WATCH: Jordan Spieth grunts in pain after hitting a drive at the Travelers Championship 2025

Jordan Spieth withdrew from the 2025 Travelers Championship, citing a neck and upper back injury. He made the decision after completing two shots on the TPC River Highlands' 13th hole.

Before deciding to call it quits, Spieth was spotted visibly in pain on the 13th hole tee box. On the par 5, 527-yard-long hole, the American golfer smashed his drive off the tee and let out a painful grunt after completing his swing.

Here's a look at the scene at TPC River Highlands' 13th hole (via X @NUCLRGolf):

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Jordan Spieth's tee shot travelled 292 yards and found the left fairway bunker. With 240 yards to the pin, he struggled to play the next shot with his injury and found his ball traveling 140 yards and coming to rest in the right rough. He officially withdrew after this shot.

In a whopping 297 starts on the PGA Tour, the 2025 Travelers Championship was Jordan Spieth's first withdrawal of his career.

How did Jordan Spieth get injured?

Jordan Spieth returned to competitive play late last year after a wrist injury. He underwent surgery in August 2024 for an extensor carpi ulnaris tendon (ECU) repair.

This week, the PGA Tour sensation cited a different injury. With the pressure of a no-cut event, Spieth wished to play the 2025 Travelers Championship to gain more FedEx Cup points.

However, he felt discomfort in his right scapula during his pre-round warm-up. Here's what Spieth had to say about the nature of his injury after withdrawing from the tournament (via PGA Tour):

"Everything was great in my gym session, and I've been very, very excited to go out and play. Things have been getting better and better, and then my right scap just kind of locked — like tightened midway through the warmup, and I just kept hitting, and then all of a sudden it was moving up, everything around it started to — and then it was over the left and then it was like everything, so I stopped."

He ended his warm-up session early and spent some time relaxing his upper back muscles with his physiotherapist. While Spieth was spotted using a back massager during the round, he said it was not until the 13th hole that he was in extreme pain.

The world-class golfer expressly stated that the tee shot on the 13th hole, where he let out a big grunt, was the defining moment in his decision to withdraw. Disappointed by the circumstances, Spieth is expecting a child soon with his wife, Annie. He says the injury will give him some time off to get healthy and focus on their third child.

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua