Southport, England. — Jordan Spieth was 23 when he worked magic at Royal Birkdale to win the 2017 British Open. That day he completed the third leg of the Grand Slam. Eight years later, the panorama is different.
Since then, he has only two wins on the PGA Tour. He is number 51 in the world. He has not played in a final group at a major since 2018. His optimism, however, has not faded.
“If you give up on reaching your ceiling, then I don’t see the point in continuing to play,” Spieth said Monday. “I know I can be at the top. I’ve already been.”
The Texan insists that his current game is better than four or five years ago, when he reached the top 10. The results do not reflect it, but he is confident in a favorable streak.
“I’m pretty frustrated with the results,” he admitted. “But it’s a stay-the-course mentality. Sometimes the reward takes a while.”
A transformed field
Royal Birkdale looks different. In 2017 it was green and wet; Now, with a heatwave in England, the field is yellow and firm. Additionally, the par-3 14th hole was replaced with a new 241-yard hole.
“Undecided,” Rory McIlroy commented on the new design. Tommy Fleetwood added that we will have to see him in competition.
Spieth knows conditions will change strategy. “Achievable holes now require mid- or long-irons,” he noted. The wind also plays a key role.
Look ahead
The golfer compares himself with his best version, but not to repeat it. “I know my ceiling is where I was. I’m going to strive to reach it with the type of player I am now.”
His return to Birkdale brings back memories: that bogey on the 13th hole that felt like a robbery, the 6-iron on the 14th, the 50-foot eagle on the 15th. But he prefers to focus on what’s next.
“Maybe the best shot and the best putt I’ve ever made no longer exists,” he said with a smile.
Spieth is still at the table. Wait your chance.
