Jordan Spieth was chasing the career Grand Slam this week at the PGA Championship; Spieth admitted his wrist injury was still affecting him as he carded a third-round 71 at Oak Hill; Watch the final round live on Sunday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday 20 May 2023 20:44, UK
Jordan Spieth admitted he struggled to deal with his own expectations as his wrist injury “cost shots” and ended his Grand Slam hopes for another year at the PGA Championship.
The former world No 1 only needs PGA Championship victory to complete the career Grand Slam, although was a pre-tournament injury doubt after withdrawing from last week's AT&T Byron Nelson due to "severe pain" in his left wrist.
Spieth only returned to hitting balls on Saturday and arrived at Oak Hill on Tuesday for the second men's major of the year, where he had his wrist heavily strapped as he stuttered to the weekend on the cut mark with rounds of 72 and 73.
The three-time major winner then battled persistent rain to card a third-round 71, a score that dropped him to six over, with Spieth confident of being fit for the rest of the PGA Tour season after seeing his Grand Slam hopes fade for 2023.
"I thought I could come here with lower expectations but then I get out there and it's not possible!" Spieth told Sky Sports. "I struggle, I want to win it so badly, but a week ago I was not thinking that I would be here at this point in time.
"It [the injury] is nothing major, it's just something that needs rest. Hopefully I'll be able to get a couple of days off after tomorrow and I'll be able to tee it up at Colonial [Charles Schwab Challenge] and move on with the schedule as planned."
Spieth carded four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in an eventful third round on Saturday, with the 29-year-old having to continue to adjust playing through the injury.
"I've been doing a lot of recovery [on the wrist] every day since I injured it but on course there's been a couple of scenarios where I bailed out of a couple shots that if it weren't a factor I wouldn't have, and unfortunately those shots did affect my score," Spieth admitted.
"I was hoping that wouldn't be the case here but it's only been a couple of times. My normal swings, it's not an issue. It's just when you've got to really flick under a flop shot or a bunker shot - I had that today where I just don't have the confidence in it not making it worse, so I just bail a little bit.
"I probably cost myself a few shots on that. But coming in here I kind of figured that might be the case. It's nothing major, but it's significant enough that I would have liked to have had two or three weeks off before this event just to feel like I got prepared."
Phil Mickelson, who progressed through to the weekend on the cut mark and became just the fourth player in history to make 100 major cuts, failed to find a birdie in a five-over 75 that dropped him further down the leaderboard.
"I love this weather, I think it is so fun," Mickelson told Sky Sports. "When I was a kid and it would rain, no one would be out on the course and I would be under this palm tree hitting balls. It reminds me of those moments.
"I didn't score great today but I had a lot of fun. It is a struggle out there, but there are some good rounds. I think the course is playing fair.
"The first 100 cuts have been interesting, but I think the second 100 cuts are going to be the most interesting part. I didn't know about that cut streak but it is a lot of years and a lot of golf. It is something I am certainly proud of."
Who will win the 105th PGA Championship? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf.
