Spieth opens defense of Masters title

How qualified: Former Masters champion

Best Masters finish: First (2015)

Best stat this season: World ranking (No. 2)

Jordan Spieth hasn’t won a single thing in 11 whole weeks, and those souls who wish to interpret that to mean he hits Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday morning on his hands and knees, go ahead and run with that.

For those inside with ropes, evidence compiled over the past two Masters persuades otherwise. For the record, of Spieth’s first eight competition rounds here, seven were played in 23 under par. The eighth: an even 72. No matter what transpired in California or Florida this winter, the defending champion has embedded upon this field a full bank of hard memories.

“Last year when he was on his run, I was one that was saying, ‘No, he can’t keep holing those putts; he can’t keep doing it; he can’t keep doing it,’” Rory McIlroy said. “And he kept doing it.”

The 80th Masters is as wide open as a publinx Sunday scramble. Jason Day comes in as the world’s No. 1 player. McIlroy is inspired to complete a career Grand Slam. Ricky Fowler is due his first major title. Bubba Watson seems to win here every other year, and the calendar says his order is up. Phil Mickelson still shows up every almost every Sunday afternoon.

But Spieth puts off a different vibration, saying things like, “My tools that I have right now, I know I can beat everybody.”

Nothing he has done at Augusta disputes that: a runner-up finish and then a title by age 22. Arnold Palmer was 28 before he won his first Masters. Jack Nicklaus was 23. Tiger Woods remains the youngest champion at 21 year, three months. But in his first two whacks, he finished 41st and then missed the cut and after breaking through in 1997, he didn’t win again for three years.

By that time, Spieth was analyzing Augusta National’s design via television. He was in grade school at the time.

“I’ve studied it from when I was 8 years old, certainly the back nine,” he said. “… So I already knew going in the tendencies of different holes, and I just wanted to hit these putts that I’ve seen guys hit or shots into holes where the ball feeds. I love courses where you have to use your imagination and a lot of feel.

“So I just kind of had a unique eye for it, I guess, a passion for it, if you want to say.”

After a smashing eight-shot victory in the Hyundai in this year’s first event, Spieth has not finished in the top five since. Whereas last year when he came to Augusta on a string of first-second-second finishes, he actually missed a cut in Los Angeles in late February, when he shot an opening 79. He didn’t card a score above 75 in 25 events last year. Last weekend, he tied for 13th in Houston.

His notable statistical down-ticks have come in greens in regulation (64.4 percent this year, 67.9 in 2015) and scoring (70.005 to 68.938). Paradoxically, his putting has been slightly better (27.31 putts per round this year, 27.82 last year).

But not only won’t he admit to an enhanced stress level, Spieth believes the high standard of the past two Masters actually helps him.

“We feel like there’s an advantage, if we can get into contention against those who are searching for their first (Masters),” he said. “We know how difficult that was to sleep on and to sleep on leads and in contention in major championships when you haven’t capitalized.

“So I would say (the stress level) is pretty similar to last year. Sure, I’m putting pressure on myself to contend this year, just like last year. And I feel like I’m in form as well.”

The year’s first major provides a sort of 2016 primary for Spieth, whose performance in the 2015 majors — Masters, first; U.S. Open, first; British Open, tied fourth; PGA, second — may sparkle even brighter one year later. He, at times, almost bullied the field in the old Tiger Woods method.

“Jordan wins the first two majors of the year, and he very nearly did something no one else ever in the game has been able to do: win four in one year,” McIlroy said. “… He’s a phenomenal talent and, you know, it’s my job and Jason’s job and everyone else’s that sits before you to stop him from dominating.”

While Masters champions are allowed to take their green jackets home to wear at their discretion for one year, protocol is to return the coat to the club after the next tournament the following spring. Unless, that is, he repeats. As Spieth folded up his new favorite garment while packing recently back at his home Austin, Texas, that fact began to wear on him.

“I was like, wow, this is actually … there’s a possibility that I won’t have this back at my house anymore when I was leaving home,” he said. “It kind of fired me up a little bit.”