MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Jordan Spieth ended his season on Sunday after a FedExCup playoff event, already planning surgery on his left wrist, which had caused him problems for the past 16 months.
“I need to have it operated on as soon as possible and then I will go through the process that is expected of me,” Spieth said after finishing with a double bogey – a typical Spieth, he needed a 30-foot putt to avoid anything worse – and a 74.
It’s a tear in the tendon sheath in his left wrist that holds the tendon in place. The tear first appeared a week before the 2023 PGA Championship, and Spieth has tried various treatments to avoid surgery. But it never got better, and he could never predict how badly it would affect him.
Spieth said he’s spoken to several people and recovery takes about three months, with physical therapy starting after week six. He didn’t even come close to the top 50 to advance at the FedEx Cup, so he still has time.
“Unless I have a reason to rush it – and I don’t – I’ll probably just take it as slowly as possible,” he said.
This was the second time Spieth failed to make it past the first round of the postseason. In the 2020 season, he was No. 100 when the top 125 qualified. Now only the top 70 make the postseason and Spieth was No. 63 and needed a top 10 to advance. He finished 68th.
Spieth started the 2023 season with five top-six finishes before initially injuring his wrist and being forced out of the Byron Nelson. Since then, he has only managed four top-six finishes, along with sixth place against a field of 20 at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
At the time of his injury, he was ranked No. 10 in the world. Spieth was ranked No. 43 before the FedEx St. Jude Championship. This year, he failed to make the cut eight times in 21 tournaments.
“I’ve always tried not to make excuses for myself because it didn’t hurt when I was swinging,” Spieth said. “But it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence considering how long I’ve been practicing and that the results are exactly the same every week. So I’m very confident.”
“I think there’s a certain clarity about how it’s going to end,” he said. “But there’s also a certain uncertainty, and that’s why it’s a little scary. But if I can learn to have some patience – which I’m not very good at – then I think I can come back stronger.”
Spieth called it the most frustrating year he has ever experienced.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself and then some unfortunate circumstances came along,” he said.
Spieth agreed to join the PGA Tour board when Rory McIlroy abruptly resigned last November, just as the tour was bringing in Strategic Sports Group as an investor in the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises while trying to secure an investment from LIV Golf’s Saudi backers. At Pebble Beach this year, he played a practice round with earplugs so he could participate in a conference call.
Even more frustrating was that he had a good year as a drive player, ranking 13th in the most important statistical category. Spieth said that could be explained.
“Anything that touched the ground was not a good scenario for me this year,” he said.
He would not say when he would have the surgery, and he has time. He is not eligible to compete in The Sentry at Kapalua in early 2025. Spieth said depending on his recovery, he could ask for an exemption to compete in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in early December.
Otherwise he has no concrete plans.
“Besides, there are two children under the age of three, which makes it quite difficult with one arm,” he said.
