In the last two seasons, Jordan Spieth has found himself in a pitiful zone, relying on sponsor exemptions to secure a place in the Signature Events. While his play might make him a “no-brainer” for tournament directors, Spieth has made it clear that he no longer wants to rely on these favors, and the latest visuals reiterate his wish to be better.

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine shared on X that on a rainy day at Riv, Jordan Spieth was the only golfer on the range all day.

Spieth’s 2024 season was hampered by a chronic wrist injury, and he struggled to an 80th-place finish in the FedEx Cup points standings. The 2025 season saw a slight improvement. But not enough.

Spieth entered the FedEx Cup Playoffs at No. 48, but after a T38 finish at the St. Jude Championship, he dropped to No. 54. By the conclusion of the FedEx Cup Fall, he had slipped further to No. 61. Finishing outside the top 50 meant he failed to secure automatic status.

In 2025, Spieth was invited to play at the Genesis Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial, the Truist Championship, and Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge via sponsor exemption back in 2025. In 2026, he started the year as an ambassador for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. And most recently secured a confirmed exemption for the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) at Bay Hill. Regarding this cycle, Spieth has been blunt about his desire to break free.

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“I’ve been off for so long. Hit the ground running, probably play a lot on the West Coast. I want to work my way into events. I don’t want to use exemptions. I don’t want to ever have to use that again. It’s s**ked the last couple of years.”

Spieth’s current struggle is juxtaposed against one of the most dominant players in golf history. Before the wrist injury began in late 2017, Spieth achieved three legs of the career Grand Slam before his 24th birthday, winning the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, followed by The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017. He once held the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for 26 weeks. But since defeating Patrick Cantlay at the 2022 RBC Heritage, Spieth struggled to get his form back.

And this continued use of sponsor exemptions has sparked hot talks from fellow professionals who feel the spots should go to other players, too. Long-time Tour pro Robert Garrigus offered a particularly blunt assessment.

“What’s happening to the Tour? Tell Spieth I’ll play him for any amount he wants. I win, I get his five invites to the signature events.”

And this tension around exemptions reached a boiling point at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Spieth requested a sponsor invite but was shockingly rejected by the committee. Spieth didn’t take these snubs very well and gave a frosty reply. However, the relationship appears to have been mended for the 2026 season.

Spieth also addressed this backlash directly, admitting the criticism ‘stinks’ but defending his participation ion the events.

“I was catching strays for no reason from guys who I had pretty good relationships with… If it’s going to be helpful to their tournament, then they’re going to want me there… I’m doing anything anyone else is doing. I don’t want to have to do it.”

But Spieth is not the only player who struggled with the ‘exemption dilemma’ in the Signature Event era

Rickie Fowler faced similar scrutiny back in the 2025 season. Fowler entered the 2025 season in a similar position to Spieth, receiving seven sponsor exemptions after finishing 2024 at No. 101 in the FedEx Cup. He faced intense online criticism as many critics claimed this system was just ‘patronage’ for stars at that time. 

Unlike Spieth, Fowler managed to finish No. 32 in the 2025 standings to secure automatic entry for 2026 without needing these favors. Fowler’s strong T7 finish at the Memorial Tournament and T6 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship ensured he did not have to rely on them for the 2026 season. 

And in early 2026, Spieth is still finding his rhythm back with mixed results. He finished T24 at the Sony Open before missing cuts at the WM Phoenix Open(his first since 2020). And most recently, Spieth finished T29 with a 13-under-par total at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.

Apart from the result, Spieth has shown signs of a comeback and improved short game at Spyglass Hill. The three-time major winner opened the tournament with a 6-under 66 first round. The round was special because it was completely bogey-free (which was rare lately). And despite hitting only eight fairways and 11 greens in his opening round, he finished a perfect 7-for-7 in scrambling, consistently saving par from difficult positions. Vintage Spieth!

At a time when professional golf is going through a ‘Redemption arc’, Jordan Spieth’s comeback story to the competitive zone can be a good chapter in this arc. The world is craving for these stories. Anthony Kim is the proof!