Jordan Spieth continued to show signs that his recovery is on the right track with a first-round 67 at the 2025 Valero Texas Open. It is his 10th round in the 60s this season.
Spieth got off to a slow start with a bogey on the first hole, but quickly proved that would not be the tone of the day with six bogey-free birdies over the next 17 holes.
The three-time major champion improved as the round progressed. After his opening bogey, he birdied two on the front nine (2nd and 5th) to make the turn on 1-under. But the best came on the back nine, where he added four more birdies.
Spieth put on a big show with the putter in his hand, making several long putts. That was the case on the 5th (24-foot putt for birdie), 12th (23-foot putt for birdie) and 15th (23-foot putt for birdie).
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Not surprisingly, his putting was his best ally of the round, as he gained 3.224 strokes through it (ranked 2nd best in the field).
“Yeah, I thought it was really solid,” Spieth said after finishing his performance. “I put in a lot of work from Tampa and I thought that maybe my finish there didn’t quite show how I was actually playing.”
“But I improved a lot week to week in what I needed to in some of my scoring clubs and approach play, which is important going into next week obviously. I’m just trying to get better and better with that.”
His score on Thursday left him in a share of fourth place after the first 18 holes. The 31-year-old is four shots behind leader Sam Ryder.
The Dallas, Texas native is a regular presence at TPC San Antonio for his home State Open. In eight previous appearances, he has won one edition (2021) and tied for second in another (2015). He has two other top-10 finishes (2014, 2024) and has missed the cut just once (2013).
Jordan Spieth underwent surgery in the summer of 2024 to repair a wrist injury that had been bothering him since 2023. This led to a slow start to his 2025 season, in which he has shown signs of a gradual recovery.
In six tournaments this season, Spieth has made five cuts and finished in the top 10 twice, including a tie for fourth at the WM Phoenix Open, his best finish of the year to date.
In 2024, by contrast, he finished just three times in the top 10 in 22 tournaments.
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