Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth said Wednesday that patience has not been his strong suit at times during his career, adding that a lack of it “has gotten me in trouble.” Spieth made the comments at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, ahead of this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
Spieth credited Xander Schauffele for his patience before finally cashing in last week on his first major victory at the PGA Championship. Spieth applauded Schauffele for enduring the dry spell, something the 30-year-old Texan has not always mastered.
“The way he approached that patiently is extremely inspiring. I’m not a very patient person and I think that’s gotten me in trouble a lot of times in my career, as far as the process,” Spieth said. “Like trusting the process and giving it time and not having to have results right away. He didn’t seem bothered by close calls.
“He had to answer a lot of questions regarding Sundays or whatever, and I remember having those for a year or two as well and then, you know, I was more patient back then because I was playing consistently better, so it was easier to be more patient,” Spieth added. “Once it goes your way, then you start thinking they’re all going to go your way, and then they do. So I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the beginning.”
Spieth is still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour this season. He has three top 10s and sits No. 52 in the FedEx Cup standings. “Once I know what I’m capable of, I want to obviously stay there. If you fall from that even a little bit, it frustrates you, and then if you fall quite a bit from that you can be wondering what in the world is going on,” Spieth said. “It can overtake you, and it did for me for a little while.
I think I have a better perspective now, but at the same time the drive to get to where I know my ceiling is at has never been higher. “So every day that I’m not there it’s still, I still walk away, if I feel like I progressed towards it, I walk away really, really pleased with my day,” he added. “But some days I feel like I didn’t and instead of being OK with that — back to this patient talk — you know, I lose a little patience because I know what I am capable of and not sustaining that every year is something that I’m not OK with personally.”
