Jordan Spieth is trying to ignore the inevitable comparisons that are being made between him and former world number one Tiger Woods, the American whizzkid said on Wednesday.

When the 21-year-old Texan won the US Masters in April he became the second youngest recipient of the coveted Green Jacket after Woods. Spieth followed up his pillar-to-post success at Augusta National by landing his second major victory in the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay last month but he said it was far too early in his career to mention him in the same breath as his compatriot.

"I think the parallels that are drawn between me and Tiger are unfair," the world number two told reporters on the eve of the 144th Open at St Andrews.

"This is an early timetable. When people ask me about those kind of parallels I try and shake it off because it's not the same."

The 39-year-old Woods has had a torrid time in recent months and goes into the year's third major ranked 241st in the world. Spieth, however, said he was in awe of the 14-times major winner's golfing achievements.

"I certainly have an appreciation for how Tiger could continue to keep winning majors at just an unbelievable percentage of the amount that he played in because it's not easy," the youngster explained.

"It's very challenging. You have to be at the top of your game and the top of your mental game. All the skills have to be there and for him to consistently do it is a completely different level that nobody I think who is playing now has seen.

"Jack (Nicklaus) coming before and Arnie (Palmer) and (Ben) Hogan, that's the category that you should be paralleling."

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