Jordan Spieth Has Wrist Surgery, Aims to Reset His Golf Career

Jordan Spieth was in Colorado last week, but not for the FedEx Cup playoffs. Instead, he underwent surgery on his left wrist, which he believes will resolve issues that have troubled him for over a year. The surgery took place on August 21 in Vail, about 100 miles from the BMW Championship.

The procedure involved reconstructing the sheath that holds the tendon connecting the forearm to the wrist. Doctors also removed bone chips and cleaned up the triangular fibrocartilage complex, which stabilises the wrist. "I feel relief in making the decision and confident that this will solve the problems I was having," Spieth said. He added that it will take a few months to see how well his wrist recovers.

Recovery and Challenges

Spieth expects his recovery to take around three months. Currently, he is wearing a cast from his palm to his bicep, which presents another challenge as he is left-handed except for golf. Despite these difficulties, Spieth managed to finish in the top 70 and qualify for the PGA Tour postseason, although he did not advance to the second stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The three-time major champion began 2023 with five top-six finishes before injuring his wrist in early May. This injury forced him to withdraw from the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas. He attempted to manage it with rehab and rest, but eventually, the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon would pop out of its sheath.

Impact on Performance

Spieth's performance was notably affected by his wrist issues. He ranked 13th in driving statistics but was 131st in approach to the green. "Anything that impacted the ground was not a good scenario for me this year," he explained. "The closer I got to the green, the worse off I was."

The surgery took longer than expected—one hour and 15 minutes—but doctors found issues that explained some of his pain. "It was weird because I wasn't in pain swinging, but ... then it got to where it couldn't be coincidental," Spieth said. He mentioned trying to hold his forearm in a pronated state as a significant struggle.

Long-standing Issues

Spieth revealed that problems with his left hand had been ongoing for years. He hasn't thrown a baseball or played basketball for several years due to these issues. In 2021, he had a bone spur at the top of his middle finger on his left hand and received cortisone shots before finishing runner-up at the British Open.

In 2018, he experienced pain while turning his left forearm properly, leading to what he called "a ton of compensation." After winning his third major in 2017 at the British Open, Spieth went nearly four years without a win and almost fell out of the top 100 in the world rankings before regaining form.

He reached No. 10 in May 2023 before injuring his left wrist at Quail Hollow. "It wasn't the same issue, but this hand has been a problem going back to the fall and winter of '17," Spieth said. He hopes that combining the scope with ECU surgery will resolve these long-standing issues.

Future Plans

Spieth aims to start putting in eight weeks and make full swings at 12 weeks while rebuilding strength. It's uncertain if he'll be ready for December's Hero World Challenge or PNC Championship with his father, Shawn. "My personality is a little tricky with how long this surgery takes to get back to full go of things," Spieth admitted.

Despite these challenges, Spieth remains optimistic about his recovery and future performance. His journey through injury and recovery highlights both physical and mental resilience required at professional levels of sport.