1,408. That’s the number of days it’s been since Jordan Spieth’s last win at the 2022 RBC Heritage. But we only know one part of the story behind the three-time major champion’s struggles. Wondering about the other half? Wait no more — Spieth detailed it after finishing tied for 12th at the Genesis Invitational.

“It’s only the people that are in my position, really. Once you start top-50, you probably don’t — I know I didn’t think about it until it was the last month of the season. These events, there’s a huge difference, right? Points at these events. This is a good week; this gives me a little bit of house money. I haven’t felt like I’ve had house money since Hawaii in ’24, so it’s been a while,” Spieth said when asked about his awareness of the points system where every shot and point now carries an added weight.

‘House money’ is the professional security afforded to players who finish in the Top 50 of the FedExCup standings. These players are guaranteed starts in every $20 million Signature Event. Spieth has spent the last two seasons outside of this circle.

The last time he felt he was playing with a cushion was in January 2024 in Hawaii. At the 2024 Sentry, Spieth finished solo third. It earned him $1,360,000 and 350 FedExCup points, which briefly moved him to 3rd in the standings. However, he could not maintain that momentum.

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He finished the 2024 season ranked 61st in FedExCup points, missing the crucial Top 50 cutoff by 11 spots. The 2025 season was equally difficult. Despite finishing 54th on the official money list with $3,159,660, he once again fell short in the points race. This marginal failure turned Spieth into a ‘bubble player,’ who is forced to rely on sponsor exemptions for Signature events.

The pressure has been more than just financial. Spieth’s reliance on sponsor exemptions has sparked backlash. Long-time PGA Tour pro Robert Garrigus delivered a rough assessment of the situation. The situation worsened in early 2025 when Spieth asked for a sponsor exemption into the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) but was rejected.

Spieth also admitted the criticism from fellow players, saying, “I was catching strays for no reason from guys who I had pretty good relationships with. Everyone’s going to ask. I’m not, like, paying (tournaments) to get in.”

Spieth’s desperation to reclaim his status resulted in a visible change in his work ethic. At the 2026 Genesis Invitational, Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine shared on X that on a rainy day at Riviera, Jordan Spieth was the only golfer on the range all day.

Thankfully for Spieth, this paid off. His T12 finish at Genesis earned him $415,000 and 105 projected points, moving him to 40th place in the FedEx Cup standings and providing a deposit of that long-awaited ‘house money’ for the upcoming stretch.

“I’ll take it to a comfortable stretch coming up. And again, I’ve got to — I know what I need to do, and I was trying so hard to do it today, and I probably did it on maybe 10 of my swings, I just needed a week at home to feel like I get it in,” Spieth added.

However, this resurgence actually started a few days ago.

What went on in the background?

Speaking about his golf swing on the No Laying Up Podcast, Spieth shared, “It has definitely structurally the best it has been since almost ten years.”

This physical relief allowed him to work on his grip with coach Cameron McCormick recently. He claimed his putting was becoming better. And this renewed confidence was the foundation for everything he has done in the 2026 season.

So far in 2026, Spieth has shown flashes of his old magic at the start of the season. He finished T24 at the Sony Open before missing a rare cut in the WM Phoenix Open. Then, he grabbed a T29 finish at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Scoreboards don’t tell the whole story, though. At Pebble Beach, Spieth opened play with a bogey-free 6-under par round. His most recent finish, a T12 at the Genesis, shows that he is once again slowly finding his rhythm on the course.

And even when he isn’t winning, the ‘Spieth Experience’ remains one of the most exciting shows in golf. During the Genesis Invitational 2026, his creative shots left Hollywood actress Kathryn Newton gasping in total shock. Kathryn had joined the field as a guest analyst.

“Is he going to go over this little fringe? That’s when you know he’s good… I’d be trying to flop it like an imbecile. Oh! *Gasps* That was so good! Let’s go! Let’s go, Jordan! You can’t do that,” Newton said before Jordan Spieth’s picture-perfect shot landed the ball 2 feet and 2 inches away from the hole.