Jordan Spieth believes his victory in the Dean & Deluca Invitational will prove vitally important as he seeks to move on from his Masters meltdown.
Defending champion Spieth held a five-shot lead with nine holes to play at Augusta National in April, only to collapse on the back nine as England's Danny Willett went on to claim the green jacket.
The world number two missed the cut in the Players Championship on his return to action earlier this month and finished 18th in the AT&T Byron Nelson after a poor final round.
But after seeing his overnight lead wiped out by compatriot Harris English at Colonial Country Club on Sunday, the 22-year-old rallied with five birdies on the back nine to card a closing 65 and seal his second win of the season.
“I am already looking back thinking that this will be a very important day that I’ll never forget, to get back on top and be in the winner’s circle,” Spieth said after his first win in his home state of Texas.
“As a golfer, as a person, I can always look back on this experience and say we were strong through tough times just given the position we’re in, and that creates noise.
“It’s great when you’re on top, and it’s not fun on the other side of it, but it makes me really enjoy a moment like this even more. It really does.”
Spieth received plenty of support from the crowd on Sunday, but also clearly heard one fan shout “Remember the Masters, Jordan,” as he walked from the ninth green to the 10th tee.
The two-time major winner admitted he was unsure whether the comment was meant to be positive or negative, but was pleased to be able to put it to one side and close out the win.
“I heard it a few times in the crowd today, you know, ‘Go (Ryan) Palmer, he’s going to do the Masters’ or whatever,” Spieth added.
“I mean, that’s not fun to hear. Trying to throw all that out and just focus on what me and (caddie) Michael (Greller) are talking about on the next shot is the toughest thing, and we got through that at the end of the round today.”
Spieth's victory means each of the top three players in the world have won their last event heading into this week's Memorial Tournament, with world number one Jason Day winning the Players Championship and Rory McIlroy claiming the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Day’s win at Sawgrass was his seventh in 17 starts and gave the Australian a commanding lead in the rankings.
“There’s always certainly the goal to try and be number one in the world,” added Spieth, who has held that position for 26 weeks over four spells. “I mean, that’s just a fantastic title to own.
“I knew there was a large gap. I had been told before last week that had I won last week and this week, I still wouldn’t take over, which just speaks to what Jason has been able to do.
“Rory (is) rounding into form, he’s always in form, and he’s the one out of us three with double my major championships, with four of them. He’s certainly a scary person to be teeing up on the other side of when he’s on his game. Same with Jason.
“For me it’s big just to take a big step and a small chunk into Jason’s lead right now. I think we’re all playing (at Memorial), so as long as we stay focused, strike the ball like we are and keep putting like we are, then we’ll try and work our way back into contention again.”
