Jordan Spieth’s struggles in recent years are well documented.
The three-time major winner who burst onto the scene over a decade ago hasn’t won since the 2022 RBC Heritage. Jordan Spieth was once compared to Jack Nicklaus, such was his talent, but he never came anywhere close to the lofty heights of the Golden Bear.
But while he was winless last year and still didn’t meet the high expectations the golf world has for him, 2025 saw some positive signs from the American. Yes, he was left off of Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup team, but he picked himself up slightly from a disastrous year in 2024.
He had eight top 20 finishes, up from three the year before, and two top fives, up from one in 2024. He didn’t set the world alight, but he put himself near the top of the leaderboard consistently enough to leave some room for hope.
And there are three key reasons why Spieth will win again in 2026.
1. Jordan Spieth is back to full health
An underdiscussed aspect of Spieth’s decline in form is his long list of injuries in recent years. He’s had wrist surgery and issues with his neck and shoulders, which have hampered his play.
Spieth admitted that his wrist was so unstable that it would dislocate up to 20 times in a single tournament, forcing him to alter his swing. He had surgery on that wrist in 2024, fully reconstructing it, and he enters the 2026 season reporting zero pain for the first time in nearly a decade.
What do you think is the real reason why Jordan Spieth has not won on the PGA Tour since 2022?
Reportedly, he was healthy last season, but professional athletes typically need some time to learn to trust their body again, especially when they’ve had years of issues. Now that Spieth has that under his belt, he’ll be able to swing the club freely and with confidence.
With his wrist restored, he can finally return to his natural swing without the fear of a sudden dislocation in the downswing.
2. Cutting out mental mistakes
Even while finding his legs post-surgery in 2025, the numbers show he was closer to getting back to his best than the results suggested. He made 17 out of 19 cuts and ranked in the top 20 on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained.
His main struggle was costly mental errors, which his lack of confidence prevented him from recovering from. Spieth has always made mistakes, but his sheer talent has meant he has been able to dig himself out of holes and bounce back. He couldn’t in 2025.
That’s good and bad news. On one hand, he’s making a lot of mistakes, which is turning a potential win into a T20. On the other hand, his results aren’t down to consistently poor play. It’s just one or two shots a round that need to be rectified.
If Spieth can string a few days of mistake-free golf together, he’ll find himself right in contention for at least one tournament this season.
3. Sponsor exemptions
A key reason Spieth will be in position to win tournaments all year is he’ll simply have more opportunities.
Spieth received a sponsor exemption for Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge event at the end of 2025, which meant he came under fire for his recent performances. But it goes to show that Spieth does still have some star power.
Do you think Jordan Spieth will be deserving of invites into the signature events in 2026?
He’ll still receive a number of sponsor exemptions all season, no matter his results. He’s a three-time major winner and one of the most popular players on tour.
Whether you think he should be entitled to those invites or not, Spieth will have opportunities to win events throughout 2026, so with better play, it would be surprising to see him not in contention for at least a few of them.
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