Jordan Spieth showed true colors to playing partner after Travelers Championship withdrawal.
Jordan Spieth apologized to playing partner Luke Clanton after withdrawing mid-round at the Travelers Championship with injury, ending a streak of 296 PGA Tour starts.
Jordan Spieth’s streak of 296 consecutive PGA Tour starts without a withdrawal ended Thursday afternoon during the Travelers Championship, but he still maintained class to his playing partner, Luke Clanton, who recently revealed what it was like playing with Rory McIlroy.
Late in his opening round at the Travelers Championship, Spieth walked off the course at TPC River Highlands with a neck and upper back injury that left him unable to compete. Before stepping away, he turned to Clanton and said, “Sorry”, before leaving him playing on his own.
The two were paired for the day’s opening round in Cromwell, Connecticut. Speith was gone by the 15th hole, and Clanton was left to finish his round solo. Despite the circumstances, Clanton would go on to birdie hole 15 and climb into an 11-way tie for 15th place heading into Friday.
A video showed Jordan Spieth visibly in pain, and sources noted that he was using a massage gun on his neck throughout the day. He shot a 51 through 12 holes, with five bogeys and the rest pars, before officially withdrawing from the tournament. According to the PGA Tour, this was the first time Spieth has withdrawn from an event in his 297 professional starts. The neck issue reportedly began during his warm-up session earlier that morning.
“I might’ve just slept wrong, and something triggered it. I really don’t know what caused it,” Spieth said. “I didn’t change anything in my routine. Monday was light, nothing out of the ordinary. No excuses—it just happened out of nowhere. It was bad timing.”
The 31-year-old described the injury as completely unpredictable and insisted he felt no pressure or nerves heading into the event. “I think it was just one of those freak things that unfortunately got worse, and by Thursday, it was clear I couldn’t keep playing,” he said.
“I’ve never withdrawn from any tournament at any level before, so I wasn’t sure how to handle it. It just became unmanageable. I didn’t see myself improving until at least Saturday,” he added. “These things tend to linger, and there wasn’t much I could do. It’s disappointing because I’ve been sticking to the plan, and this just came out of nowhere.”
Spieth has been managing injuries over the past year and had left wrist surgery in August 2024. His 2025 season has had a few bright spots, like a fourth-place finish at the CJ Byron Nelson Cup and a top-10 at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
However, he’s also missed cuts at the Genesis Invitational and the PGA Championship and hasn’t placed in the top 10 at any major this season. Currently, Spieth ranks 22nd in the Team USA Ryder Cup standings and is No. 44 in the world rankings.
