After reset, pain-free Spieth eyes Pebble return

Jordan Spieth has been playing play for a period without symptom and plans to return from wrist room astatine the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, ending his longest agelong without title and looking astatine his clip disconnected arsenic a chance to reset.

"I had immoderate really bad habits for a agelong time," Spieth said successful a telephone question and reply Friday. "Whether it was thing that would person happened anyhow aliases whether thing successful my wrist was causing maine to not beryllium capable to get into definite positions, I don't person that rumor now.

"Having to return 3 months disconnected swinging forces you to travel backmost and beryllium bedewed concrete."

He first injured his wrist successful May 2023 erstwhile the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon (ECU) would popular retired of the sheath. It reached a constituent wherever he decided to person room Aug. 21 successful Colorado to rebuild the sheath.

Spieth said he went astir 12 weeks earlier he could deed balls, and past different period earlier he played his first round.

"I'm not calling this plaything changes," he said. "These are conscionable a reset into immoderate of the worldly I did that was my DNA, that was ace advantageous that I had gotten distant from for 1 logic aliases another."

Spieth said connected his measurement to believe astatine Trinity Forest successful Dallas -- "First clip I've deed to a scope covered successful snow," he said -- earlier going to the Cotton Bowl for the Texas-Ohio State College Football Playoff semifinal.

Still to travel is shots from gnarly spots successful the unsmooth aliases an awkward dishonesty successful a bunker. But he said he was relieved erstwhile he nary longer felt symptom from having the nine successful definite positions aliases erstwhile the nine made effect pinch the turf.

"One time I deed a changeable that should person wounded and it didn't," he said.

He contemplated playing adjacent week successful the California desert. Instead, his return -- a small much than 5 months since his past title -- will beryllium astatine Pebble Beach. It coincides pinch AT&T's 40th twelvemonth arsenic title sponsor, presently the longest-running sponsorship among tournaments. Spieth has had a firm narration pinch AT&T since 2014.

Now it's a mobility of getting backmost among the elite successful golf.

Spieth chased the almanac Grand Slam successful 2015, erstwhile he reached No. 1 successful the world, and had 3 fields earlier turning 24. He first noticed thing going connected his wrist successful 2018, and he has missed the Tour Championship 4 times successful the past 7 years.

"I deliberation I'm trying to look large picture," he said. "I don't want to put excessively overmuch unit connected a basking start. I conscionable want to get backmost into a rhythm. This is by acold the longest I've gone betwixt tourney rounds."

His scheme is to spell 3 consecutive weeks -- that equates to astir 18 rounds -- and return banal of really his wrist feels earlier resuming a normal schedule starring up to the Masters.

He is No. 70 successful the world, having dropped from No. 43 erstwhile he had surgery, and grounded to beforehand retired of the first information of the PGA Tour postseason. That intends he will request sponsor exemptions for the signature events, which is not apt to beryllium an rumor fixed his prima power.

Spieth first roseate to fame successful 2013 astatine property 20 erstwhile he went from not having a PGA Tour paper to playing successful the Presidents Cup successful a six-month span. Even past year, erstwhile he was successful the operation only once, he still managed to decorativeness astatine No. 5 successful the Player Impact Program.

Now he starts his 13th play -- "I for illustration it amended to opportunity I'm 31," Spieth said -- and has seen capable to recognize the extent connected the PGA Tour is stronger than ever and it's rarer now to spot awesome occurrence aft golfers move 40.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson are the only players 40 aliases older to person won a awesome complete the past 10 years.

His contiguous goals are the PGA Championship to complete the profession Grand Slam and The Players Championship. "I consciousness for illustration you've conquered play if you've won each five," he said.

But his return -- this reset that he mentions -- is astir getting backmost to a precocious level of play.

"I deliberation the biggest goals for me, I want to consciousness for illustration I measurement connected the tee and I cognize I'm 1 of the champion golfers successful the world -- I person nary doubts astir that erstwhile I measurement connected the tee," he said. "I want things to beryllium successful spot wherever I consciousness accordant capable to judge that time successful and time out. It has to do pinch being connected runs wherever you're finishing successful the apical 10, apical 15 each week.

"I cognize that feeling. That's the emotion I want to get backmost to."