Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer ever to have played the game, so when he offers his advice, it is wise to listen.
Back at the 2019 Masters, Jordan Spieth was struggling with his game, and Nicklaus offered his help.
The 31-year-old from Dallas had already won three majors at that point in his career, but certain issues had begun to creep into his game.
His struggles have continued on from then until the current day. Since the 2019 Masters, he has won just twice – at the Valero Texas Open in 2021 and at the RBC Heritage.
Spieth has confirmed that he will be playing The Open next week, as he looks to rediscover some of the magic that he displayed so consistently during his early years out on tour.
And despite his problems over the past six years or so, Spieth still harbours ambitions of returning to number one in the world.
However, the question remains, will Spieth ever return to his very best?
Jack Nicklaus noticed an issue with Jordan Spieth’s swing in 2019
Spieth recently revealed that Nicklaus offered him great advice about how to play Augusta National, before he had even played in the Masters more than a decade ago.
And back in 2019, Nicklaus spoke out about his feelings on the three-time major champion’s chances of returning to the summit of the professional game.
He noticed an issue in Spieth’s swing, and interestingly, the 13-time PGA Tour winner was thinking exactly the same thing.
And he explained the issue Spieth was suffering with, during an appearance on the Dennis and Cowlishaw show on ESPN Dallas.
Nicklaus said: “I’m not worried about him to start with. I like Jordan a lot. He’s a great kid. I went to Augusta last year and said ‘Jordan I don’t want to stick my nose in, but I hate to see you struggling and if you want my input I’d be delighted, but I’ll keep my nose out of it until you want it.’
“Well, he came to me at the Memorial Tournament which is about five or six weeks later and he said ‘You know, what we were talking about at Augusta — tell me what you were thinking.’ So I told him and he said ‘That’s exactly what I’m working on.’ So I told him he’s working on the right thing.”
“It’s not that easy to make the changes he’s making. Jordan gets the club back here behind him and so I tried to get him to get his hands underneath it and get his hands closer to his body, which is what he’s working on and trying to do. That’s not that easy to do because he’s played the other way and his short game was so good, he could get away with it.“
Maybe Spieth should seek advice from Mr. Nicklaus again, as he continues his quest to rediscover his best form.
Jack Nicklaus made a prediction about Jordan Spieth in 2019
Six years ago, Spieth was really in the golfing doldrums, and was without a win since his triumph at The Open in 2017.
However, Nicklaus had huge faith that the 31-year-old would get back to his best.
The Golden Bear explained: “He’ll get it. He works at it. He loves the game. He’s patient. He’s got a lot more majors in him. He’s going to win a lot more golf tournaments and I love his demeanor. I love the way he handles himself and love the way he goes about it. He’s going to be just fine. Don’t worry about him.”
Whether Nicklaus has maintained his faith in Spieth up to the current day is unclear.
However, the comforting thing for Spieth is that he clearly has a direct line to Nicklaus if he needs any help or advice.
And he should be grasping that opportunity with both hands right now.
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