Spieth credits 'external factors' for Open Championship success

Jordan Spieth is in the mix at the Open Championship after matching his career low at the tournament with a 5-under 65 Thursday morning.

The 2017 champ, who sits one shot off the clubhouse lead held by Louis Oosthuizen, looked in total control at Royal St. George's and shared why he feels so comfortable.

"I think it brings a lot of the feel aspect into the game," Spieth said about competing on links-style courses. "I think I shorten swings up over here and hit more punch shots and just stuff that I probably should be doing at home.

"You get less swing-focused and more shot-focused over here because the second you take your brain off of what you're hitting, you may not find your ball."

Spieth leads the field in strokes gained: total over the past five runnings of the Open Championship, a stretch that includes his victory at Royal Birkdale and two other top 10s.

"Instead of just a driving range shot in Palm Springs, there's always some shot you have to play that gives you a little bit of an advantage or certain club selections based on you hit a fade or a draw," he said. "They go 15 to 20 yards different distances than between which shot you play.

"I guess to sum that up, there's a lot of external factors over here, and I think that external is where I need to be living."

The three-time major champion broke out of a lengthy winless drought - that dated back to his 2017 Open victory - in April at the Texas Open. Spieth made the cut at all three majors so far this year, with a T3 showing at the Masters serving as his best result.