HE IS golf’s man of the moment ... but Jordan Spieth has revealed how he knew it was not his moment as he prepared to launch his Open Championship title tilt.

The 21-year-old Texan, who has already won the Masters and the US Open this season, is aiming to become the first player since the great Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the first three Majors on the golfing calendar.

Spieth, who got that campaign underway over the Old Course at St Andrews this morning, made his debut in the world’s oldest Major in 2013 at Muirfield.

The Ryder Cup star, who won last weekend’s John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour, was making impressive advances on the leaderboard that year as he underlined his vast potential.

But as he looked back on that trip to the east of Scotland, Spieth admitted that his journey into uncharted territory that week convinced him that he was not ready to challenge at the highest level.

He said: “I remember almost thinking like it felt too big for me at the time. I felt like I wanted to compete, I loved the pressure and I felt like I could do it, but it was a position I’d never been in before and it was an odd feeling.

“I don’t think I could have imagined sitting here (with two Majors) so soon, but this is where I want to be. This is where I expect to be and there’s certainly a difference in the way that I feel contending in a Major now having won a couple.”

Tiger Woods, the former world No.1, was the last player to go into an Open Championship with the Masters and the US Open already wrapped up back in 2002, but Spieth insisted it was far too early to be comparing him to 14-time Major winner Woods.

“I think the parallels that are drawn between me and Tiger are unfair,” said Spieth. “That’s not something that, in my mind, is necessary.

“I think that’s something that people are looking for, but is not there with anybody right now because it’s something I don’t think that can be compared until at least midway through their career.

Spieth added: “This is an early timetable. When people ask me about those kind of parallels I try and shake it off because it’s not the same. I’m extremely happy with where I’ve been and how we’ve been able to compete and win early and win a couple majors at my age.

“But, at the same time, I certainly have an appreciation for how Tiger could continue and continue and continue to keep winning Majors at just an unbelievable percentage of the amount that he played in because it’s not easy. It’s very challenging.

“You have to be at the top of your game and the top of your mental game. All the skills have to be there, and for him to consistently do it is a completely different level that nobody that I think is playing right now has seen.

“Obviously Jack Nicklaus coming before and Arnie [Palmer] and Hogan, that’s the category that you should be paralleling. I don’t think [with] anybody right now it’s fair to do that.”

The forecast for later in the week is heavy rain and strong winds, but Spieth reckons he will be in his element whatever the elements as he steels himself for an old-fashioned buffeting on the Old Course.

Spieth, who has packed in over 40 holes of practice since touching down here on Monday, said: “I think it’s fun. If we wanted good weather we would go to California. We come over here because we want to embrace the opportunity of handling these conditions. You have to be as positive as you can.”