Jordan Spieth Withdraws from 2025 Travelers Championship Due to Neck and Back Issues

Jordan Spieth made the first tournament withdrawal of his career on Thursday at the 2025 Travelers Championship after experiencing severe neck and back pain during his round at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

The trouble began in the warmup area before Spieth’s round. Spieth described the onset: "My right scap just kind of locked while I was hitting irons.” The sudden discomfort forced him to shorten his warmup session by 30 minutes and seek immediate attention from his physiotherapist, Marnus, who was present at the range. However, the pain did not subside. Instead, it quickly spread “to both sides of my neck and upper back,” Spieth explained. Despite treatment and the hope that the discomfort would fade, Spieth’s mobility steadily deteriorated as he started his round.

The breaking point came at the 13th hole. 

“I hit my tee shot on 13, and it legitimately really hurt,” Spieth said. As he walked off the tee box, he realized he could no longer make an effective backswing—a problem that became especially clear while playing a bunker shot shortly after. It was then that Spieth—faced with mounting pain and limited movement—made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament.

This was a career first. “I’ve never withdrawn from an event ever anywhere at any level, so I didn’t really know what to do,” Spieth admitted. Although the Travelers Championship is an elevated event, with no cut and important points on the line, Spieth ultimately decided that continuing would only make things worse. He noted that he initially hoped to “somehow get through at even,” but the worsening pain left him with no choice.

The timing of the injury was especially frustrating. Spieth, who had put together a strong run of form, thought the week would be a highlight of his season. “It’s incredibly frustrating because this was 10 out of 12 for me, and I was looking at this being the strongest one, and I was very confident about that,” he said. Reflecting further on his preparation and expectations, Spieth noted that his practice sessions and the pro-am round had convinced him it was “going to be a really good event.”

He also shared a bit of personal context: with him and his wife expecting a baby very soon, he was already anticipating a brief break from competition. 

“We’re having a baby here in a couple of weeks, so I’ll have some time off now, obviously, to get healthy, but hopefully, after a few days, I'll go through the right process to just get right back to where I was.” 

As for the cause, Spieth said it was difficult to pinpoint what had triggered the injury. “It might have been just very random. I may have just slept wrong,” he surmised.