It was a bit surprising to see Jordan Spieth withdraw from the 3M Open, but his absence from PGA Tour play won’t be an extended one. The three-time major winner is reportedly set to make his first-ever appearance at the upcoming Rocket Classic instead.
Spieth seemed poised to make his first-ever appearance in Minnesota at the 3M Open, but the popular superstar made a last-minute decision to back out. Instead, he’ll tee it up next week in Detroit at the Rocket, The Detroit News reported on July 23.
Jordan Spieth Ditches 3M Open; Set for Rocket Classic Start
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler wondered if Spieth had gotten a bit run down after playing more tournaments than usual this season. Despite the increased workload, Spieth currently finds himself far from safe in potentially advancing beyond the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“Spieth is 55th in the FedEx Cup standings, and while he’s in good shape to make the first playoff event (top 70), the top 50 make the second playoff event and the top 30 make the huge-money Tour Championship,” The Detroit News’ Tony Paul wrote.
Spieth needs to change up something at this point. He’s on a miserable run since the beginning of June. He missed the cut at Memorial and then limped to an uncompetitive T-56 at the US Open. He missed the Open Championship cut last week at Royal Birkdale and has two top-20 finishes dating back to the Truist Championship in early May.
What’s Wrong With Jordan Spieth?
Simply put, Spieth is no longer the week-to-week threat he used to be. Like most struggling players, there’s not just one reason for that, either. We’ve seen him struggle off the tee at points throughout his career, and a wrist injury over the last year really hampered him.
Lately, the putter has been a major issue, as evidenced by a painful three-putt from 3 feet that summed up his experience at The Open Championship last week.
“The biggest statistical difference between the Jordan Spieth of 2015 through 2017 and the Jordan Spieth of today isn’t that he’s forgotten how to make long putts,” David Dusek wrote for Golfweek in early July. “In many ways, he’s still one of the Tour’s better lag putters. He can still produce the occasional 30-footer that leaves galleries shaking their heads. The biggest change has come from roughly 10 to 20 feet.”
As Dusek noted, Spieth went from converting those 15- to 20-foot putts at roughly 30% during the height of his career, a rate that has plummeted to below PGA Tour average this season.
Jordan Spieth Makes Career-First Decision After 3M Open WD