Gary Player Spieth could still be golf's best with different coaching

Gary Player has reignited a debate about the longevity of Jordan Spieth’s prime, delivering a blunt assessment that the former world No. 1 could still reign as golf’s best if he had been taught differently. Speaking in a recent appearance on a popular golf channel, the nine-time major champion said Spieth remains incredibly talented and competitive, but that modern coaching in America has steered him away from his natural strengths. The comments come as Spieth has fought to rediscover his top form, with his results this season largely outside the major-winning standards he set a decade ago and his Ryder Cup prospects increasingly uncertain.

Spieth’s rise and fall frame a portrait of a golfer who peaked early and struggled to sustain that level. After capturing three majors between 2015 and 2017, Spieth has since gone without a PGA Tour win, a stretch that extended into 2022 and beyond. The physical and technical hurdles lent momentum to the decline: a left wrist injury that first surfaced in 2018 required a bone chip removal procedure in 2024, with the aftereffects prompting swing and grip adjustments that some observers say eroded consistency. In recent seasons his performance...