Jordan Spieth says the chance to claim another major title will override any tiredness he may feel towards the end of his remarkable season.
The 22-year-old shot a second round of 67 at the US PGA Championship for a six-under-par aggregate which leaves him as the clear favourite to win his third major of 2015. Spieth outscored his playing partner, Rory McIlroy, by four shots on Friday and is the same number ahead of the Northern Irishman on aggregate.
“I feel good,” Spieth said. “I have got a chance to win a major championship. Just thinking about that gets you enough adrenaline so that there won’t be any issues.
“I noticed last year for the first time I felt fatigue and felt like I had overworked and kind of burned out at the end of the year. And I felt like by the Tour Championship [in Atlanta in September] I had kind of worn myself out.
“This year I’ve done a better job of when I take time off, when you limit the practice coming back, how to prepare. But as far as mentally in this position, the way the year’s gone, I approach each event as if it’s the only event of the year when I stand on the 1st tee.
“So, that gets me through it. And that, just looking at the board, grinding it out, I don’t feel any fatigue. I’m sure at the end of this year it will be nice to sit back and hang the clubs up for a couple of weeks but until then we have a lot to play for.”
Spieth fired a warning to the remainder of the Whistling Straits field by saying he has room for improvement. “I’m still not pleased with the way I’m driving the ball at all,” said the Texan. “I’m hitting some quick draws when I’m playing a normal shot, which is weird.
“I haven’t had that really this whole year. So I was kind of just trying to guide the ball off the tee.”
McIlroy cut a frustrated figure at the end of day two, with short-game struggles primarily to blame for his failure to keep pace with Spieth.
“There’s still enough good stuff to give me encouragement and make me feel that I can shoot a low one tomorrow and get myself back into it,” McIlroy said.
“I don’t know if it’s rust or I just didn’t putt well. I don’t really want to blame it on rust. But I didn’t putt as well as I would have liked. I will maybe just work on that a little bit before I tee off tomorrow and it would be great to hole a few more putts, because I feel like I’m giving myself plenty of chances.”
