MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jordan Spieth ended his season Sunday after one FedEx Cup playoff event and already was planning for surgery on his left wrist, which has troubled him the past 16 months.
“I’ve got to have it operated on ASAP, and then I’ll go through the process of what I’m supposed to do from there,” Spieth said after finishing with a double bogey — vintage Spieth, he made a 30-foot putt to keep it from being worse — and a 74.
At issue is a torn sheath in his left wrist that holds the tendon in place. It first occurred a week before the 2023 PGA Championship, and Spieth has tried various treatments to avoid surgery. But it never got any better, and he could never predict how badly it was going to affect him.
Spieth said he’s talked to several people and the recovery is roughly three months, with physical therapy starting after the sixth week. He did not come close to finishing among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup to advance, so he has time on his side.
“If I don’t have a reason to try to rush back — which I don’t — I’ll probably just take it as slow as I can,” he said.
This was the second time Spieth failed to advance out of the first round of the postseason. He was No. 100 in the 2020 season when the top 125 qualified. Now only the top 70 reach the postseason and Spieth was No. 63, in need of a top 10 to advance. He tied for 68th.
Spieth started the 2023 season with five finishes in the top six before he first injured his wrist and had to pull out of the Byron Nelson. He has had only four top-six finishes since then, along with sixth place against a 20-man field at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
He was No. 10 in the world at the time of the injury. Spieth was at No. 43 going into the St. Jude Championship. He failed to make the cut eight times this year in 21 tournaments.
“I kept trying not to make excuses for myself because it didn’t hurt when I was swinging,” Spieth said. “But it doesn’t seem coincidental based on the amount of time, and really the results being the exact same every single week. So I’m very hopeful.”
“I think there’s some clarity in getting it done,” he said. “There’s also some uncertainty, and so it’s a little scary. But also, if I can learn to find some patience – which I’m not very good at doing – then I think I could come back stronger.”
Spieth called it the most frustrating year he has ever endured.
“I put a lot on my own plate and then had some unfortunate circumstances, too,” he said.
Spieth agreed to join the PGA Tour board when Rory McIlroy abruptly resigned last November, right about the time the tour brought on Strategic Sports Group as an investor in the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises while trying to secure an investment from the Saudi-backers of LIV Golf. At Pebble Beach this year, he played a practice round while using ear buds so he could be part of a conference call.
Even more frustrating was having a good year driving – he was 13th in the key statistical category off the tee. Spieth said that could be explained.
“Anything that impacted the ground was not a good scenario for me this year,” he said.
He declined to say when he would have surgery, and he does have time on his hands. He is not eligible for The Sentry at Kapalua at the start of 2025. Spieth said depending on the recovery, he might ask for an exemption to the Hero World Challenge in early December in the Bahamas.
Otherwise, he has no set plans.
“Other that two kids under 3, which makes it quite a bit harder with one arm,” he said.