Jordan Spieth to Miss Season for Wrist Surgery

Jordan Spieth concluded his season in Memphis, Tennessee, after participating in just one FedEx Cup playoff event. Following this outing, he confirmed plans for surgery on his left wrist, which has been a source of considerable trouble over the past 16 months.

“I need to get it operated on as soon as possible, and then I’ll follow the recovery plan from there,” Spieth stated after finishing with a double bogey and a score of 74. He demonstrated his skill by sinking a 30-foot putt to mitigate the damage from his performance.

The issue at hand is a torn sheath in his left wrist that is designed to hold the tendon securely in place. This injury first arose just a week before the 2023 PGA Championship. Spieth has since attempted various treatments to avoid surgery, but his condition did not improve, leading to unpredictable effects on his game.

Speaking about his recovery, Spieth shared that he has consulted with several professionals, and the expected healing time is approximately three months, with physical therapy slated to begin after the sixth week. Unfortunately, he did not qualify among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, giving him ample time to focus on recovery.

“Since there’s no rush for me to get back, I plan to take my time,” he remarked.

This year marked the second occasion Spieth did not advance past the first round of the postseason. In 2020, he ranked No. 100 when the top 125 qualified. Currently, only the top 70 players earn a postseason spot, and Spieth found himself at No. 63 but needed a top-10 finish to progress. Ultimately, he finished tied for 68th.

To start the 2023 season, Spieth recorded five finishes in the top six before his wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the Byron Nelson tournament. Since then, he has only managed four additional top-six finishes, including a sixth-place finish in a limited field at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

At the time of his injury, Spieth ranked No. 10 in the world. However, by the time of the St. Jude Championship, he had fallen to No. 43. Throughout this year, he missed the cut in eight out of 21 tournaments.

“I tried not to make excuses for my performance because it didn’t hurt while I was swinging,” Spieth admitted. “However, given the duration and the consistent results, it’s hard to ignore the connection. I remain hopeful about improving.”

He expressed that going through with surgery brings a sense of clarity, albeit with some accompanying uncertainty, which can be daunting. “If I can cultivate a bit of patience—something I admittedly struggle with—I believe I can return even stronger,” Spieth added.

He described this year as one of the most frustrating he has faced. “I had a lot on my plate and faced some unfortunate circumstances as well,” he said.

In addition to his golfing challenges, Spieth took on a significant role by joining the PGA Tour board following Rory McIlroy’s sudden resignation last November. This was around the time the tour engaged with Strategic Sports Group as an investor in its PGA Tour Enterprises division, during efforts to secure investment from Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Notably, he played a practice round at Pebble Beach while participating in a conference call, using earbuds.

Despite the setbacks, Spieth had a strong performance off the tee, ranking 13th in important driving statistics. He attributed some difficulties to how the injury affected his play, saying, “Anything that impacted the ground didn’t bode well for me this year.”

While Spieth did not disclose a specific date for his surgery, he acknowledged he has time since he is not eligible to participate in The Sentry at Kapalua in early 2025. Depending on his recovery, he is considering requesting an exemption for the Hero World Challenge in early December in the Bahamas. Beyond that potential event, he lacks concrete plans.

“It’s pretty challenging to manage with two kids under three years old, especially with one arm,” he concluded.