Jordan Spieth Shows Promise in Return from Wrist Surgery at TPC Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Jordan Spieth made a resilient return to competitive golf Thursday, carding a three-under 68 in the first round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Spieth, who underwent left wrist surgery last year, showed glimpses of his three-time major championship form despite admitting his wrist ‘hurt’ during last week’s tournament.

Spieth, who finished 2024 ranked 137th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach, improved significantly, placing among the top 20 in the field in the same category on Thursday. ‘To play a round in a few under when the conditions were tough is a really good feeling,’ Spieth said. ‘It makes me feel like I’m close to back to where I want to be.’

The 30-year-old Texan, who missed eight of 14 fairways, bogeyed just once and expressed optimism about his recovery. ‘My wrist kind of hurt in the first round last week,’ Spieth acknowledged. ‘But I feel like I played better than I scored today.’ Spieth emphasized the importance of patience, stating, ‘My expectations are low… but I know I can do better than I did today.’

Spieth, who has set short-term goals to ensure he remains physically sound through the next three weeks, also revealed his long-term aspirations. ‘I would love to work myself into contention before the Masters at least once,’ he said. ‘A lofty goal this year would be to make the Ryder Cup team.’ Spieth, who hasn’t played competitively since mid-August, emphasized a ’10-year outlook’ for his career.

Spieth’s performance comes after a challenging recovery period during which he consulted with others who underwent similar procedures. Reflecting on his experience, Spieth said, ‘I think short term is to feel as good or better than I did when I started physically,’ adding, ‘I think looking at it from a long-term view… I got 10 years of hopefully similar schedules and set some goals for some wins and some contending in majors.'”