Spieth says he's in good shape if 2016 was a down year

Jordan Spieth's 2016 campaign would have been a career best for most golfers. Yet, for one of the brightest stars in the game, it was a bit of a letdown.

Jordan Spieth..."I was happy when the ball touched down and 2017 started."

Jordan Spieth's 2016 campaign would have been a career best for most golfers. Yet, for one of the brightest stars in the game, it was a bit of a letdown.

Former world number one Spieth won three times in the calendar year, starting with a victory at this week's event - the PGA Tour's Tournament of Champions in Hawaii - and concluding with a win at the Australian Open in November.

Still, Spieth seemed like a shadow of the figure that calmly stalked the fairways in 2015, a year that saw the 23-year-old American capture two major championships. "I was happy when the ball touched down and 2017 started," Spieth said in Kapalua on Wednesday. "It was still a great year in 2016, but I learned a lot on both end of things, highs and lows," he said.

Spieth recognised last year that his career will be judged as a whole, and he is on the right track. "Overall, recognising that if last year is a down year for us, we’re in really good shape long term when you start compiling those numbers," Spieth said. 

"It makes me think a lot more positive about last season and my career going forward, just looking at it from a more elongated perspective."

Spieth, who also helped the United States finally reclaim the Ryder Cup, will play alongside Dustin Johnson during round one of the Tournament of Champions on Thursday.