Jordan Spieth dominating, but that's nothing new

WINDERMERE, Fla. – Sometimes you have to sit back and wonder if Jordan Spieth is too good to be true.

Handsome. Gracious with his time. Hefty bank account. Checks his ego at the first tee.

And the 21-year-old is pretty good at golf.

He's on a roll, that's for sure, as he's dominating an elite field of 18 in the Hero World Challenge at Isleworth Golf and Country Club a week after winning the Australian Open by six shots.

Then again, Spieth's been on a roll for years.

As an amateur he was a giant. He won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur, joining Tiger Woods as the only multiple winners of the event. He was the Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2009 and played on the Walker Cup team in 2011. At Texas he won three titles as a freshman and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year as the Longhorns won the 2012 NCAA championship. That year Spieth also was the low amateur in the U.S. Open where he tied for 21st. And at 16, he played in the PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, made the cut and tied for 16th.

He hasn't slowed down much as a pro, either, becoming in 2013 the youngest U.S. player ever to participate the Presidents Cup. And he became the youngest player in 82 years to win a Tour title when he won the 2013 John Deere Classic in a five-hole playoff two weeks before he turned 20.

And yet he remains firmly grounded, with no indication that his kindness and goodwill – and game – will flame out under the intense light of fame.

In large part because failure is what fuels him.

Earlier this year, he came up short at both the Masters, where he played in the final group with eventual champion Bubba Watson, and The Players Championship, coming unhinged at certain times in the final round of each tournament. Before that, he acted like a petulant child during a loss to Ernie Els in the Accenture Match Play Championship, taking to Twitter following his defeat to apologize for the way he acted.

But say this for Spieth – he learns from his mistakes.

"Ben Crenshaw said you really see a man's true emotion competing at Augusta National more than anywhere else," Spieth said. "I felt that was the case. That's why it's the best tournament I can learn from in my life. The good and the bad. Even though we fell short (at Augusta), Greg Norman said last week you learn a lot more from your failures than you do from winning.

"I took that to heart there. I believe that you're going to learn a lot more from your close calls, your tough calls, than you will from victory. You can certainly learn from both, and you will lose a lot more than you win out here in this sport that we play."

One of the lessons he's learned is to let go – hit a bad shot and forget about it. Another is to keep emotions in check, whether after a double bogey or an eagle. He continues to feel more comfortable in the pressure situations, as he showed in the Ryder Cup and in the final round in Australia.

And he knows he can always improve.

Last week Spieth won his first title of the year in Australia with a 63 in the final round, which he said was the best 18 holes of golf he's ever played considering the circumstance. This week he's ruling over some of the best players in the game and will take a 7-shot lead into Sunday's final round following a flawless 9-under-par 63 on a sun-splashed Saturday.

Spieth, whose last stroke was a 60-foot bomb for birdie, is at 20 under. Henrik Stenson (68) and Keegan Bradley (65) are in second place. Tiger Woods (69) is in last, 20 shots behind.

"I got some really good bounces today," said Spieth, who would be a senior at Texas if he hadn't turned pro. "I got lucky a few times."

And he doesn't take things for granted.

"It's a good position to be in," Spieth said of his 7-shot lead. "But I really have to keep my head down and stay focused. I have to pick a number and grind it out tomorrow."