Jordan Spieth has taken down many major championship standard courses during his career. Augusta National, Chambers Bay and Royal Birkdale have all felt the full force of the American’s golfing ability.
During the 2015 Masters, Spieth ended the week 18 under, which is still one of the lowest winning scores in the history of the sport’s most prestigious event. The same year, Spieth dealt with the unique challenge of Chambers Bay better than anyone else, finishing the week five under, one shot clear of South African Louis Oosthuizen and Dustin Johnson. The big-hitting American famously missed a putt to win the championship.
What’s more, the same year, Spieth came within touching distance of landing the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights, a course Tiger Woods says is one of the toughest he’s faced. During his prime, few were better equipped to tackle the world’s most challenging courses than Spieth.
There is one venue, however, that has proven troublesome for the former world number one.
Jordan Spieth’s claim about Torrey Pines
Spieth’s missed cut at the 2025 Genesis Invitational meant he had made one cut in his last ten appearances at Torrey Pines, and American has now explained why the course has caused him issues over the years.
“I have made the cut at Torrey once in 10 years, and it was in the US Open. So January, February Torrey Pines is probably the least fun place for me,” Spieth told the Smylie Show.
“I am going to not take it to mean a whole lot, and I am going to try and piggyback off Phoenix here for the next couple of weeks or prep and then go into these hard golf courses and play them smart. You have to play these courses differently than these last few; they are more like Torrey. You have to put it in your spots for as far as the difficulty of them. But they are Bermuda grass and warmer weather, and I think both play into my strengths.”
He added: “I know the conditions are tough, but I was two for 10 out of hitting a green from a fairway or a tee box in my second round, and that is controllable. They are harder shots than they were in the desert; you have wind and smaller areas to hit them into and stuff like that, but it just shows that I believe I am in a place where I am optimistic about what is coming. However, there is still a long way to go because a course like Torrey Pines you cannot fake it around.”
Jordan Spieth’s performance at the 2021 US Open
As mentioned, Spieth’s only recent success at Torrey Pines came during the 2021 US Open, where Jon Rahm eventually won his maiden major.
Spieth was playing catch-up after the first round on the South Course. The American shot 77 on day one (six over). He managed to make the cut after shooting two-under on day two before playing his way into contention with a 68 on moving day.
Unfortunately, Spieth was playing catch-up during the final round and laboured to an uneventful 72.
The latest on Jordan Spieth’s wrist injury
Spieth would be wise to gloss over his performance at last week’s Signature Event. The three-time major winner is still recovering from wrist surgery, and Spieth revealed he’s still feeling pain at times.
Thankfully, the American confirmed the pain he was feeling was down to inflammation and to be entirely expected.
| Strokes gained category | Jordan Spieth’s 2024 PGA Tour rank |
| Off the tee | 15th |
| Tee to green | 71st |
| Approach play | 138th |
| Around the green | 108th |
| Putting | 101st |
| Total | 80th |
Immediately after his surgery last year, Spieth confirmed his doctor was excited with how the procedure went and the early signs are certainly positive after his first three events of 2025.
The American is taking this week’s Mexico Open off before returning to the course at the Cognizant Classic, formerly the Honda Classic.
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