JORDAN SPIETH says he cannot wait for this Masters to be over.
And the fate suffered by previous Augusta chokers when they returned to the scene of the crime suggests he had better prepare himself for the worst.
The American blew a five-shot lead on the back nine last year.
The five men responsible for the most infamous Masters meltdowns before Spieth’s disaster all flopped on their next visit to Augusta.
They did not manage a top ten finish between them.
And none of those players — Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Curtis Strange, Ed Sneed and Ken Venturi — went on to win The Masters, though McIlroy could change that stat with many more visits to Augusta to come.
Spieth, still only 23, has the consolation of a Masters triumph two years ago.
He finished runner-up on his only other starts, in 2014 and last year.
But the Texan admits he does not know what to expect this time, as he sets out to battle the demons that surfaced a year ago on the part of the course everyone knows as Amen Corner.
Jordan Spieth plays his third shot on the fateful 12th hole of the Masters last year
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Then, Spieth dumped two balls into Rae’s Creek to run up a quadruple bogey seven at the 155-yard 12th.
The World No 6 said: “No matter what happens this year, whether I can grab the jacket back, or I miss the cut, or I finish 30th, it will be nice having this one go by.
“The Masters lives on regardless of what happens to individual players. It brings a non-golf audience into golf and it brings added pressure.
“So from my point of view, to be brutally honest, I’ll be glad when this one’s finished.
“I’ve been thinking about it more and more as we’ve got closer to tee time.
“But that’s not abnormal — the anticipation for the first Major of the year is always huge.
“But will there be more attention on me this time? Yes, there’s no use trying to hide from that fact.
“Of course it would be best if I could reclaim the jacket.
“But whatever happens this year, I believe that I’ll be back up there sooner or later — just because of the way I play the golf course, the success I’ve had and the comfort level I have there.
“Whether it happens this year or not, it will be nice when I do pull on a second Green Jacket, because that tournament, it’s a 365-day thing. There’s no other Masters.”
PREVIOUS MASTERS MELTDOWNS
Rory McIlory: 2011
WHAT HAPPENED?
Grabbed a share of the lead in the first round with a seven-under- par 65, moved two shots clear by following up with 69, adding a 70 to take a four-shot advantage into the final round.
That was down to one by the time he stood on the tenth tee — then the horror show really started. McIlroy hooked his tee shot badly and ran up a triple-bogey seven, adding a four-putt double bogey on the 12th, eventually signing for 80 — and a share of 15th place.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
McIlroy bounced back brilliantly to win the US Open but it was a different story when he returned to Augusta. He could only manage a tie for 40th in 2012 and was joint 25th a year later.
A trio of top tens in his last three outings has boosted hopes of him winning the only Major he needs to complete a career Grand Slam — although that collapse in 2011 will always haunt him.
Greg Norman: 1996
WHAT HAPPENED?
Norman had plenty of practice of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, as shown by his ‘Saturday Slam’ ten years earlier — he led all four Majors after 54 holes but won only The Open.
He had been runner-up in two previous Masters but it seemed even the serial choker could not mess up this time as he took a six-shot lead into the final round.
But Norman crumbled to a six-over 78 while Nick Faldo shot 67 to beat the world No 1 by FIVE shots. Faldo looked almost embarrassed as he tried to console Norman.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
Norman missed the cut at Augusta in 1997 and 1998, before giving himself one more chance to claim a Green Jacket in 1999.
He was in the last group with Jose Maria Olazabal on Sunday, and bagged an eagle on the 13th to draw level with his playing partner.
But Norman bogeyed the next two holes and eventually finished third, three shots off the Spaniard.
Curtis Strange: 1985
WHAT HAPPENED?
Strange was on the brink of the most amazing comeback in Masters history when he shook off an opening- round 80 to lead by three shots with just six holes left to play.
But then the wheels came off as he found water with his second shots on two must-birdie par fives, the 13th and 15th.
Two bogeys dropped the American into a tie for second place, two shots behind the eventual champion Bernhard Langer — who birdied both the long holes.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
Strange went on to become only the second man to win back-to-back US Opens in 1988 and 1989 — Ben Hogan was the other, in 1950 and 1951.
Yet he never went as close to winning The Masters as he did in 1985.
He finished tied for 21st a year later and in ten subsequent visits to Augusta his best result was a share of seventh in 1990.
Ed Sneed: 1979
WHAT HAPPENED?
Sneed, a journeyman pro from Virginia, steamrollered Augusta with rounds of 68-67-69 to charge to 12 under par, giving him a five-shot lead over Tom Watson and Craig Stadler heading into the final day.
Sneed was still three shots clear with three holes to play but suddenly the wheels came off in spectacular fashion.
Three bogeys in a row dropped him into a play-off with Watson and Fuzzy Zoeller — who became the only Augusta rookie to triumph in the last 82 years.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
Sneed quickly faded back into relative obscurity as far as the Majors were concerned although he did manage to claim four PGA Tour titles — three of them in play-offs!
He finished tied 44th at Augusta a year after his near-miss and missed the cut in his only two visits after that.
A share of eighth at the 1980 US Open was his only other top finish in the Majors.