Just hours after expressing confidence in his form and excitement for the week ahead, Jordan Spieth stunned the golf world by withdrawing mid-round from the 2025 Travelers Championship on Thursday.
The three-time major winner, who had never previously withdrawn from a professional event in 297 career PGA Tour starts, cited a sudden upper back and neck injury that flared up during his warm-up at TPC River Highlands.
“Everything was great in my gym session, and I’ve been very, very excited to go out and play,” Spieth said post-round.
“Things have been getting better and better, and then my right scap just kind of locked — like tightened midway through the warmup,”
“I just kept hitting, and then all of a sudden it was moving up, everything around it started to — and then it was over the left and then it was like everything, so I stopped.”
Despite trying to push through the pain, Spieth was 5-over through 12 holes, visibly grimacing after swings and using a massage gun between shots, per Golf Channel’s George Savaricas.
After a tee shot on the 13th hole caused a sharp jolt, he turned to his caddie Michael Greller and said, “I’m done. Can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
While the WD is a disappointing turn for fans, it may come as a hidden blessing for someone much closer to home—his wife, Annie.
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The 31-year-old revealed during the press conference that the couple is expecting their third child in early July and that this unexpected time off may allow him to be fully present with his family.
“We’re having a baby here in a couple weeks, so I’ll have some time off now, obviously, to get healthy,” Spieth said.
This echoes his earlier confirmation during a February 2025 appearance on The Smylie Show podcast, where he said, “We have a third coming in July, so it’s busy.”
The timing of the injury is unfortunate given how strongly Spieth felt about his chances at Travelers. “This was 10 out of 12 for me and I was looking at this being the strongest one,” he said.
A look back at Spieth’s first round
A look back at Spieth’s first round shows how things quickly unraveled.
He opened with promise but bogeyed the 1st, 6th, and 7th holes, then dropped two more strokes on the back nine before withdrawing.
“I was just going to try to see if I could somehow get through at even,” he said. “But then I hit my tee shot on 13, and it legitimately really hurt.”
The injury, which he suspects stemmed from sleeping in an awkward position, was described as “very random” and unrelated to overexertion. Despite the frustration, Spieth remains upbeat.
After a painful tee shot on the 13th hole, Spieth walked off, handed his scorecard to playing partner Luke Clanton, and was carted back to the clubhouse.
He’ll still receive last-place earnings from the limited-field, no-cut event—but won’t collect any FedExCup points, per Tour rules.
With no plans to add another tournament before The Open next month, the Texan now turns his focus to rest, recovery and fatherhood.
Annie Spieth might just get the best kind of unexpected gift this week: her husband, home and healthy, for what really matters next.
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