Jordan Spieth suggests why he felt ‘even better’ despite not having his best stuff during the third round of the WM Phoenix Open

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While Scottie Scheffler finds himself just inside the top 10, Jordan Spieth is surely the standout name in contention heading into the final round of the WM Phoenix Open.

For several months, there has been a question mark over how Jordan Spieth would fare upon his return from injury. Unfortunately, the three-time major champion had not been at his best for several years before finally undergoing wrist surgery towards the end of 2024.

A mediocre performance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am reminded everyone that there was unlikely to be any miracles upon Spieth’s return. However, the Texan has provided a little reminder of his quality at the WM Phoenix Open.

Spieth goes into Sunday five shots off the lead held by Thomas Detry. However, there are four players alongside Spieth on the leaderboard, while Maverick McNealy in one shot further back on 12 under par.

Jordan Spieth explains why he’s so pleased despite producing his best performance in the third round of the WM Phoenix Open

Given the scoring this week, it would be no surprise to see at least one of the players in that group make a real charge and put Detry under a little pressure.

The good news for Spieth’s fans is that he seems to be incredibly happy with where his game is at right now. Speaking after the third round, he shared why he was so delighted with his 67 on Saturday in Arizona as he was asked whether he is ahead of schedule.

He also highlighted where he needs to improve if he is going to contend in the final round.

“Oh, way ahead. Bad days are going to happen in this process. I’m glad that — today I felt a little off. I wasn’t loading right. I wasn’t getting positionally where I was getting yesterday other than maybe three or four swings the whole day,” he said.

“To be able to shoot a score like this where the pins were, and they were a lot harder today, so to be able to do that with not my best stuff makes me feel even better because it takes a little bit of pressure off maybe trying to be perfect and coming back.

“It’s a long road ahead. This is certainly ahead of schedule for this week. I’ve had a good history here, so we’ll see how I continue to progress on other courses, but tomorrow I’m going to have to make — I’m going to have to hit more fairways because I’m going to have to hit it closer to try to catch Thomas.”

A big win for the PGA Tour as Jordan Spieth threatens to make real statement

Spieth has hit 22 out of 42 fairways this week, so you can understand why he believes that number needs to improve over the final 18 holes, particularly with a five shot margin to try and close.

Interestingly, Detry has only hit two more fairways across the tournament. However, there is more than 10 yards difference between the two off the tee. Meanwhile, the Belgian is first for strokes gained approaching the green – gaining more than five shots on the rest of the field.

Spieth is actually second in that category, which is a fantastic sign given that he is still making his way back.

It is going to take something extremely surprising for someone to stop Detry winning this week. However, perhaps the more significant takeaway for the PGA Tour is the possibility that Jordan Spieth may indeed be back.