The PGA Championship starts at Whistling Straits near Sheboygan, Wis., on Thursday, and Spieth was surprised with the layout.
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“I thought this was going to be more of a bombers’ paradise,” Spieth said via Golf Channel. “But the fairways are very narrow and the bunkers are penal. There’s more of a premium on hitting the fairway than I anticipated.”
Spieth will epitomize of both styles of play this week, and will play with Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson during the first two rounds. The spotlight might be on Spieth and McIlroy’s supposed rivalry, but Spieth just wants to play.
“I think that’s what you guys want to see more than us,” Spieth said regarding playing against McIlroy. “Both of us just want to win and we have to beat everyone in the field. Everyone’s glad to have him back, and I’m excited to walk the course with him the next two days.”
Spieth then heaped praise on McIlroy.
“I wish I could hit as far as he does,” Spieth said. “It’s something I’ve been working on and have gotten longer over the last few years. I definitely envy his power.”
Despite his recent success in major championships, Spieth has struggled at the PGA Championship, missing the cut in both of his attempts thus far.
“Yeah, it irks me a bit,” Spieth said on Golf Channel. “Especially when you do it (miss the cut) more than once at an event. You always set out to play your best golf at the major championships, and to leave on Friday is a bad feeling that I don’t want to experience.”
At 22, Spieth has an uncanny ability to adapt to life on tour and succeed on a variety of different courses, which is something he believes is vital to success.
“I didn’t really have any other choice,” Spieth said. “You either do it or you don’t have a job. When you first join the tour you have to adapt to new courses and know what your misses are and make sure you can direct them and fix them for the tournament.”
