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Jordan Spieth has never had to withdraw from a start at any competitive level of golf in his life, let alone the PGA Tour.
There’s a first time for everything.
After making 297 straight starts at events he was scheduled to play, Spieth withdrew from this week’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands due to a neck injury.
“I’ve never withdrawn from an event ever, anywhere at any level, so I didn’t really know what to do,” Spieth told reporters after making his decision, via Yahoo Sports. “It just became too much. … don’t know, it’s unfortunate. I’ve been doing everything right, and I think it was just very random.”
Spieth believes he was sleeping in an unusual position Wednesday night, and the pain began to hit him during practice shots on the range.
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His usual warmup routine was thrown off, and Spieth left the range early to receive treatment on his neck. But it didn’t work.
He tested things out on the course, but he looked to be in pain with every swing he made. After 12 holes, Spieth called it quits.
He teed off on the 13th hole, but after letting out a painful yell on the tee box, he knew it was time to stop pushing it. Spieth’s round wasn’t going well. He was 5-over for the tournament at that point.
“As I was out there playing, I couldn’t, I just wasn’t moving very well, and then it just got worse,” he explained. “I was just going to try to see if I could somehow get through at even. It’s a weird situation with an elevated event and no cut and important points and stuff.
“I hit my tee shot on 13, and it legitimately really hurt. …I was like, ‘It’s only going to get worse to finish the round, and it’s not worth it.’ I thought that was the time.”
The 31-year-old three-time major winner and 13-time PGA Tour victor has been searching for a win on Tour since 2022. This season, he’s managed four top 10 finishes, but he hasn’t claimed a trophy.
As of Thursday, Spieth was 37th in the FedEx Cup standings this season.
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