Jordan Spieth has a spring in his step ahead of his title defence at this week’s US Open, saying that he banished memories of his Masters meltdown by winning the Colonial tournament last month.
Spieth was also defending champion at the Masters in April when the prized Green Jacket appeared to be firmly in his grasp as he stormed five strokes clear with just nine holes to play at Augusta National.
Though he stunningly threw away the title as he bogeyed 10 and 11 before a shocking quadruple-bogey at the par-three 12th, he rebounded just three PGA Tour starts later when he claimed the Colonial by three strokes.
“If you’re coming off a recent win, getting back into contention is a more natural state,” Spieth told reporters at Oakmont on Monday about the impact of his Colonial win on this week’s
major championship.
“If you’re coming off kind of a heartbreaking loss, getting back into contention can be fearful, and you’ve just got to push through the fear. When I say the fear, the potential for bad memories to pop up, right? “And I feel like we got through that. Although our last major we were in contention was the Masters, I think I’ll be able to draw on a lot of pretty special major experiences if I can’t bring it off the Colonial experience itself.”
Spieth, who has won two of the last five majors played, said he had felt the pressure of contending at the Colonial following his Masters disappointment, which made his birdie-birdie-birdie finish there to win even sweeter.
“It was definitely difficult at Colonial,” said the world number two. “I really felt it there and that was a huge week, especially to win before any of the next majors... to actually win a tournament.
“Not just contend, but to actually close one out. So now I can draw back on those last few holes, the pressure that I felt and the speed control and kind of the control of the ball to the most minute detail.
“So honestly, I think it (the Masters meltdown) is out of our heads now just from that one experience at Colonial.”
Asked to explain how he been able to contend in the last five majors he has played, Spieth replied: “I think a combination of really feeling like we get into these courses and spend more and more time dissecting... the time that we put in at a major.
“You can’t put that in every single week. There’s just not enough time there. You’ll wear yourself out. You can’t play more than a couple weeks at a time.”

Spieth looking forward to Rio despite Zika fears
World number two Jordan Spieth has played down fears that the Zika virus could affect his participation at the 2016 Rio Games, adding that he is looking forward to the “tremendous honour” of representing his country in Brazil.
The 22-year old, who will defend his US Open title at Oakmont this week, had not categorically committed to the event over fears of the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to birth defects and developmental problems in babies.
However, Spieth said he was satisfied by the information given by the PGA Tour.
“Based on what’s come to my knowledge at this point, it seems like it’s going to be an extremely memorable experience,” Spieth told reporters in a press conference.
“I look forward to trying to win a gold for the United States. “Do I think being an Olympian outweighs any significant health threat? No. If I thought that the threat was significant, I certainly would not go.”
World number one Jason Day also expressed doubt about his participation over fears about the virus earlier this month. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
 The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.