Despite being on the cusp of rewriting golf history, Jordan Spieth says he has never been more relaxed heading into a major championship.
The 2015 Masters and US Open winner claimed his third major title at last month's British Open, meaning the American world No.2 can complete golf's coveted grand slam at this week's US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina.
Turning 24 two weeks ago, Spieth would beat Tiger Woods - who was aged 24 years, seven months when he claimed the career slam at the 2000 British Open - as the quickest player to bag all four major titles.
But the Texan feels no nerves about the chance to join career grand slam winners Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
"I'm about as free and relaxed at a major than I think I've ever felt," Spieth said on Wednesday.
Spieth, a two-time Australian Open winner, believes experiencing rock bottom at the majors so early in his career have banished the fear of failure.
In 2016, Spieth held a five-shot lead at the Masters heading into the back nine on Sunday before collapsing with five dropped shots to hand England's Danny Willett the green jacket.
"I've gone through what will probably and hopefully be the worst loss of my career in the most public eye that golf has," said Spieth of his Augusta National collapse, which included a quadruple-bogey 7 at the famous par-3 12th hole.
"That kind of freedom allows me to take the fear away of any potential bad situation."
But Spieth will have to fend off the cream of the crop at Quail Hollow, with the PGA Championship field boasting 97 of the world's top-100 players.
The 7600-yard course is also tipped the reward golf's biggest hitters, including world No.1 Dustin Johnson, No.4 Rory McIlroy and No.7 Jason Day.
McIlroy, a two-time PGA Champion and two-time winner of the US PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow, is coming off top-five finishes at the British Open and last week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
Another contender is Japanese world No.3 Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a course record-equalling 61 at Firestone Country Club to win the WGC-Bridgestone by five shots.
"There will be pressure. This is a major championship. I mean, this is one of the four pivotal weeks of the year," Spieth said.
"Rory is very difficult if you come into a one-on-one type situation, no matter where it is.
"The way Hideki is playing, he's coming in here as probably the hottest player in the game."
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