Jordan Spieth's golf IQ puts him in Open contention - Faldo

Jordan Spieth is currently second in the world rankings

Jordan Spieth's "golfing IQ" makes him a leading contender for the Open Championship at St Andrews, according to Sir Nick Faldo.

Spieth, 21, won the John Deere Classic in the US instead of practising links golf at the Scottish Open this weekend.

Ex-European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes Spieth's chances of winning a third major of 2015 could be hindered by his preparation.

But Faldo said: "I don't think he's too worried about it."

He added: "If he believes that's the way to do it, then that's the way to do it."

Texas-born Spieth has already won the Masters and US Open this year and is aiming for a single-season grand slam.

With Rory McIlroy out injured, Spieth could also overtake the Northern Irishman as world number one if he wins at St Andrews.

Six-time major winner Faldo continued: "Jordan has got this great ability - many people play practice rounds with him and the next day he'll be talking about the golf course and they'll have missed everything he's talking about, all the little subtle slopes.

"He's obviously got a very high golfing IQ and he takes a lot on board."

Spieth flew into Scotland on Monday, following an overnight flight from Illinois, ahead of Thursday's opening round.

"It's amazing, when you're that young, you'd say, one good night's sleep to get over jet-lag and he'll probably be fine on Tuesday morning, especially coming off a win," added Faldo, the Open champion in 1987, 1990 and 1992.

Spieth triumphed in the US Open last month after compatriot Dustin Johnson three-putted from 12 feet on the 18th.

Johnson saw his chances of an Open title disappear in 2011 when he went out of bounds on the 14th at Royal St George's, while he also let slip opportunities to win at the 2010 US Open and US PGA.

But the 31-year-old says the near-misses do not haunt him: "I think every situation you can learn from, it just depends on the way you want to look at it.

"I try to look at them all as learning opportunities. Each one helps me get closer to actually getting a major."

Meanwhile Tiger Woods, who last won the Open in 2006, said he "absolutely " believes he can win the tournament, telling BBC Sport he is "heading in the right direction".