Jordan Spieth reported that he slept great on Monday night, which was a relief after a whirlwind few days. He and wife Annie welcomed the couple’s third child last Thursday, and once he returned home from the hospital, it was practically time for him to board a transatlantic flight across six time zones.
Spieth might be tired, but at least, of late, he’s well-rested.
It wasn’t by design. Spieth hasn’t played in four weeks, since the opening round of the Travelers Championship, when – for the first time in his career – he withdrew from an event because of injury. Warming up, Spieth felt rib discomfort that morphed into spasms in his upper back and neck area, cutting short his start in a no-cut signature event.
Before his Tuesday practice round here at Royal Portrush, he reported no concerns or lingering effects. Because of the rotation in the swing, the same issue actually cropped up earlier this year, in Palm Beach, and he can normally stay on top of it with treatment within a day; this time, it simply “got further than it normally does” and spasmed. It was his 10th event in 12 weeks.
“My body just said it was too much,” he said.
But the unexpected break was costly, especially this time of year. Spieth is 48th in the race, safe for the playoffs but very much on the bubble for the top 50 that would make him fully exempt into the signature events for 2026. Missing two strong events in that four-week span, he dropped him about 10 spots in the standings.
“Just not ideal,” he said, “especially when you are starting to play well.”
So it puts even more emphasis on his performance this week at The Open, where he has four top-10s among seven consecutive top-25s.
