Jordan Spieth sidelined by Covid-19, now back on Tour at ‘full strength’

MCKINNEY, Texas — Jordan Spieth said he tested positive for Covid-19 last month but is unsure how he contracted the virus.

“I’ve been careful,” Spieth said Tuesday from the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic. “Anytime I’m around a group of people I’ve been trying to be outside [because], one, I don’t really want to get it, and two, I don’t really want to miss tournament weeks. It’s just kind of odd.”

Spieth said he began feeling symptoms around April 20, during an off-week at home in Dallas; he said he diagnosed his condition through self-administered tests. “It was bad for a day and a half and then it was just kind of annoying for the next five days, kind of lost energy, and sinus stuff,” he said. “And then after that I started to kind of get full strength back and I would say the last week to week and a half now I’ve been acting as if it never happened.”

Spieth said he did not lose his sense of taste or smell, nor his appetite. He stayed at home but quarantined away from his wife, Annie.

Spieth, who won the Valero Texas Open in early April, was not scheduled to play the week when he began feeling ill — at the Zurich Classic, in New Orleans — but had planned to play the following week at the Valspar Championship, at Innisbrook, and was disappointed to miss out on what he called one of his favorite courses.

“I just stayed at home and stayed to myself,” he said. “All of the things you’re supposed to do.”

Spieth said he didn’t feel totally back physically last week, so he decided to pass on the Wells Fargo, in Charlotte, but is happy to be back in the mix this week in front of hometown crowds at the new Byron Nelson site, TPC Craig Ranch.

Instruction

Spieth’s parents, Shawn and Christine, live near their son in Dallas and see him regularly. Shawn said Tuesday that both he and his wife had Covid last summer and are now vaccinated.

“We’re just glad he’s recovered nicely,” Shawn said.

Shawn played at Craig Ranch last week with Jordan and his longtime agent Jay Danzi. That round was Jordan’s first look at the Tom Weiskopf-designed course since he missed out on Q-School Qualifying here in 2012. Spieth said he struggled that week because of a balky putter.  “I just had a bad year putting,” he said.

This week, Spieth returns to Craig Ranch a more complete player, if still not quite firing on all cylinders.

“I’m just kind of starting to get it back the last week or so and kind of get back on track,” Spieth said. “I’ve only played a couple rounds and so I’m looking to kind of maybe knocking a little rust off that I didn’t think would necessarily be here. But I feel good. I feel strong. I feel ready to go for a good stretch of golf coming up.”