Outside of the four majors there might not be a more important tournament to Jordan Spieth on the PGA Tour schedule than the AT&T Byron Nelson. But an injury to his left wrist is going to keep the 29-year-old Dallas resident from playing in his hometown event this week.
On Monday, Spieth sent out the following message on Twitter:
The PGA Tour on Monday afternoon released the updated field for the tournament at TPC Craig Ranch, with Spieth listed as having withdrawn.
“Over the weekend, I had severe pain in my left wrist and had doctors confirm an injury that requires rest and limited movement,” Spieth said in his statement.
“The AT&T Byron Nelson means the absolute world to me and I’m disappointed to miss it this week. Playing in front of family & friends in Dallas is one of the highlights of my year, and the tournament staff and volunteers are second to none. I look forward to being back next year and many years after.
The injury comes one week before the PGA Championship, the one major Spieth needs to complete the career Grand Slam. Exactly what kind of playing shape he’ll be in at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., is unclear as Spieth expressed that he would evaluate his recovery on a “week-to-week” basis.
Spieth is coming off a disappointing week at the Wells Fargo Championship in which he shot a 72-77 to miss the cut by eight strokes. It was his first missed cut since the Genesis Invitational in February. Whether the injury occurred during either of the two rounds at Quail Hollow Club is unclear. Prior to the Wells Fargo start, Spieth last competed on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage, losing in a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick. The week before that he finished tied for fourth at the Masters.
In 2010, the then HP Byron Nelson Championship was the first pro tournament that Spieth competed in, accepting a sponsor’s exemption as a 16-year-old amateur. Spieth not only made the cut—the sixth youngest player in tour history to do so—but was tied for seventh after the third round at TPC Four Seasons. A Sunday 72 allowed him to finish T-16.
He accepted a sponsor’s exemption again in 2011, making the cut once more and finishing T-32. He has subsequently played in the event nine times as a professional, missing the cut just once and finishing T-9 in 2021 and second in 2022.