Johnson and Spieth will play together in the first two rounds of The Open — with the latter the subject of increasing scrutiny as he seeks to claim a third major in as many attempts in 2015.
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Spieth could have been denied victory in the U.S. Open had Johnson not three-putted No. 18 as he looked set to force at least a playoff.
Invited Monday to assess Spieth’s chances of completing a sweep of 2015’s majors, a smiling Johnson replied: “Well, I’m playing in the next two, so we’ll have to see.”
By finishing tied for second at Chambers Bay, Johnson recorded a fourth top-eight finish in his last six majors. He finished 14th in the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews.
“It gives me the confidence to know I have what it takes to win,” the 31-year-old said.
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“I think I showed that at the U.S. Open. Coming down the back nine, I was hitting the shots that I wanted to hit. Unfortunately the ball wasn’t bouncing in the hole [a reference to the much-talked about greens at Chambers Bay].
“You know, I’ve got what it takes, so I’m excited to get this week started,” Johnson said. “I feel like I play very well over here. I’ve always liked it (The Open) since the first time I came over in college, and I just think it’s a lot of fun.
Reflecting on the pain of coming so close to victory in the U.S. Open, Johnson said: “It wasn’t too difficult to get over it. Obviously, I was a little disappointed I didn’t get the job done, but, you know, I was definitely happy with the way I played.
“I think pretty much everyone missed a lot of putts. I mean, it was just part of it. The greens weren’t rolling that great.”
