Back in his major-winning prime, Jordan Spieth entertained golf fans with wild scrambling, mind-boggling recovery shots and a magical affinity for chip-ins. Fans have long yearned for a return to vintage Spieth, and the three-time major champion delivered on Thursday.
In the opening round of the 2026 Wyndham Championship, and with playoff eligibility on the line, Spieth opened with an O.B. tee shot that led to a crooked number. But rather than surrender to the slice, Spieth rebounded with fine play and one incredible chip-in to get back in contention.
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Jordan Spieth counters O.B. iron shot with elite chip-in at Wyndham Championship
Heading into this week’s Wyndham Championship, Spieth was ranked 55th in the FedEx Cup standings. That’s good enough to qualify for next week’s playoff opener, but not good enough to make the second event or the Tour Championship.
Spieth needs to move into the top 50 to qualify for the second playoff event, the BMW Championship. But the top-50 cutoff is important for another reason, too. Everyone ranked in the top 50 earns spots in next year’s Signature Events.
So when Spieth arrived at Sedgefield Country Club’s 407-yard, par-4 1st hole on Thursday, he decided to play it safe by hitting an iron off the tee.
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But “safe” was the opposite of what Spieth got. Instead of smacking his ball into the fairway, he sent his iron tee shot way right, causing fans to flee for their safety.
Spieth’s ball then caught a cart path and launched into the air, eventually coming down in an out-of-bounds area. You can check it out here or below.
He was forced to re-tee and eventually holed out for a devastating double-bogey 6.
At that point, many fans likely expected more disasters to follow. But something very different happened. In fact, the double at the first would be his final score above par all day.
After the nightmare start, Spieth steadied himself with three straight pars. Then at the par-5 5th, he missed the green with his second shot but chipped it to 9 feet and rolled in the birdie putt.
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Following two more pars, Spieth stuck his approach at the short par-4 8th to 7 feet and drained another birdie to move back to even par.
Then came some magic at the par-4 9th hole.
After hitting his drive 329 yards into the left rough, Spieth came up just short with his approach, leaving his ball just off the front edge of the green. Because of the front pin position, he had very little room to work with. Making matters worse, there was significant slope between him and the hole, meaning his ball would turn severely left-to-right once it landed on the putting surface.
Spieth took a high-lofted wedge and made a short, stabby swipe at his ball, sending it out to the left, then watching it roll back toward the hole, eventually curling and dropping in the back edge of the cup. Check it out here or below.
The chip-in birdie at the 9th meant that Spieth finished the front nine under par… despite opening with an ugly double. And he kept it up the rest of the round.
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On the back nine, Spieth made eight pars and narrowly missed a long putt for an eagle-3 at the par-5 15th. By day’s end, Spieth signed for a two-under 68, keeping his hopes for a comeback win and a playoff appearance alive for another day.
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