Jordan Spieth: AT&T Byron Nelson Will Test Post-Covid Health

Sometime prior to the Zurich Classic, Jordan Spieth caught the world’s most hated bug: COVID 19. He explained the timeline and what happened to him during his news conference at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

On Tuesday of the Zurich Classic in New Orleans he started to feel ill. He did a COVID rapid test and two PCR tests at home. Everything was positive, so he quarantined himself in one part of his house.

“It was bad for a day and a half, and then it was just kind of annoying for the next five days,” he said.

Spieth said he thought he had it because he didn’t have any energy and had some sinus issues.

“Then, after that, I started to kind of get full strength back and I would say the last week to week and a half now I’ve been acting as if it never happened, ” he insisted. “I’ve just gone about my days and doing, feeling full energy and being able to hit kind of full workouts and practice sessions and all that kind of stuff.”

COVID was a setback that nobody wants, but sometimes the universe has unpleasant surprises in store.

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He didn’t lose sense of taste or smell, and he didn’t lose his appetite.

“I guess it certainly could have been worse, and so I was lucky with that,” he added.

Amazingly, his wife did not get it.

Now, he’s ready for a home game at the TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, a north suburb of Dallas, where one of his corporate sponsors, AT&T, also sponsors the Byron Nelson tournament. The course is 7,468 yards long and was designed by Tom Weiskopf, a former British Open champ and contemporary of Jack Nicklaus.

Spieth and several other PGA Tour members are somewhat familiar with the course since it was the site of second stage of the Korn Ferry Q-School when he was trying to make it to the PGA Tour. He remembered hitting many greens but said he couldn’t putt at all, which is sure to be read with disbelief by all those on the PGA Tour. He also played it once or twice in junior golf tournaments.

The course is zoysia, which is an expensive turf, and it features bentgrass greens. The design crosses a body of water called Rowlett Creek 14 times. The creek is part of a greenbelt that runs north and south through the city of Garland.

Though he has played Craig Ranch before, Spieth does not claim to have any special knowledge of the course.

“I played last Wednesday,” he said. “Just came out and played with my dad and my agent and just to kind of check it out. I mean, I obviously knew all the shapes of the holes and stuff like that, but it had been really nine years since playing in a tournament.”

Nine years ago. He was still in high school. It’s easy to forget how young he still is because of all he’s accomplished. Just 27.

The greens at TPC Craig Ranch, he noted, rolled slower last week than they are this week. That will come as no surprise to anyone.

A month ago, Speith broke the victory drought that dated to his British Open victory in 2017 by winning the Valero Texas Open. He showed that his game, while not perfect, is certainly much more manageable than it has been in recent seasons.

Before catching COVID, he was on the upswing. This week, will show how well he has recovered and whether the positive trend in his game continues.

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Jordan Spieth: AT&T Byron Nelson Will Test Post-COVID Health

By Kathlene Bissell | May 12, 2021

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