As good as ever? Jordan Spieth eyes playoff run, predicts big things ahead

NBC Sports

2 days ago

Making another Ryder Cup team was Jordan Spieth's 'loftiest goal' at the start of this season.
Spieth was coming off late-August surgery on his left wrist and likely out for the first few events of the season. When he ultimately returned to action at Pebble Beach in late January, Spieth was well behind the eight-ball in U.S. Ryder Cup points.
Fast forward to this week's Wyndham Championship, and Spieth enters the regular-season finale at Sedgefield Country Club ranked 27th among the American hopefuls.
'That's something that's a perk of accomplishing the other goals that I'm trying to over the next few weeks,' said Spieth, who is also No. 50 in FedExCup points, easily into next week's playoff opener in Memphis but firmly on the bubble in terms of qualifying for the BMW Championship, and by virtue, all of next year's signature events. Six automatic selections are finalized after the BMW, while six captain's picks are named following the Tour Championship.
'I think if I'm able to get on a good run and contend and have a few high finishes and maybe get a win or so, you know, I make a good case. But I'm on the outside looking in. And it was going to be a tall task off of my season hurt last year and starting late this year – it was just going to be a lot to ask with majors being a huge part of my opportunities to make the team, just the majors this year.
'Having said that, experience does help, and I've got maybe some guys in my corner if I start to show that good things are coming. … If I'm making a run through East Lake, then I feel good about whatever happens.'
Spieth has played five straight Ryder Cups since his debut in 2014, going 8-7-3 – he's just 1-4-3 in his last two, though. He's also missed just one Cup since debuting at the 2013 Presidents Cup, failing to qualify for the 2019 Presidents Cup.
Barring a high finish at The Open two weeks ago, Spieth was always going to tee it up in Greensboro, North Carolina. He took three weeks off after withdrawing from the Travelers Championship with a freak neck injury, which has since resolved itself, and also skipped last week's 3M Open following a T-40 at Royal Portrush. Also, prior to The Open, Spieth and his wife, Annie, welcome their third child, son Sully.
During that time, Spieth, who owns four top-10s among eight top-25s this year, slipped from No. 38 in points to the last man currently into the siggys.
Even if Spieth got into six of the eight elevated fields this year, all but one of those via sponsor invites, he doesn't want to rely on going to that well for a second straight season.
'I didn't like asking for exemptions this year at all,' Spieth said. 'I was fortunate to receive a lot of them, but you just never know. And when you miss out on elevated events, the way it's structured, they've got the best players in the world at all of them, and you don't want to miss any of them. It's a big reason why I'm here. … It would be nice to have a huge boost this week and not have to worry about it next week, but I'm fully prepared to have some stress next week on that 50 number, and ideally a good start this week or next week really takes a lot of that off.'
Either way, Spieth, encouraged about his future at age 32, left the media with this on Wednesday:
'Next year's going to be a really good year for me, I can feel it. It's all coming along. I'll be healthy, and just structurally putting, the mechanics are all getting really, really close. One good offseason should get me nailed down to where I could be as good as I've been.'