The Genesis Invitational, being a signature event, has the best pool of players competing for a grand purse similar to what LIV offers. The $20 million prize pot, along with the 700 FedExCup points, will be at stake. The list of golfers getting sponsor exemption included Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, and Gary Woodland. Spieth’s exemption has seemed to impress the fans among all the listed names.

The golfer, who was away from the course due to a wrist injury, was placed in the 80th position. He has played two events in the 2025 schedule. First, at the AT&T Pebble Beach (finished T69), and later at the WM Phoenix Open, where he got himself on the redemption path with a decent finish, i.e., T4.

Now, on an impressive feat of a comeback after the injury, strong claims from his coach about the changes witnessed in the golfer have intrigued fans. However, despite the fan’s wish, the tour has kept him away from the round 1 coverage.

As per the post shared by PGA Tour LIVE on X, it had the tee times and group information. The tee times in the post were divided into Featured Group and Marquee Group. The list of golfers part of the coverage included Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, and others.

While some fans seemed happy with the featured holes and list of players shared. There was a majority who went off the grid and started questioning Spieth’s exclusion.

Fans disappointed after Jordan Spieth’s exclusion

Spieth with his good form after the long break has turned heads. In the previous event at the Phoenix Open, he recorded great scores in four rounds with the best round of 65 while the other three were 68-67-68. However, after the brilliant display of golfing, fans were expecting the same feat to be repeated, but the broadcast hindrance left fans angry.

One of the fans wrote, “You guys are fucking clowns. Nobody on this list moves the viewing needle like Spieth does. Get your shit together.” The PGA Tour has been suffering from a huge downside graph in viewership. Though, Phoenix Open has some great shots played by the 31-year-old, including the one-hand save from the bushes at the 11th hole, has helped in garnering some extra views. The event had 2.9 million views as compared to last year’s 2.4 million.

Even others joined writing, “No spieth is absolutely ridiculous,” and “No speith is a joke.” After the impressive performance with 16 under par finish, the golf world has had high expectations for the golfer. But with the flaw of coverage, the fans are sharing who they wished to see. One fan questioned the logic behind the group compared with Spieth. He wrote, “Unbelievable to not have Spieth featured. He alone will have more followers than Thomas, Clark, and Finau combined. Crazy decision!” Spieth on Instagram has 1.8 million followers while Clark has 174K, Detry has 34K and Finau has 670K approx. As compared to the Spieth, the three are still far behind in the race of followers, which even the fan pointed out to express frustration.

Another netizen wrote, “No Spieth after last week is insane.” The T4 finish with some great shot of savior from the golfer has laid a huge expectation bridge for fans. He recorded scores, 68-65-67-68 in four rounds to finish with 268 total.

The fans are furious at not seeing their favorite on the list despite offering the best performance in the last performance. Are you happy with the round 1 coverage shared? Let us know in the comments below.