth broke the 36-hole Masters scoring record at 14-under par. The then 21-year old ran away from the field and tied Tiger Woods' scoring record of 18-under par for the tournament.
The 12-time PGA Tour winner also set the record for the most birdies during the tournament (28) and became the second-youngest winner of the Masters. The wire-to-wire victory was also the first since Raymond Floyd in 1976. In total, Spieth has a win and four top-3 finishes in just eight starts at Augusta National.
