Jordan Spieth hopes that a lighter travel schedule will translate into better results heading into 2017.
Spieth was notably absent from the WGC-HSBC Champions in China last month, and he has not played a stroke-play event since the Tour Championship. He’ll return to action next week at the Australian Open and will make his final start of the calendar year at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
But as Spieth told Golf.com, his break since the Ryder Cup has been by design.
“I just wanted an off-season. I needed some time off,” Spieth said.
Spieth’s light early-season schedule is a stark contrast to the ambitious itinerary he cobbled together after a record-setting season in 2015. Last year Spieth made 12 starts across six different countries leading up to the Masters, including stops in Abu Dhabi and Singapore for which he reportedly received lucrative appearance fees.
Spieth has slipped to fifth in the world rankings after starting the year ranked No. 1, and this time around he hopes that less (travel) will lead to more (wins).
“I might do more, but I want to take it slow and see what happens,” he said. “I don’t need that (travel). I didn’t miss it at all.”
Spieth’s next official PGA Tour start is expected to be the Jan. 5-8 Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, where he will defend the title he won by eight shots earlier this year.
