Brandel Chamblee has not held back in his assessment of Jordan Spieth after the three-time major winner returned to the course at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
2024 was a forgetful year for the former Masters champion. In 22 events, Spieth finished in the top ten three times and missed eight cuts.
There was an underlying issue, however.
Spieth underwent wrist surgery immediately after he fell out of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the St Jude Championship. The problem had hampered American throughout 2024.
Now, Spieth believes he is pain-free and finally ready to start competing with the world’s best players on the PGA Tour. Golf Channel pundit Brandel Chamblee is not overly optimistic, however.
What Brandel Chamblee said destroyed Jordan Spieth’s game
Chamblee is about as straight-talking as they come about the game’s biggest issues and best players, and the American believes a change in Spieth’s technique has been the catalyst for his downfall.
Speaking to the Golf Channel on Friday, Chamblee suggested that Spieth’s decision to increase the bowing in his wrist in 2017 was a mistake.
“From 2013 to 2017, he played 119 events. He won 11 times, and he won three major championships. From 2018 through 2024, those seven years there. 154 events won just twice. There’s something that happened shortly after 2017. He went to this bowed position at the top of his golf swing,” Chamblee said.
“You could see he had a slight cup in his wrist in 2013 and really all the way to 2017. He went to a more bowed position at the top, and I think this is in part to gain some speed. All the rage was this bowed position, hyper-rotation, and right-side bend. I think he fell victim to it.”
Chamblee continued: “It’s hard to say where this bowed position led to the injury or not, but I don’t think it’s difficult to say that this bowed position has led to the fall off of his game. The before and after in win total is stark, but so is it in statistics. Statistically, he was one of the best iron players, and even though he drove it well last year, he had plenty of speed, more than he had in 2013. He was a better driver in 2013 because he blended nice speed with wonderful accuracy.
“One of the best iron players in the world shined in every aspect, but again, going to that bowed left wrist has caused his iron play to fall off. He’s not half the player he used to be; he’s a fraction of the player he used to be.”
Jordan Spieth’s return at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Spieth’s return to the course at Pebble Beach, as expected, has been sluggish. The 31-year-old is currently two-under after carding a level par 72 on day two.
As is usually the case with Spieth, it was an up-and-down round. A birdie on the third followed a bogey on the first before he then dropped another shot on the fifth.
It was a similar story on the back nine for the three-time major winner, although he did birdie the par-five 18th to end his round positively.
Spieth is 12 shots back of the leader Sepp Straka, who is chasing back-to-back PGA Tour victories after his 25-under-par win at The American Express.
What are Jordan Spieth’s goals for 2025
Before this week’s Signature Event, Spieth accepted that his first PGA Tour outings were primarily to see whether he was physically ready to compete with the best players on the planet.
“I think the shortest term is to feel like I get through these three weeks, and I feel as good or better than I did when I started as far as physically,” Spieth said.
However, he added that another aim for the coming weeks and months is to play his way into form before the Masters.
“That’s kind of a not-very-exciting goal, but one that would mean a lot. And then I would love to work myself into contention before the Masters at least once,” he said. “And then maybe a lofty goal this year would be to make the Ryder Cup team.”
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