This season has seen much criticism for PGA golfers’ caddies. The list of caddie changes has been well documented, including at LWOS:
- Rory McIlroy continues to defend his old friend Henry Diamond
- Matt FitzPatrick and Billy Foster split
- Justin Thomas changed caddies ahead of The Masters
And now Jordan Spieth is being told that caddie Michael Greller is to blame for his losses. However, just like with McIlroy, Spieth disagrees and says that his performance is related to a different issue that required medical intervention.
The Genesis of the Criticism
This criticism started when fans noticed that Jordan Spieth was having trouble reading the wind direction and speed during the 2025 Valero Texas Open. Spieth misjudged the wind at hole 12, which landed him a bogey. One fan said in a deleted tweet:
“I’ve never seen a player so bad at ‘guessing’ the wind. Just an embarrassment to the sport of golf right now.”
Fans have pointed out that Michael Greller should have caught this and stepped in to correct the issue. The criticism goes beyond a misread wind—Spieth has had some struggles over the past couple of years.
What Has Jordan Spieth Said About This?
In short, Spieth thinks there is only one thing to blame for his performance. He blames his own body for his issues, specifically, he blames his wrist. In 2023, Spieth was diagnosed with ulnar nerve damage. He has since had corrective surgery last August, but some symptoms remain. Spieth described his symptoms to Golfweek:
“I wake up in the morning, and my wrists do not feel the same, comparably,” he began before adding, “My left wrist, just to close my fingers, it feels like it’s twice the size, but after 10, 15 minutes, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt, it’s not sore; it just is so tight every morning after sleeping. So I think I’m a little surprised that that’s staying that way.”
These symptoms make things difficult; having a stiff hand while in a sport that requires athletes to use their hands is a tall order. Yet, Spieth is doing pretty well for himself this season.
Spieth Performance This Season
The PGA Tour’s 2025 season was seen as Jordan Spieth’s comeback time. So far, he has done pretty well for himself. Sure, he missed the cut for the Genesis Invitational, but he made T4 for the Phoenix Open and T9 for the Cognizant Classic. At the Valero Texas Open, the event that sparked this fan backlash, he still made T12. Sure, he got a T69 and 59th but this is still not even a year after his surgery. Not bad for a man with a bad wrist.
The Year of Comebacks
Jordan Spieth is not alone here. Gary Woodland is currently bouncing back after his brain surgery, and Scottie Scheffler is going through something similar after a cooking accident. It also took some time for Woodland to start his comeback. Spieth still having symptoms even after all these months is expected. He will not be looking at his caddie as the cause of his problems, as he sees all the problems are related to his wrist.
Main Photo Credit: © Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
