Jordan Spieth is returning to the site of one of the most iconic victories of his career with the same belief that carried him to the Claret Jug in 2017.
Now ranked No. 51 in the world and still searching for his first major championship top-10 since the 2023 Masters, Spieth acknowledged that the results have not reflected where he believes his game is. But despite years of inconsistency, the three-time major champion made it clear ahead of this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale that his confidence in reaching the top of the sport has never disappeared.
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“If you give up on reaching your ceiling, then I don’t see a point in playing anymore,” Spieth said Monday. “So for me it’s always about I’ll do everything I can to be trying to be at the very best in the world, because I know that I can be. I have been. It’s nice to have the blueprint.”
For Spieth, that blueprint is the version of himself that won three major championships before turning 24, including his unforgettable Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale nearly a decade ago. While his career has taken a different path since then, he insists his belief has not changed.
Jordan Spieth Refuses to Give Up On Returning to Golf’s Elite
Spieth’s optimism comes despite a difficult stretch by his lofty standards. Since lifting the Claret Jug in 2017, he has won just two PGA Tour events and has spent the past several seasons trying to regain the consistency that once made him the world’s No. 1 player.
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Yet Spieth believes the current version of his game is actually stronger in several areas than it was during his peak years.
“There are things I can do now that I can do way better than when I was No. 1 in the world,” Spieth said. “Therefore, there should be nothing to stop me in my own head to be able to search and believe that I can reach that again.”
That mindset has kept him motivated despite the frustration of seeing strong ball-striking and improved statistics fail to translate into finishes. Spieth admitted he remains disappointed with his recent results but believes patience will eventually pay off.
“I’m quite frustrated with the results considering I know where my game is at,” Spieth said. “It’s better than it was four or five years ago when I got back to top 10 in the world… At the same time, it’s a stay-the-course mentality. Sometimes you get rewarded right away… and sometimes it’s delayed.”
Spieth Will Keep Chasing
Perhaps Spieth’s strongest message came when discussing what continues to drive him at this stage of his career.
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“I will never give up that I can get back to where I was until my health is at a certain point where I can’t play,” Spieth said.
The 32-year-old believes his ceiling remains unchanged, even if the path to reaching it looks different than it did when he captured three majors before turning 24.
“To me it’s about I’ll do everything I can to be at the very best in the world because I know that I can be,” Spieth said.
Returning to Royal Birkdale naturally brings back memories of one of golf’s greatest closing stretches, including the remarkable recovery on the 13th hole, his near-ace at the old par-3 14th, and the famous eagle putt on the 15th that prompted him to tell caddie Michael Greller, “Go get that.”
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Many of those holes have since been redesigned, meaning Spieth can’t recreate the defining shots from his victory. But he isn’t focused on reliving the past.
Instead, Spieth is chasing something much bigger: proving that his best golf is still ahead of him.
As long as he believes that ceiling still exists, he has no intention of stopping his pursuit of another Claret Jug.
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