Spieth shakes off layoff with a strong Sony Open performance, showcasing promising ball control and finding positives despite a challenging final round.
Former Longhorn Jordan Spieth finished his first tournament of the year on Sunday, and it wasn't a bad start to the campaign at all.
"I thought I kicked some rust off," Spieth said on Sunday. "I thought it was better than a month ago. Certainly a lot of positives to go off."
Last season, the Texas native opened his season with a lackluster performance at Pebble Beach, finishing tied for 69th out of 78 competitors (In fairness, he was coming off an injury.)
But this week, Spieth plotted his way around Waialae Country Club, shooting seven under in windy conditions all week, finishing tied for 24th at the Sony Open.
Over the four rounds, he gained strokes on the field in all categories. All around, it was a solid four days for Spieth, not bad after basically a 4.5-month hiatus.
"I was very happy with the control of the ball, especially in the conditions," Spieth said.
The Longhorn had a chance to move up the leaderboard on Sunday, further solidifying his fast start to 2026, but he struggled most of the afternoon, shooting a lackluster one under 69 in the easiest conditions of the week.
"Today was a day to take advantage of, and I got off to a nice start, and unfortunately, was just a little off today with the striking and with the putting," Spieth said. "Days like that happen. You hope they happen on Monday and not on Sunday."
However, Spieth made the most of a poor final round by birdieing his final two holes, taking some momentum into his next event (either the Farmers Insurance Open or the Waste Management Phoenix Open).
His showing at the Sony Open wasn't the full Jordan Spieth experience, but he still gave fans lots to chatter about.
From his three-iron comments on Thursday to his Elvis Presley impression on Saturday, to his hilarious debate with caddie Michael Greller on Sunday -- Spieth never fails to entertain.
Moments like this remind us of why we like watching him so much -- even if he's not in contention. Golf is better with Spieth at the peak of his game, and right now, he's on the path to finding his form.
"I felt like I did a lot of things really well this week," he said. "The few things that I didn't, I'll go improve on."
There's a saying in the show "Ted Lasso" that fans of fake club AFC Richmond liked to echo -- "It's the hope that kills you."
In a lot of ways, that saying applies to Spieth and his fans, waking every year hoping that this is the one where the Golden Child returns to his major championship-winning ways.
Maybe this season is different, maybe it's not, but one thing is for certain -- Spieth will take us on another wild ride in 2026.