Golf, like Texas weather, can change in an instant. One moment it’s sunny and predictable, the next you’re caught in a downpour of uncertainty. That’s exactly what Jordan Spieth is experiencing with his short game at the Valero Texas Open. The three-time major champion is battling the unpredictability of his usually reliable chip shots, leaving him visibly frustrated. His opening round of 67 had positioned him nicely on the leaderboard at T4. He was happy to see his game back on track after Thursday, only unaware of what Friday had in store for him.

 “Yeah, it’s been a little bit of a mixed bag, but I’ve had way more excited days than I have in the last couple years, really since May of ’23 when I first injured my wrist. So it’s been way more of those in the last six events than it was before. I mean, why wouldn’t you love what we do? When we have a standard and you’re not meeting it, it can be pretty frustrating. Normally you’ve got to find it in the dirt, sometimes you need some help to do that and I think I’m on the right track and feel good about it,” he said after R1. But as Texas skies can darken without warning, his touch around the greens suddenly abandoned him, leaving him frustrated, especially with the Masters beginning in less than a week.

“I lost four shots chipping from this rough around the greens on the last nine holes,” Spieth lamented during his post-game second-round press conference on Friday. His words carried the weight of someone caught in a storm without an umbrella. What should have been his shelter—a short game specialty—had suddenly become exposed.

The former World No. 1 sits at 4-under after two rounds, dropping from his impressive first-round position. His decline mirrors a pattern that’s becoming all too familiar. The Texas native admitted, “I’ve got to get better at closing these rounds out on Fridays. I had the same problem happen in Tampa.” Behind this unexpected struggle lies a deeper story.

Spieth’s wrist continues to pose challenges even after his surgery last August.“I wake up in the morning and my wrists do not feel the same, comparably,” Spieth said on Friday, just a bit before joining Smylie Kaufman for a special TV segment. “My left wrist, just to close my fingers, it feels like it’s twice the size, but after 10, 15 minutes, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt, it’s not sore, it just is so tight every morning after sleeping. So I think I’m a little surprised that that’s staying that way.

The unpredictability of Spieth’s usually reliable short game has rattled his confidence. Each chip shot now feels like a gamble with uncertain outcomes. His frustration was evident in his post-round comments. “Each one, it’s like, well, it could jump or it could — felt like I was just picking heads or tails and just losing each one,” he explained. His chips felt fine technically, but produced wildly different results. The shorter rough created more confusion rather than simplifying his shots.

This struggle is particularly cruel after his recent optimism. His putting had ranked second in the field on Thursday. But Friday revealed the fragility of his comeback hopes. “I’m just a little, you know, how do you feel when you’re on a bad run of cards?” Spieth said.

The gambling metaphors reveal just how much Spieth feels his game has become a matter of chance rather than skill. And these chip-shot struggles point to a more concerning development in his tournament performances.

Jordan Spieth’s Friday struggles form a concerning pattern

This isn’t an isolated incident for the 13-time PGA Tour winner. His Friday troubles have emerged as a troubling trend that began in Tampa and continues at a venue where he historically excels. His SG: Around The Green stat showed a concerning -0.506, ranking him 92nd in the field for the tournament.

His struggles seem more mental than technical. The uncertainty surrounding each chip shot has infected his decision-making process. What once came naturally now requires second-guessing—a dangerous situation with Augusta National’s severe slopes approaching.

Despite these challenges, Spieth sees positive signs elsewhere in his game. His driver speed has increased dramatically, jumping from 69 mph before Pebble Beach to 79 mph at Valero. This power boost could prove valuable at Augusta, where distance off the tee creates scoring opportunities.

As Spieth heads to Georgia next week, he carries renewed hope and lingering doubts. The Masters holds special significance for him—his scoring average of 70.95 remains the lowest among active players at Augusta. But the question remains: Can his touch around the greens return in time? Augusta demands that the greens punish even minor miscalculations. The coming days will reveal whether Spieth’s claim of being “back on track” was premature or prophetic. For golf’s ultimate showman, the stage is set for either redemption or continued frustration.