OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. -- Jordan Spieth's most recent victory came at last month's Open Championship, when all hell broke loose. An epic, 20-something-minute bogey on the 13th hole led to a historic closing stretch, one of the most frenetic finishes in recent major championship lore.
His previous win before that occurred at the Travelers Championship, in a more instantaneous display of pandemonium. Spieth holed a greenside bunker shot in a playoff, punctuated by a celebration that included an airborne wedge and a flying bunker rake.
So no, he wouldn't exactly mind if his next title is the result of a nice, calm, stress-free stroll toward a Sunday coronation.
"I think that's what anyone would prefer," he said Saturday evening with a smile. "I don't expect it, though."
Following rounds of 69-65-64, Spieth leads the Northern Trust entering the final 18 holes, holding a 3-stroke cushion over Sunday playing partner Dustin Johnson and 5-stroke advantage over the foursome of Paul Casey, Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm and Matt Kuchar.
This is becoming increasingly familiar territory for the 24-year-old Texan.
Since parlaying the 54-hole lead into a victory at the 2015 Masters Tournament, Spieth has converted nine of his past 10 opportunities in this situation, the lone outlier being, of course, the 2016 Masters, when two shots into Rae's Creek on the 12th hole ruined that record.
("It's really 10 out of 10," he said with a laugh after Saturday's round. "Minus one hole.")
Still not convinced of his closing prowess? Consider this: Of the 54-hole leads that have been multiple-stroke differentials over the nearest competitor, Spieth owns a perfect five-for-five mark.
And yet, entering Sunday's final round, he appears cautiously confident rather than exceedingly self-assured.
"Some guys who have been playing extremely well this whole year," he said of the closest competition. "So you expect them to shoot 4- or 5-under rounds; and therefore, I need to go out and do what we've been doing."
That's where his built-in advantage comes into play.
Spieth not only holds the lead, he understands how to play with the lead -- even if that scenario doesn't always, or often, lead to an easy win.
"I don't really care where I win from," he explained after a third round that included eight birdies against just two bogeys. "I've had some good Saturdays that have put me in the position to be in the lead. That's obviously what you're trying to do. ... It's obviously the easiest place to play from, because if I shoot the same score as the guys around me, I'm going to win. I just have to assume that they'll shoot a few under and that's what I have to do."
Call it mental fortitude or adaptability or anything else, but Spieth has spoken recently about his penchant for adjusting this game plan on the fly, to whatever strategy a specific situation might dictate.
In other words, he understands that during his prime, Tiger Woods would clench onto leads, then stiff-arm the competition to the extent that nobody could even make a strong Sunday run at him. And he understands that his blueprint doesn't exactly follow the same lines.
"It's not like guys that were chasing Tiger, where you almost felt hopeless and you can try and do all you can," Spieth admitted. "I've shown that things can get a little off and have to get back on track. But I've also had cruises. I mean, [this year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am] was an absolute cruise. It was a bogey-free 2-under round when I had a lead by a significant margin, and I think the longest par putt I had was 3 feet that day. So that's what I would obviously like [Sunday]."
Yes, he'd like that very much. One of those Tiger-esque final rounds, in which he refuses to concede the 54-hole lead and the final result is never in doubt.
He also knows that Sunday afternoons often don't work that way.
Sometimes all hell breaks loose. Sometimes it becomes pandemonium.
Spieth has witnessed it all before. He has triumphed in a variety of different ways from this position. He knows that no lead is safe and no collapse can't be overcome.
"I've kind of shown that anything can happen," he offered with a laugh. "Unfortunately and fortunately."