Pressure Mounts on Jordan Spieth to Fire Caddie of 14 Years as More Pros Split With Their Loopers to End PGA Tour Struggles

2025 was supposed to be a redemption arc for Jordan Spieth. What started as trivial wrist pain in May 2023 when the golfer was playing with his son, soon took a magnanimous form pulling Spieth down under. Ulnar nerve damage—read the diagnosis. And more than two years later, the repercussions are still palpable. However, this time, not just the golfing veteran but even his caddie Michael Greller has landed in hot water as the duo has seemingly failed to impress fans during the 2025 Valero Texas Open. But before we get to that…

For the unversed: It was in August last year that the 31-year-old got a much-needed wrist surgery. Spending nearly 12 weeks resting, Spieth finally made a return to action in January this year—making the cut in six of seven events. While he finished T69 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earning $34,500, the WM Pheonix Open was his best result this year at T4 with $414,000 in prize money. However, at the Genesis International, 54 players made it to the event with 18 missing out, including Spieth who shot 76-74 to miss by two. Since then, the veteran has finished T9 at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches ($259,900), 59 at THE PLAYERS Championship ($56,750), and T28 at the Valspar Championship ($55,843). The controversy, though, reared its head as the 2015 US Open Champion took to the 2025 Valero Texas Open at the TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course)—the gateway to the Masters Tournament next week.

In the third round of the event, Spieth (the 2021 Valero champion) made a bogey at hole 12, which seemed to be a turning point in his game, and fans couldn’t help but notice his struggles with reading the wind. The criticism was harsh, with one social media user igniting a slew of judgment from the community. “I’ve never seen a player so bad at “guessing” the wind . Just an embarrassment to the sport of golf right now,” the tweet from April 4 read, which has since been deleted. But in the golfer’s defense, the win soared at around 15 mph (with gusts to 25 mph), which made the playing difficult. Yet, the golfing star started well with a 5-under 67, but then followed with rounds of 73-73. Currently, Spieth (-3) sits T17, ranking 29th in Strokes Gaines: Around the Green.

Notably, this comes hours after Spieth had provided an update about his wrist in detail, and how it takes him 10-15 minutes to get them loose. “I wake up in the morning and my wrists do not feel the same, comparably,” he began before adding, “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.”

But this isn’t the first time fans are bashing a caddie for a golfer’s bad performance. Rory McIlroy’s long-time caddie Harry Diamond was also in the hot seat recently. The criticism stems from McIlroy’s drought of major wins, with his last one dating back to 2014, and his repeated close calls, including the last six US Opens.

Despite Diamond’s loyalty and strong partnership with McIlroy, some are questioning whether he’s the right fit for the golfer’s needs, particularly in high-pressure situations. But are the fans just as harsh this time as well?

Top Comment by Sbillvic

This is the new generation of America. Always blame someone else.

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Fans bash Jordan Spieth’s caddie in the comments

Starting with what one fan said, “Greller should get half that blame”, while the other made it loud and clear as they wrote, “THAT IS WHAT A GOOD CADDY IS FOR.”

One fan said, “It has been clear that Greller is the issue for some time”, while the other said, “He needs a caddy who’s going to get him competitive. Greller is too soft.” Well, if Spieth does let Greller go, he won’t be the first one to do so.

Matt Fitzpatrick recently parted ways with his caddie, Billy Foster, after missing the cut by three shots at The PLAYERS Championship. Foster broke the news on his Instagram account, hinting that he was let go due to poor results, which is often the case for caddies and coaches.“Well after 6 great years, all good things come to an end. This game never stops to frustrate you & infuriate you….!!!” he wrote thanking Fitzpatrick for their six-year partnership.

One fan simply agreed to the original tweet and wrote, “This tweet is so true”, but what do you think? Does Spieth really need a new caddie to win a tournament? Let us know in the comment section below!