Jordan Spieth hints wrist surgery to come in offseason

Former FedExCup champion and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth has hinted he may take a surgical route on his troublesome left wrist in the offseason.

Speaking ahead of this week’s Wyndham Championship where Spieth is trying to bolster his FedExCup position in a winless year, the Texan admitted the tendon issue he’s been battling all season is coming to a head.

Spieth’s ECU (extensor carpi ulnaris) tendon randomly “pops out” of its groove in his left wrist thanks in part to a torn wrist sheath, mostly happening in day-to-day life away from the golf course.

The 13-time PGA TOUR winner says the wrist isn’t generally a problem while playing but “subconsciously” it could still be affecting his game and as such medical intervention is in the cards.

“I've been taking trips out as well as being in contact with a lot of doctors, getting it scanned again and trying to figure out what the next move is,” Spieth said from Sedgefield Country Club. "Probably going to have to do something about it this offseason.

"I like to think hopefully I have 10 to 15 years of prime and some of my best golf left, so I'll be optimistic about the process. But I'm not quite sure exactly what I'll do and where I'll do it, but unfortunately, something kind of has to get done. And I've never experienced anything like this before. Just trying to take my time making sure things are done right at the right time.

“It's been a frustrating year because it's been maybe my best driving year ever, and then the clubs that I make the most impact into the ground with, which normally are my bread and butter, have been pretty off. It's not hurting, but subconsciously it's hard not to look at the numbers and think this isn't a coincidence.”

Spieth ranks 14th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee but a distant 116th in SG: Approach. From 50-125 yards his proximity ranks 136th. Despite this, he still holds hope for a push towards his 2015 FedExCup winning heroics.

After starting the season with a third-place finish at The Sentry and adding a T6 at the WM Phoenix Open in February it has been a less-than-stellar season from the former top player in the world. His last result of note was a T10 in April at the Valero Texas Open.

In 12 starts since he has just one top 25: a T25 at The Open Championship, leaving him at 62nd in the FedExCup. While he should be safe inside the top 70 who advance after the Wyndham to the Playoffs, Spieth needs to get inside the top 50 after next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship to secure Signature Event status for 2025. Spieth is +3500 to win via BetMGM Sportsbook and +333 to get his first top-10 since April at Sedgefield.

Back in his younger years Spieth lost a playoff in 2013 at Sedgefield but didn’t return until 2019 where he shot 64-67 to be in contention through 36 holes only to bomb out with a 77 in the third round to finish T78. In his last visit in 2020, he finished T72.

“My goal this week is to try to move up as far as I can in the FedExCup and head into the Playoffs on a high note,” Spieth said. “I love the golf course, I think it's spectacular. You can't hide your game. And I like the Bermuda. You've got to think your way around it, you can't really miss above the hole out here. And then when you're on the greens, it requires a lot of precision and touch.”

His form, and potential surgery, could see Spieth miss a chance at a fifth Presidents Cup berth (2013, 2015, 2017, 2022) in late September. At 25th on the U.S. team points list, he was already relying on a captain’s pick from Jim Furyk despite going 5-0 in 2022 at Quail Hollow.