Expectations were low for Jordan Spieth as he began his season at the 2026 Sony Open. For the past few years, golf’s Golden Child has often been overshadowed by a long list of emerging talents. He shot a 2-under 68 and currently sits at T39. Nothing different from what he’s delivered in the past events. Yet, if you ask him, the score doesn’t matter as much.

Attending the media presser at the Waialae Country Club on Thursday, Spieth said. “I feel really good right now,” he says. “There are certainly days where I wake up, and I’m like…ten years ago didn’t quite feel that way. For the most part, my body feels great.”

Currently 32, Spieth knows that the body starts reacting differently when it nears 40. And yet, the discomfort he sometimes experiences is fleeting. At times, he does feel stiff in the morning, but the feeling goes away within half an hour as he diverts his energy towards the day’s preparation.

This clarity is significant considering how much Spieth’s left wrist has dictated his career. Back in May 2023, a fun play session with his son led to damage to his tendon sheath. The injury caused him immense pain, instability, and a loss of strength. But instead of opting for surgery, which should have been the ideal solution, he decided to manage it through rest and rehab. However, the issue lingered and resurfaced later that year when he re-injured himself reaching for a toaster at home. By then, he was dealing with ulnar nerve involvement on top of the original tendon problem.

By August 2024, Spieth finally got his surgery done. The bone chips that had developed along the way were removed. When he returned to the competition, his wrist “didn’t feel normal,” as he admitted. It sometime swells or gets unusually tight in the morning, but the fact that it goes away after 30 minutes is a bright spot.

However, his challenges didn’t end there. In June 2025, he suffered a neck and upper back injury that led to  tightness around his right scapula. The pain was so severe that he had to withdraw from the Travelers Championship, his first WD in roughly 297 PGA Tour starts. The injury was later described as muscular rather than structural. By mid-summer, he had recovered.

“I’m healthy; I’m stronger than I’ve been in a long time,” he said last year. “I look forward to…starting the season in Hawaii.”

His round in Hawaii does corroborate this fact. Jordan Spieth made birdies on the 2nd, 9th, 10th, and 18th holes. Notably, he closed his day with a birdie after a strong approach on the par-5. He was left 19 feet from an eagle. Nevertheless, he sits at an average position as he couldn’t hole many putts. But what’s notable is the fact that he’s enjoying the game.

“It’s fun to be healthy and fun to be knowing I’m working on the right things and fun to be out here competing,” he says. “I hit a lot of really fun, cool shots…so I’m taking that as a positive.”

His meticulous physical therapy program, including exercises with Nerf balls, does seem to work for him. He has also worked a lot on his posture. Moreover, he has been journaling his experience, which has helped his mindfulness, something quite obvious from his answers.

So while his opening scores were not too impressive, the absence of caveats was. And, who knows, this very absence might bolster him to get back on the elite track.

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Jordan Spieth eyes a reset at Waialae

Back in 2023, when Jordan Spieth came to Waialae, he led the first round but eventually missed the cut. This year’s return is his first PGA Tour start in five months. It is driven by both fitness and urgency after narrowly missing the top 50 and sitting out the fall.

Spieth had also bypassed The American Express. His reason? Unfamiliarity with the Californian desert and little appetite for learning three courses at once. It’s needless to say that the version of Spieth who came to the Tour 13 years ago, winning the John Deere Classic at just 19, is long gone. He knows it himself. Notably, for more than 8 years, he has remained without a major win.

“I haven’t swung it well for the better part of 10 years, which is wild,” he admitted in December.

That’s why 2026 carries extra weight. With the Future Competitions Committee evaluating structural changes for 2027, Spieth faces immense pressure to remain on top as sponsor’s exemptions might not save him.