FORT WORTH -- For Jordan Spieth, Wednesday's pro-am with legendary "Caddyshack" actor Bill Murray served as relaxation before starting his title defense at the Dean and DeLuca Invitational at Colonial on Thursday.

For Murray, the day was mostly about introductions:

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"It was a pleasure just to run into him on the green: 'Hey, thanks partner, what do you lie?' He would lie two and I would just lie.

"I didn't see Jordan that much because where I hit it, mine was more of a nature experience and you have a lot to be proud of on this course. There's a lot more kinds of wildlife here than you think. I mean not everyone has a drink in their hand. There's squirrels and rabbits and all kinds of critters where I was hitting the ball."

Murray, dressed in matching flannel shorts and long-sleeve shirt, was asked to assess Spieth's game:

"If he hits it down the middle, it's sort of inevitable he's going to hit it on the green, and if he hits it on the green it's sort of inevitable he's going to roll it into the cup."

Spieth, whose pro-am team shot 5-under 65, said he got some useful information from Murray that he might put into play in Thursday's first round.

"It was good fun just like last year," Spieth said. "Bill's so great with people. I also learned a lot about my putting from Bill. I think he had like 20 putts on the 18 holes; I mean he didn't putt on a few of them, but he was out there rolling his rock. It was just a really good time and people fed off him.

"I think the highlight of the day was on 13. A hole here that's known for its crowds and excitement, and Bill hits it up there to about 15 feet and rolls it right in the middle of the hole and the place just erupted."

Murray also contributed a chip-in par save on No. 4.

"I must confess I gave up hope," the actor said. "I saw it go up there and I thought it was going past the cup. So I turned to wipe a tear away and then I heard the roar of the crowd and it was a mixed emotion, very powerful."

Lefty's back

Phil Mickelson is playing Colonial for the first time since 2010. The two-time champion hardly recognized the layout.

"It still always kind of surprises me," Mickelson said. "Like, no bunker on 13 caught me off guard. Like, wow, I thought there was a bunker behind the green. Or the bunker on 14 used to be on the right side of the hole. Now it's on the left. I guess it's been that way for seven years. I just haven't really picked up on it."

Mickelson was not happy with the course changes made after his 2008 victory. Many fairway bunkers that had become obsolete were repositioned to compensate for modern power hitters. Mickelson said then the changes reduced his advantage as a long driver. Asked if the course was a better fit for him now, Mickelson said:

"Hard to say. I think if you're playing well, you can play just about any golf course. The thing about Colonial is that you can't overpower Colonial. There are only two par 5s. There are no given birdie holes. But you can be rewarded. You can birdie just about every hole if you hit a good shot, so there's a lot of reward for well-struck shots here. I think that's my favorite thing about this course is that very rarely is a well-struck shot penalized."

Rookie of Year candidate likes Colonial layout

John Rahm won two Hogan Awards as the nation's top collegiate golfer but he has never played Colonial until this week. Rahm, the tour's leading rookie-of-the-year candidate, likes what he's seen.

"I'm comfortable on those (traditional) golf courses," he said. "Back home in Spain at least where I live we don't have many long ones. Most are old-style golf courses like this one."

Rahm, who played at Arizona State, has at least won trophies at Colonial. The club hosts the Hogan Award dinner on the Monday of tournament weeks.

"Being able to walk out with a trophy twice, even if it's not the same one we're competing for this week, I do have that positivity in the back of my head. I haven't had a single bad moment here yet, so it's all good going forward."

Bill Nichols is a Dallas freelance writer