Jordan Spieth has spent so much time with Jason Day that he's been dreaming about the Queenslander ahead of this week's Australian Open.
The pair have been trading places at the top of the world rankings in recent months and have shared a series of memorable encounters that include current No.1 Spieth giving the Aussie a sporting thumbs up for a perfect putt on the 17th hole of the PGA Championship.
"I played a lot of golf with Jason this year and what a nice guy he is," Spieth said in Sydney on Monday.
"At the end of the year, I've played with him so often I have dreams of him saying `Jords, have a good day today'.
"I'm certainly jealous of how far he hits the ball and how great a ball striker he is."
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"What a fantastic mental game: he's extremely confident in who he is and how he plays and he's a big time threat. He's as big a threat as any."
The bond between the pair is so strong that Spieth could afford to be generous as he prepared to defend the title he says was the springboard to a remarkable 2015 that included the US Open and Masters titles.
But, as befits his youth, the 22-year-old Spieth isn't paying too much attention to who he's up against.
He played nine practice holes at The Australian Golf Club on Monday and is simply concentrating on the game he says is stronger than the one that earned him a six-shot win at last year's Australian Open with an astonishing course record final-round 63.
"There was so many comparisons this year with so many different people: there was me with Rory (McIlroy), Rory with Jason, me with Jason," he said.
"Golf's in a good place for young players who are fearless and want to perform on the bigger stages."
"I am pleased to be one of the many but it's tough to call it a rivalry. It's more just good fun for us doing what we love to do."
Day isn't the only Aussie spectators should keep an eye on at The Australian Golf Club this week, with Spieth tipping 35-year-old Sydneysider Matt Jones to make an impact.
"He's a good Aussie who's had some strong performances in some big events especially later in the summer," Spieth said.
"We're going out for a practice hit tomorrow and I'd look to him to be a threat."
Jones finally got his first professional win under his belt last year at the PGA Tour's Houston Open and Spieth says he has all the attributes to get noticed.
"He's always capable of posting something like eight or nine under in a single round," Spieth said.
"He's got a lot of firepower and that's what you need on this course. You need to take advantage of opportunities because you're certainly going to have some."
