Jordan Spieth makes feelings perfectly clear on Arnold Palmer Invitational rejection

Jordan Spieth, the three-time major champion, has been left feeling snubbed after missing out on an invite to the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Despite a strong start to the year, Spieth did not receive one of the four special invitations and was controversially overlooked alongside Rickie Fowler.

The 31-year-old golf ace, who secured a ninth-place finish at the Cognizant Classic, expressed his disappointment: “I’m bummed not to be there next week. It’s been a great, great place for me, and I really wish I was getting that start, but I needed to play better injured golf last year, I guess.”

After a tough year with injuries and missed cuts, Spieth’s resurgence this season came post-wrist surgery, tying for 69th at Pebble Beach Pro-Am and clinching fourth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, despite a setback with a missed cut at the Genesis Invitational. He made a commendable comeback at the Cognizant Classic, shooting a strong 14-under and nearly clinching victory before a costly error on the 17th hole.

Spieth has expressed optimism about his recent performance. He said: “I feel like I’m trending in the right direction. I feel like I played better [this week] than I did in Phoenix. Phoenix is a better fit for me, I think, maybe. I just throw out Torrey Pines because I did what I always do there. It’s really not a great judge on where I’m at.” He also mentioned that he was satisfied with his game, stating: “If you had told me 14 under at the beginning of the week, I would have shook your hand and gone home.”

Despite not winning a PGA event since the 2022 RBC Heritage Classic and not ranking higher than 25th in last year’s majors, Spieth remains positive. Joe Highsmith won the Cognizant Classic, scoring seven under on Sunday for an impressive -19 total. Jake Knapp made headlines for nearly setting a tour record with a sizzling 59 on opening day but ended the event with a modest one-over on Sunday to finish -15 overall.