Coming off the John Deere Classic, Jordan Spieth is adamant about breaking the winless drought that has persisted since his victory at the RBC Heritage on April 17, 2022. While he skipped last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, his past major victories earned him a direct spot in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He has already practiced on the course ahead of the event, and during Monday’s press conference, he was quick to reveal what he found unusual about it. 

“Yeah, definitely, especially playing the closing holes yesterday and today, walking up the 18th and remembering what it was like to walk up that 18th hole nine years ago, putt to the pins that I putted to,” he said when asked about old memories flooding in. “Obviously, some of those holes coming in have changed. That was maybe the best shot and the best putt I’ve ever hit [that] don’t exist anymore, which is a little unusual.”

Spieth’s analysis of Royal Birkdale stems from the changes made to the course ahead of the Open Championship by architect Tom Mackenzie. According to reports, the championship tee was moved 90 yards to the left. The hole was also lengthened by about 20 yards, and the 18th hole was shifted from a double-right to a more straightaway layout. New bunkers were also added, creating a tougher strategic test with a sinewy fairway. 

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This is, of course, just one part of the overhaul made to the course ahead of the Open. Royal Birkdale has seen a lot more changes as the final major of the season gets underway. Meanwhile, Spieth is returning to the venue for the first time since winning the tournament in July 2017, which marked his third and final major win. But Spieth wants to change that. 

“Hope to create some more great memories here,” he said. “It’s a fantastic track. Maybe the hardest Open venue. Most difficult Open venue. Obviously, weather-dependent. It’s certainly shown that in previous Opens with scoring. Dried up this week. It’s going to play quite differently from the last time we were here. We’ve had the opposite wind for the last couple of days. So we’ll see what happens with the wind direction because that’s everything out here, right?”

Since the links course sits directly on the exposed coastline of the Irish Sea, it is often battered by harsh winds. Combined with the absence of natural obstacles, the conditions make it even more difficult to play. So, Spieth emphasized the importance of having a solid strategy going into Thursday’s opening round.

“Holes that are close to being drivable become mid to long irons, and just with the wind switch, the difference between in and down is so dramatic over here that picking a strategy is going to be key, and it’s going to be quite different from the last time I was here,” he said. “Nevertheless, I have great memories, and just reliving some of the shots, especially in the closing stretch.”

For now, Spieth remains winless in the current season and in the last few seasons. Hopefully, this “unusual” nature of the course won’t affect his performance.