Jordan Spieth is teeing it up at the Cognizant Classic, but there’s just one problem—his wrist still isn’t right. Just hours before his fourth start of the season, Spieth admitted that his surgically repaired wrist still isn’t back to normal.  “I don’t enjoy the way it feels waking up, and if it’s every day, it’s O.K. by the time I play, but it’s not ideal,” he shared in his pre-tournament presser. “I would like to be able to feel pretty good in all conditions, and it wasn’t that way on the West Coast.” That’s not exactly the update fans were hoping for. After all, Spieth was supposed to be past this by now.

Back in early February, before making his 2025 season debut at Pebble Beach, he confidently told reporters he was injury-free for the first time. But just days later, he jammed his wrist again. “I was in a bunker on Spyglass No. 1, my 10th hole, and I had to flick one and it jammed it pretty good. It locked up on me for a little while,” he admitted after finishing Round 1 at TPC Scottsdale.  

And the rollercoaster continued. He bounced back with a T4 finish at the WM Phoenix Open, then missed the cut at the Genesis Invitational. Now, just as he’s looking to regain momentum, boom—the injury concerns are back. Spieth has been upfront about his struggles to find the right balance between rest and play. “I rested it for six days straight last week, and I came back, and it was way worse the first day,” he admitted. “But it was still worse, as in—you know, putting some force into it since it’s healed can sometimes actually loosen it up, can make it better.” He also said, “My hope is that it’s not a new normal because I don’t enjoy the way it feels waking up.”

To be fair, Spieth has been setting realistic expectations from the start.  “I think I’m trying to look big picture,” he said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on a hot start. I just want to get back into a rhythm. This is by far the longest I’ve gone between tournament rounds.” 

So, what does this all mean for his chances at the Cognizant Classic? Spieth is playing PGA National for the first time as a professional, and while he’s focused on getting tournament reps, his real goal remains Augusta. “I feel like the West Coast was kind of a let’s see how everything is feeling post-surgery,” he explained. “I missed the first month of the season. I just wasn’t ready to play any of those events yet. And it was really nice to get back and then even to get into contention one week,” he said. “So, my goal now, as we look towards the Masters, is to try to play difficult golf courses and work my way into contention and just see what I can improve upon by the time we get to Augusta.”

At this point, Spieth knows that just as much as getting back to winning matters, so does simply getting out there and competing. Now, as he steps up to the Cognizant Classic, the big question remains—can he push past the pain and make something happen?

Can Jordan Spieth win the Cognizant Classic?

Sure, Spieth’s journey back hasn’t been easy, but if there’s one thing we know about him, it’s that he never backs down from a challenge. Just recently on The Smylie Show, he admitted that only two weeks before Pebble Beach, he was playing like a 4- to 6-handicap. Yeah, not exactly what you’d expect from a three-time major champion. “Honestly, the meteoric rise from then until now has been some of the most impressive improvement in my game that I’ve ever had,” Spieth told Smylie Kaufman, “but that’s not saying a whole lot because I started lower than I had since I was probably 9 [years old].”  Classic Spieth—brutally honest, but always looking for the upside. And while this will be his first time playing the Cognizant Classic as a pro, he’s actually been here before. Back in his junior golf days, he got a feel for the course. So, it’s not completely new territory.

But let’s talk about why he’s really here. Spieth admitted that he added this event to his schedule because he doesn’t want to risk falling outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings—something that’s definitely not normal for him. “This year, the fact that I hadn’t played much, and then I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to be able to play going forward, I think this year’s schedule is just a little bit up in arms for me as I try to get my feet under me,” he explained. “I also am playing a bit of catch-up. I don’t like finishing outside the top 50 with the new system.”

Three years without a win is a long time. Too long. And for a competitor like Spieth, waiting around isn’t an option anymore. Can he pull it off this week? That’s the big question. If he wants to remind the world that he’s still got it, this would be the perfect time to do it.