Altanta, GA …
Former World No. 1 Jordan Spieth appears to have avoided a possible $20,000 fine after coming to a ‘resolution’ with the PGA Tour to add events to his next season schedule.
Spieth failed to qualify for this week’s season-ending Tour Championship by finishing 31st on the FedEx Cup standings and one place shy of teeing-up in Atlanta.
And while Spieth will contest next week’s Ryder Cup and a 24th tournament of the year, he still falls short of contesting a mandatory 25 events a season.
Spieth had indicated after finishing well down the field in the BMW Championship he would be happy to accept a fine and/or add events to his 2018/19 schedule.
Jordan Spieth reckons Rory McIlroy still in the ‘driver’s seat’ to get first to the Grand Slam club.
The Texan has seemingly escaped the fine and will instead will tee-up in the new wraparound 2018/19 PGA Tour’s pre-Christmas events and with the opening tournament in three weeks in California
The PGA Tour’s Andy Pazder, who is the Chief Tournamet and Competitions Officer, confirmed Spieth and the Tour have ‘come to a resolution’.
“We have come to a resolution,” said Pazder to reporters Tuesday in Atlanta.
“You will see it next season and I think it will be good for the Tour, for the fans and for golf in general.”
Spieth is not the only PGA Tour player for fall short of the minimum requirement of 25 events as Pazder revealed England’s Ian Poulter, and by including next week’s Ryder Cup, will have just contested 21 events.
And while Spieth and Poulter will be missing from Atlanta, new World No. 2 Justin Thomas is hopeful a right wrist injury he sustained late last fortnight at the BMW Championship in Philadelphia.
Thomas has his right wrist tapped and looking also to go one place better this week after being denied victory a year ago in Atlanta by compatriot Xander Schaufelle.
“The injury flared on the 13th hole on the Monday and in the final round of the BMW, and I’d never had an injury there before,” said Thomas who replaced Dustin Johnson last week as World No. 2.
“It just kind of popped up and I was pleased to have this last week off to give he wrist some rest but I still managed to chip and putt, so my short game feels pretty good.”
