Jordan Spieth says he'll be ready for British Open

Plan A will do just fine.

That's Jordan Spieth's take on matters. Thus the world No. 2 didn't give any thought to changing course heading into his historical start in next week's British Open, where he'll attempt to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same season.

Spieth remained committed to the schedule he and his team mapped out at the beginning of the year and is teeing it up Thursday in the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. This is where in 2013 he won his first of four PGA Tour titles and finished in a tie for seventh last year.

If he makes the cut, he and other players in the Open will board a charter provided by the tournament for a Sunday night red-eye flight to Scotland.

Some in the golf world think it's not the ideal preparation for one chasing the third leg of the Grand Slam. Spieth, it has been suggested, should have played in this week's Scottish Open to acclimate his body to the time zone and weather conditions and his game to links golf. Others suggested he should have headed to St. Andrews early for practice rounds on an Old Course he's played just once.

Spieth decided otherwise.

"Never really crossed my mind to drop out," Spieth said this week at the John Deere. "I just want to get in contention here. It doesn't matter where it is. I will certainly have enough energy. I will certainly have enough rest, and I will be as prepared as can be, as I am for any other event, by the time I tee it up at St. Andrews.

"I think that this is a good preparation for me to get good feels, to get in contention, and to find out what's on and what's off when I'm in contention. I'm here because I believe I can win this week."

Besides, Spieth's way has worked this year. Period. In the two weeks leading up to his win in the Masters, he finished second in San Antonio and lost in a playoff in Houston. Two weeks before he won the U.S. Open, he tied for third in The Memorial with a closing 65, which he said was exactly what he needed.

Jetlag doesn't seem to bother Spieth, either. He won the Australian Open by six shots the last week of November, then flew more than 9,000 miles to Orlando, where he won the Hero World Challenge by 10 shots seven days later.

And when you're on the Texas-sized roll the 21-year-old Dallas resident is riding, you don't mess with custom. He has won five of his last 18 worldwide starts and finished in the top-10 seven other times.

Spieth is rolling so hot that on a trip to the Bahamas two weeks ago to celebrate his U.S. Open title with friends, he reeled in a 300-pound, 12-foot black tip shark that was eating a large tuna he hooked.

The struggle landing the two beasts lasted 2 hours, 30 minutes and left Spieth's left arm numb, though he said all is good now.

"I'm very, very much afraid of sharks," said Spieth, who added that the shark was released back into the water. "I don't like them. They're not cool. I do like Shark Week, though. I really enjoy Shark Week."

And he'll relish his time in the John Deere. He has heard the scrutiny about his preparation for the British Open and all the chatter about the pressure he'll face at the Old Course. In one ear and out the other.

"I'm focusing on this and trying to get another one of these," Spieth said as he eyed the John Deere championship trophy. "I have one of these at my house, and certainly there's room for another. … I don't think it hurts me with the chatter, but I don't think there's any reason to pay attention to it, given that I haven't for the first half of this year, and it's gone pretty well.

"I'm just trying to do exactly what I've been doing."