SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It was an encouraging week for Jordan Spieth at the WM Phoenix Open, his first top-five finish in 13 months in just his second start back from wrist surgery that required a five-month competitive hiatus. And he punctuated it with some vintage Spieth flair.

Spieth, 31, said Saturday he was “1,000 to 2,000 reps” away from full strength, and he competed at TPC Scottsdale with a new putter for the first time in eight years. “I had a new putter and a new driver and a new wrist, and I was trying to figure out how to manage all three,” he said Sunday. Yet the former world No. 1 displayed a mostly controlled brand of golf in the Arizona desert, ranking No. 2 in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and carding just two bogeys across 72 holes, including a 45-hole bogey-free streak. All good things.

Spieth’s week, though, might be mostly remembered for an all-world par save at the par-4 11th hole Sunday. After hitting his drive into a bush right of the fairway, he elected to play a left-handed shot with his putter to escape the thicket and advance the ball to where he could make a full swing for his third shot. He knocked that 124-yard wedge to 13 feet and drained the curling par putt, eliciting a joyous smile. The scene reminded of the Spieth of old, where magic seemed possible at every turn.

“One of the better pars I’ve ever made, to be honest,” Spieth said afterward. “I couldn't get to it right-handed. It was going to be too hard. My hands were going to have to stop well short of the ball, and it wasn't until like the last second because I thought about left-handed, but I thought about left-handed with like an iron up to the side. It wasn't until the last second I was like, ‘I've got a flat spot on the back of my putter I can at least nudge it up here, it's better than an unplayable,’ and dodged the bush.

“I somehow made par. That was a steal.”

Spieth’s performance at the WM Phoenix Open, ahead of schedule in his comeback, raises the possibility that a mid-career Spieth could employ a more conventional playing style (mostly) while maintaining his otherworldly improvisational ability. It’s a fun thought to ponder, and Spieth’s radiant energy while meeting the media throughout the week suggested that he might feel the same.

“All in all, it was a big progress week for me,” Spieth said. “I didn't feel like this was a one-off. It felt like this is just trending the right direction. I'm pretty realistic with myself on that. My expectations have been low, like I've mentioned. Just trying to get a little bit better each time.

“I had certainly less than 100% of my potential this week as far as structure and what I'm trying to do. I hit a lot of good putts today that didn't go in. All in all, I've got some stuff to improve on significantly within tee-to-green and on the greens, and the fact that this is where I'm at right now is really cool. It's a little bit of a monkey off the back, a little bit of a weight lifted off my shoulders, just feeling like I have a little bit of house money now, which I play a little bit better from. Everybody I think does. I'd like to take it into a strong next week and then start working myself more consistently into contention.”

After a T69 in the 78-player field at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, it was a marked improvement for Spieth at the WM Phoenix Open, no question. He’ll head to The Genesis Invitational (playing on a sponsor exemption) with confidence that he can contend at Torrey Pines. Spieth hasn’t won on TOUR since the 2022 RBC Heritage, but his showing in Arizona suggests that his next title might not be too far away.