PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — As Jordan Spieth walked off PGA National’s par-3 17th green Sunday, he sighed and uttered “ughhhh, that’s a bummer” to himself.
Needing a birdie-eagle finish to match the Cognizant Classic’s then-17-under clubhouse lead, Spieth’s long-awaited return to the winner’s circle would have to wait.
That wait will stretch another two weeks, as he failed to qualify for the Tour’s next event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational (a signature tournament).
Nonetheless, in his fourth start back from wrist surgery last August, the world No. 70 continues to see light at the end of the tunnel, despite still not being 100% healthy.
“If you had told me 14 under at the beginning of the week, I would have shook your hand and gone home,” Spieth said following a final-round 3-under 68, which left him tied for ninth. “It may be even top 10. It's crazy good golf out there.
“I feel like I’m trending in the right direction. I feel like I played better than I did in Phoenix (T4). Phoenix is a better fit for me … I really do feel like I’m playing good golf at about 60% of the control tee to green that I’m capable of doing and still able to come to a very challenging golf course and hit nice shots and shoot under-par rounds.
This isn’t the first time that Spieth, who last won at the 2022 RBC Heritage, is trying to claw himself out of a rough patch.
In January 2021, he fell to No. 92 in the world, while after his five-month lull at the end of last year, he dropped to No. 83.
Four years ago, Spieth eventually escaped his funk and won the 2021 Valero Texas Open en route to making the Ryder Cup team that year.
However, this time around, the 31-year-old feels he’s more equipped to return to the level that made him a household name.
“I think it's way different (than 2021),” Spieth said. “I’m in a way better head space now. I feel like I’m more capable of handling dips better than back then. If I didn’t putt well in 2019, I wouldn't have made a cut.”
And as the golf world anxiously awaits the completion of another Spieth comeback story, the three-time major winner believes he knows how to write the final chapter.
“I’m progressing, and I know that I’m on the right track,” Spieth said. “I’m not searching for answers. That’s a big difference. That just means it’ll come.
“But the problem is I’ve been so far off for so many years … so hopefully it just continues to get better. No limitations on the wrist. Being able to hold the club in the right place going back is a big deal, too.
“I feel like I’m in a—I have way more knowledge about what I do well and why I did it well and how to get back to doing that than I did back then. I feel like I can do stuff like this every week, and back then it was like a crapshoot.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jordan Spieth Continuing to Progress in Comeback, ‘I Know I’m on the Right Track’.
