In a career riddled with injuries, you would think Jordan Spieth must have quit midway many times in his career. The long-standing wrist issues and everything that happened in between put the 31-year-old in tough spots often. He has also had some disappointing runs at times, ones that would have made any other golfer just drop out of the event. But that has not been the case, as for 297 tournaments in his career, Spieth had never withdrawn from a tournament. That was until today.

Just a few hours ago, you could hear the scream off the 13th tee after the 3-time major winner drove his ball. No, it didn’t miss the fairway. Before he could even track the trajectory of the ball, Spieth was hit with a sharp pain in his back from stretching himself. The PGA Tour pro was evidently struggling to compete at TPC River Highlands this evening. And after his second shot on the 13th hole, he called it quits. But what prompted the pain?

During warmup, his right scap tightened, and despite trying to push through, pain spread to his neck and upper back. Despite this, he thought he could play but by 13th hole, he realized it was impossible. Sharing the emotional message with his fans, Spieth wrote, “I’ve never had to WD before and hate that it happened at @TravelersChamp—a tournament I love. Thanks, everyone, for the support!” At last year’s RSM Classic too, Spieth was in pain because of his troubling wrist issues, but he didn’t withdraw. He played through his pain. Spieth wanted the same thing this time, but just couldn’t.

In the post-round presser, Spieth mentioned how he wanted to complete the 18 holes and get the issue checked at the end of the day. But things went from bad to worse by the time he had completed the 12th hole. Speaking about the drive that followed, he said, “I hit my tee shot on 13, and it legitimately really hurt.” That put an end to his efforts in the 2025 Travelers Championship.

Even for those who didn’t watch him play, it would have been evident that Jordan Spieth was struggling in Connecticut. His stats from the 12 holes that he played showed that.

Jordan Spieth’s struggles add strokes to his score

Jordan Spieth, undoubtedly, deserves a lot of credit for never backing out of a challenge. But it’s hard to imagine how one can perform if they experience physical limitations on the course. And for a right-handed golfer like Spieth, an injury to his right lat, neck, and back has a huge effect on his swing. That was evident through his stats at TPC River Highlands on the 12 1/5 holes he played on Sunday.

Despite driving relatively well and accurately, Spieth failed with his approach shots as he only found GIR half the time. He was struggling with scrambling, as the added pressure from the bunker and roughs didn’t do him any favors. He failed to find success on the greens as well, which led to 5 bogeys in 12 holes. After finding the bunker off the tee, his second shot on the 13th hole also bounced into another bunker 140 yards away. That was the sign for him to call it quits and save his energy for recovering.

Many of his fans hope he could make a return to the field by the time the PGA Tour heads to Scotland a week before the fourth major. Everyone will be eagerly waiting for updates about his recovery before his possible trip to Europe.