Jordan Spieth Announces Extended Recovery Due to Wrist Surgery
Jordan Spieth, one of golf's preeminent stars, has made the difficult decision to step away from the sport for the remainder of 2024 to focus on recovering from surgery on his left wrist. This surgery comes after years of dealing with persistent wrist issues that originated in late 2017 or early 2018. Despite having soldiered through the discomfort for several years, Spieth's condition escalated dramatically in May of the previous year when he suffered a severe wrist dislocation due to a poolside incident involving his son.
The incident led to Spieth's withdrawal from the Byron Nelson tournament just a week later. Since February of this year, Spieth has endured around 20 wrist dislocations, a situation that significantly affected his iron play throughout the 2024 season. The 30-year-old athlete nearly withdrew from the John Deere Classic as well, but chose to persevere with the hope that rest might remedy the situation. Unfortunately, Spieth discovered that rest alone was insufficient.
Spieth shared his thoughts on the necessity of the operation, saying, "It was something that couldn't fix itself with rest, unfortunately. So that's why I ended up having to do this." He acknowledged that the decision to opt for surgery now was rooted in the long-term benefit it would provide, despite the short-term setback it imposes on his career.
"I actually texted [caddie] Michael [Greller] like, 'Hey man, it came out last night, it hasn't gone back in overnight. And I can't do this. I gotta go get this thing fixed now,'" Spieth recounted, reflecting on the moment that solidified his decision to go under the knife.
The golf community—and Spieth himself—had hoped that he might return to play sooner. At one point, he considered undergoing surgery in July, but ultimately decided to push through the season. However, the persistent issues with his wrist forced him to reconsider. Spieth is looking forward to starting rehabilitation later this year. He stated, "I didn't get it fixed maybe then, and I kind of got into some bad habits, and then as I started to swing it better a few years ago it started to kind of act up again."
Spieth anticipates beginning to hit balls again by November 2024, although playing in any events in December seems unrealistic. "Playing any events in December feels like a stretch," he admitted, underscoring the extensive recovery period ahead.
Despite the obvious physical challenges, Spieth has also grappled with the mental and emotional tolls of his injury. He noted that while playing through pain was one aspect, the impact on his competitive mindset was another significant hurdle. "I really didn't wanna make any excuses for myself the whole year because it wasn't hurting to hit the shot. And then I'd get into competition, and then I'd just bail. It was very strange," he explained. "And so I guess it was a big enough sample size over a year, you'd think it frustrates you after a week or two, but for me, I just kind of kept thinking, 'You know, hey, this is just something mechanically I gotta fix.'"
Through this challenging period, communication with other athletes who have undergone similar surgeries has been a source of encouragement for Spieth. "I talked to a lot of different players who've had similar operations and a lot of guys across different sports and they're like, 'Look, one day you'll wake up and, if you're patient enough, you do the right rehab, you listen to your docs and you take your time, there'll be one day where you wake up and you're like, 'Man, I just totally forgot that there was ever an issue,'" Spieth said. "So I look forward to that day."
Even with the grueling path to recovery ahead, Spieth remains optimistic about his future in golf. He expressed faith in the medical team, noting the enthusiasm of his surgeon: "Anytime a guy who does, you know, 30,000 to 40,000 surgeries is excited about something, you know, that's reason for me to feel good about it, I guess." Spieth added that he is confident that "in due time, it should be better than it was before."
The golf world will undoubtedly miss Spieth's presence on the course in the coming year, but his commitment to recovery and optimism for a stronger return in 2025 offers hope and reassurance to his fans. As Spieth embarks on this healing journey, the entire sports community will be watching and cheering for his successful comeback.