Jordan Spieth Faces Long Recovery After Wrist Surgery
Jordan Spieth, one of golf's most notable talents, has announced that he expects to be sidelined for the remainder of 2024 due to surgery on his left wrist. This decision comes after years of battling a persistent wrist issue that began surfacing in late 2017 or early 2018. Throughout this period, Spieth continued competing, often through significant discomfort.
The severity of his condition became undeniably apparent in May of last year following a severe wrist dislocation caused by a poolside incident with his son. This led to his withdrawal from the Byron Nelson tournament just a week later. Since February 2024, Spieth has experienced approximately 20 wrist dislocations, which heavily impacted his performance, particularly his iron play during the 2024 season.
"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 said, expressing optimism about his recent surgery.
Despite the injury's persistent interference, Spieth almost withdrew from the John Deere Classic due to yet another dislocation but chose to compete. The decision to undergo surgery came after it became clear that rest alone would not adequately resolve his condition. “It was something that couldn't fix itself with rest, unfortunately. So that's why I ended up having to do this,” Spieth explained.
Spieth's struggle with the injury has been a challenging journey, both physically and mentally. "Like I said, 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. 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,'" Spieth admitted, reflecting on how the wrist issue affected his mindset on the course.
In July, he pondered undergoing surgery but ultimately decided to push through the remainder of the season—a decision many athletes in his position might empathize with. “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 added, indicating the cyclical nature of his injury issues.
Spieth is hopeful about recovery and is eager to resume play, setting a tentative timeline for returning to practice. He expects to begin hitting balls again in November 2024, although participating in any events in December seems unlikely. “Playing any events in December feels like a stretch,” he conceded.
Having sought advice from various athletes who have undergone similar surgeries, Spieth remains cautiously optimistic. “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.' So I look forward to that day,” he shared, expressing a sentiment common among athletes recovering from significant injuries.
Spieth’s determination to return stronger than ever is evident. “In due time, it should be better than it was before,” he said, capturing the resilience that has defined his career.
As Spieth embarks on this road to recovery, the sports world watches with anticipation, hopeful that one of golf's brightest stars will soon return to illuminate the fairways once more.