USA TODAY International Edition
Spieth returns with blank slate, Ryder Cup on agenda
SAN DIEGO – The tranquil grounds above the sea at Torrey Pines offer the latest setting for Jordan Spieth to resume his hopeful return to golf ’ s lofty horizons.
His 2020 debut in the Farmers Insurance Open this week is his first PGA Tour start in nearly three months, the stretch of absence affording him time to rest and work on his game that has left him wanting for some time now.
Remember, Spieth is but one PGA Championship title from achieving the career Grand Slam. He’s a former No. 1, a past FedExCup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. A winner of 11 Tour titles and three majors.
But since his most recent victory in the 2017 British Open, Spieth hasn’t been Spieth, the guy who made people say Jordan’s doing Jordan things again. Back when he was in total control, able to call upon something to rescue any nagging faults in his game. Back when he was winning.
His winless spell has seen him fall to No. 45 in the world and has led some to wonder if he’s at a crossroads despite being 26. It’s a valid view seeing as Spieth’s had just 10 top- 10 finishes in 49 worldwide starts the past two years.
Spieth, however, isn’t having any of that crossroads talk. He remains confident a return to his best days is in the offing and is committed in his plan to get there.
“I kind of feel blank- slated here,” Spieth said Tuesday. “I’m almost approaching it like I did in 2013, where I was kind of hopefully ready to kind of bounce back to where I’ve been in the past. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away, but kind of build to that.
“I feel like I got out of the fall tournaments what I wanted to, to an extent. It was a little trial and error and I was able to have some time to rest and then recover and then practice gearing up.
“Big picture, I have a really good frame of mind, which should allow me to build some patience into getting my game where I want it to be.”
Spieth said he spent time during his break working on mechanical adjustments that had gotten off in his swing. While he putted and chipped well last year, the longer the clubs, the harder it was for him to control his shots. Using the best technology on the planet, Spieth said he did serious research, discovered some red flags and worked to adjust accordingly.
“I expect to be certainly going out and trusting what I can trust, and whether that goes really well to start or it builds up, I know I’m on the right track,” he said.
Fueling his drive will be his absence in the Presidents Cup in December, the first team event he has missed since making the 2013 Presidents Cup team. While he enjoyed watching former teammates and liked seeing the Royal Melbourne course in Australia that he loves, he couldn’t stomach watching the TV too much.
“It really sucked,” he said. “I hated not being there to help support the team and be a part of it and gain points for Team USA. That part was really tough, as I expected, but at the same time it’s fire to not miss another one.”
Well, the next one is the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits the last week of September.
Getting there will be tough for Spieth, but he has enough time and enough playing opportunities to reach that destination.
“I’m just kind of anxious to get going and I’m not putting huge expectations on the start,” he said. “I want to stay with kind of the trend, the practice, the feels that I’ve been doing, not audible out of them for what’s comfortable, but instead power through. I’ve set some lofty goals for myself as I do every year and looking forward to kind of bounce back on track.”