Jordan Spieth has been one of the most prolific players in the last decade. Making his pro debut in 2012, he picked up 11 victories from 2013-17. He also managed to capture three majors during those four years and was on the verge of winning three in a row during his 2014-15 run. A few too many bogeys in the back 9 of round four at The 2015 Open Championship ended that dream, though. And after 2017, things didn’t go as planned for Spieth.

He had a trophy drought of four years before getting his next championship win at the 2021 Valero Texas Open, adding the 2022 RBC Heritage to his collection a year later. But his dip in form was unexpected to see, prompting many to wonder what may have happened. We finally might have answers from an unexpected source.

The possible reason behind Jordan Spieth’s loss of form

USA pro golfer Michael Kim sat down for an interview with Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme for The Smylie Show on YouTube. Smylie asked Kim if he ever wanted to be a part of the Player Advisory Council or PAC. Players from the PGA Tour can join the PAC and consult Jay Monahan & Co. about everything that happens on the course. This allows the PGA committee to stay on track with the issues that are affecting the Tour and take the appropriate action as required.

“Is that something you would ever want to do?” Kaufman asked. Kim’s reply? “At times, yes.” But it didn’t sound too convincing. “Being on the board is one thing. You have to be a part of the PAC for a certain amount of time to become a board member.” Aware of the responsibilities involved in becoming a member, Kim led with, “If you check their (PAC members) FedEx Cup rankings on the years these guys were on the board and not on the board…”

“It’s not going to be the most beneficial thing to your game,” he added. “These guys are actually spending a lot of time in meetings,” having conversations about improving the PGA Tour. Sharing an example of how hectic it is to be a PAC member, Kim said, “I was talking to Adam Scott, who is on the board this year at Waste Management. He played Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon and they had an early Friday morning tee time.”

Scott was elected as the chairman in February 2023 and replaced Charley Hoffman as a Player Director on the PGA Tour Policy Board this January. At the Phoenix Open, Adam Scott told Michael Kim that “they had a 2-3 hour board call.” He went on to say that is not an ideal situation to be in after a round of golf. “It’s the last thing I would want to do after a round. It’s a legit job.” 

It’s worth noting that Jordan Spieth joined the board one year after his hot streak ended, i.e., 2018. He was a PAC member in 2018 and moved to the position of chairman soon after. Spieth had previously replaced Rory McIlroy as the Player Director of the Policy Board. In an interview post his resignation from his position, McIlroy said that he couldn’t continue due to a lack of “time” and “energy” to fulfill the responsibility of the role. Well, that could’ve very well played a part in Spieth’s dip in form, too.

The role certainly adds a lot of stress and pressure to any pro career. As we trace the timeline of Spieth’s involvement with PAC and his form, we can understand why the ‘Golden Child’ has not been able to win as frequently as he did from 2013-2017. Spieth’s dry spell started in 2018 – when he joined the PAC – and only in 2021 did he finally have a resurgent season, followed by another one in 2022. But in 2023, after McIlroy resigned, Spieth stepped in to join the PGA Tour board.

With 2023 not having gone his way, 2024 didn’t get any better. He played his last tournament at the FedEx St. Jude Championship – where he finished T68 – following which he underwent a left wrist surgery to end his season. Despite registering 3 top-10s early in the season, Spieth couldn’t finish higher than T29 since he missed the cut at the Masters. As a result, he feel out of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Considering this was the second consecutive year that saw the three-time major champion struggle on the course, his friend Smylie Kaufman couldn’t help but address Spieth’s poor form.

Kaufman and Spieth had similar analyses of his 2024 season

On an episode of GOLF Subpar from July, Smylie Kaufman was in conversation with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz. Discussing Jordan Spieth, he said, “It’s funny, right? Because if you go and look at the stats, you get confused because if you would have supplanted his driving ability this year, in any other year, he’s winning.” That’s precisely what Spieth said, too.

Talking to reporters before the opening round at this year’s Wyndham Championship, Spieth said, “It’s been a frustrating year because it’s been maybe my best driving year ever… The clubs that I make the most impact into the ground with, which normally are my bread and butter, have been pretty off.” He’s usually extremely good with his irons and wedges, while his driving is all over the place. But this season, Spieth was 16th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 110th in strokes gained: approach.

“It’s not hurting, but subconsciously, it’s hard not to look at the numbers and think this isn’t a coincidence,” Spieth added. Could his involvement in the PAC and the PGA Tour board have had something to do with his dip in form? It’s likely. And now that Camilo Villegas will replace him as the director and member of the Player Advisory Board on January 1, 2025, the 31-year-old will look to bounce back in 2025.