What’s worse than playing bad? Playing so bad that you make your partner look good. While ‘bad’ might be a subjective word, for a star like Jordan Spieth, a little slip from glory can look like a huge fall of grace. And that’s exactly what the 31-year-old has been suffering from, for quite a while now…

Slowly, but steadily, Spieth was expected to make an iconic return to the top-tiers of the golfing landscape after his wrist troubles and subsequent surgery in August last year. Unfortunately, that’s far from what’s happened.

Before he finally returned at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month, the veteran sat down with the media, and remarked, “[The wrist] feels good…I got a couple great pieces of advice … and one of them was that no one’s ever come back too late from a surgery. I kind of took that to heart. As much as I wanted to just start getting out there, I’m glad that I’ve waited till here. Yeah, things feel really good. I’m very pleased with how everything’s gone.” But, as the action unfolded, Spieth realized he would require a lot more patience…

The 2015 US Open winner finished tied for 69 in the 80-player, no-cut event after shooting a five-under 67 in the final round. However, things took a turn for the better at the WM Phoenix Open where he finished with a promising tie for fourth—his best finish on Tour in over year. The worst was yet to come, though. At the $20 million signature Genesis Invitational at the Torrey Pines’ South Course earlier this month—which is one of three signature events to feature a halfway cut, and employs a 36-hole cut to the low 50 and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead—his struggles continued amid the brutally cold and wet conditions. Spieth shot 76-74 to miss the cut by two. His teammate, on the other hand? Well, to Spieth it seemed like a betrayal in the most hilarious way.

Spieth was partnered with 25-year-old Ludvig Åberg for the first two rounds of the 2025 Genesis Invitational. And, boy, did the veteran come to regret it. Not only did the Swiss golfer leave him behind, but also recovered from making two bogeys in his first five holes to make six birdies over Maverick McNealy. The result? A masterclass victory from the young star, making him a two-time PGA Tour winner, after a heartbreaking elimination at the Farmers Insurance Open last month—intensified by a mystery stomach ailment. But now that Åberg has successfully avenged himself, less than a week later Jordan hopped onto The Smylie Kaufman Show to talk about the experience.

Smylie Kaufman, the host, insinuated, “This past week you played with Ludvig Aberg the first two days, talk about that Thursday round and it’s always interesting too when you get paired with the eventual winner.” At that, Spieth said, “Yeah, I think he’s going to ask to be paired with me all the time.” Deja vu? Last time at the 2024 Masters, Åberg was runner-up while Spieth missed the cut. Now, Åberg wins the Genesis Invitational and Spieth in the same puddle.

He admitted, “As much as I do enjoy playing with him and I do because it’s fun to watch.” Well, despite the fun, Spieth made things clear with a hilarious confession, “I might try to stay away from that pairing for a little while. I don’t have the same results.”

He further noted, “The Thursday was a brutal day to play golf. It was a very tough golf course and it was windy and raining and I thought he shot a couple under in and turned it into a couple over, on just your random Torrey Pines stuff. Some pins on nobs where he missed a few putts from shorter range and he caught a couple of holes…Everyone caught four or five holes harder than the rest of them and on those holes I think is where he made his bogeys.

“But for the most part, I was like…I shot four and he shot two. For the most part, I thought he shot two or three under and he posted two over. Typically, that means that you are going to come out the next day with a little bit of fire and he did.”

“He just didn’t get anything to go in the first day, and then started to have a couple fall early in the second round. And then, all of a sudden, he was back to being underpar for the tournament. So, I told my wife after the first round…I was like, ‘He’s as impressive as I’ve seen in a long time and, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a chance this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a lot of events this year going forward’,” the veteran concluded.

Indeed, when both the golfers were paired together, Aberg was the one who benefited. But, away from the two performances that Spieth had lately, there is greater hope for his future, as an insider shared about his journey of recovery.

Jordan Spieth’s recovery journey

After the last appearance at St. Jude Championship in 2024, Spieth took time and suggestions from the fellow to fully recover from the injury. Gabby Herzig, golf writer at The Athletic, shared the insights on his journey during the 5 Clubs podcast. She shared how the golfer has taken advice for the surgery and even asked fellow golfers, including Sahith Theegala and Billy Horschel, who have had similar injuries.

She said, “There’s already been an extensive process from the moment he got that surgery until now.” Further, Herzig also shared how the process involved innovation in practicing to help Spieth feel better in contact. Down the road, he could not feel the contact with a golf ball, and instead used Nerf balls.

Even while concluding about the process, she hinted at having peaks and valleys in the performance. That can be seen with a missed cut, a T69, and a T4 finish. Herzig was confident about the redemption after a few matches. What do you think about this? Will he be able to redeem it? What if he is again paired with Aberg? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.