OK, let me start by answering the question above that – at least not yet – Jordan Spieth, in fact, is not back. But boy was he making it look like 2017 Saturday at the Truist Championship
Spieth, the former world No. 1, three-time major winner and his own standing commentator on the golf course, remained in neutral for the first 42 holes of this week’s tournament at even par when he reached the seventh hole.
Current World No. The 50 went 553 yards on the par-5 in two and was left with a steep uphill, 66-foot eagle trying to blast back into the red figures after a bogey on the previous hole.
Spieth gave the ball a rap and sent it on its way to the cup. She climbed the ridge to the middle of the green, made a delicate break to the left and swung the flag stick before dropping into the cup for an eagle.
The crowd roared for one of the PGA Tour’s favorite stars despite recording just two PGA Tour wins since his last major in 2017. But don’t tell Spieth it’s not 2017 anymore.
In a call for the most recent Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale, Spieth calmly looked at caddy Michael Greller, pointed at him and then motioned to the hole. He walked the 8th tee as Greller holed the ball.
If this sounds familiar, it is. Spieth famously yelled, “Go get it,” to Greller after draining a 48-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th to regain the solo lead. That came after a hectic stretch where Spieth got frustrated on the 13th after hitting his tee shot on the green and then filled his approach on the 14th to get that goal right away with a bird.
Why does all this matter now?
Next week will be Spieth’s 10th opportunity to complete his career Grand Slam with a win at the PGA Championship. this year in Aronimink, outside of Philadelphia.
While Spieth hasn’t won since 2022 RBC Heritagehe has shown signs this season of returning his game to the form he showed in the mid-2010s, when he won three championships in three years. He is currently 37th in this season’s FedEx Cup standings and made multiple gear changes last week, including the first golf ball pattern of his career.
Those changes made him tied for second on the weekend before Cam Young ran away with the event.
This week, the change in driver and ball has paid off, as he ranks third in the field in SG: Off-The-Tee, a category that plagued him earlier in his career.
And the eagle jump-started a round that ended in three-under 68, putting him in the top-30 as of this writing.
He still likely didn’t factor in much Sunday at Quail Hollow, where the lead was 10 under after finishing his third round, but could all the momentum lead to him putting it all together next week? His elusive Wannamaker trophy feels closer than it should.
