Jordan Spieth spent much of his time recovering from an ulnar nerve injury that affected his forearm, hand and fingers after the 2023 Ryder Cup.
He didn't swing a club for a while during the fall, but circled around the first weekend in December with the goal of returning to tournament play.
His goal is the Hero World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas.
Spieth had a decent performance there, finishing sixth out of 20 participants. But by joining the fray in the Bahamas, he was able to parlay that success into this week's event on Maui.
“The Tiger event was huge for me, just to go out there and be in contention,” Spieth said after Saturday's third round at Sentry.
“It’s really great to be here and pick up where we left off.”
Spieth shot a bogey-free 6-under 67 on Saturday and shot up the leaderboard. He is currently at 19 under par, two strokes behind Chris Kirk, and only Akshay Bhatia stands between Spieth and the lead.
As a result, the former world number one knows he has to go low to win for the first time since the 2022 RBC Heritage.
“I think I have to shoot 6 under.” [or more]'' Spieth said. “It’s really crazy the way they score.”
Kapalua's Plantation Course produces a lot of birdies. It also provides great entertainment for fans to start each year. Spieth knows that too.
“Honestly, it's more fun that way. I have to take more shots,” he said.
“You can see a little bit of tooth out of the hole. You can use up 400 yards on the fairway, so you can hit the driver, but you have to hit another shot. [with it] To keep it short. That's so strange. It's a strange scenario and one that can only be experienced here. ”
The elevation changes on this coastal Maui course are incredible. There is approximately 500 feet of elevation difference from the highest point of the 17th green to the lowest point of the lot on the 8th green.
An abundance of downhill par 4s allows players to hit drives close to 500 yards. But that doesn't necessarily mean the course determines who plays the best.
“Maybe some guys are upping their game, but they just haven't made enough birdies here and haven't gotten the right breaks,” Spieth added.
“Some players are doing well, but there's a lot of work to do. Sometimes Kapalua will be like that for at least a few rounds, but usually it starts to show throughout the tournament. 4 under I'm sure there are some players who hit 6 under and felt they played great, but I'm sure there are others who hit 6 under and felt a little off, just like me. That's not necessarily fair. Well, that's the game.”
Golf is certainly a fun game, but Spieth was happy to be competing in the Bahamas before this week's event in Maui. Before the Hero World Challenge, Spieth had just one top-10 finish since the U.S. Open in June, finishing tied for sixth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Nevertheless, his slump late in the season is in the rearview mirror.
Now, Spieth is happy that the ulnar nerve injury no longer bothers him. I didn't even think about it that whole week.
But he continues his physical therapy so that he can come back stronger than ever in 2024. In fact, he goes 3-4 times a week.
But it's all part of his strategic recovery process. That, combined with his recent experience in the Bahamas, could help him come out on top in Maui.
It would be a great start to the new year for the three-time major champion.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
