Jordan Spieth battling stomach bug ahead of U.S. Open

With just over 12 hours remaining until action gets underway at the U.S. Open Tournament, Jordan Spieth has been dealing with “a strong stomach bug” Wednesday, his agent Jay Danzi told NBC’s Todd Lewis. Despite this, Spieth is rested, rehydrated and planning on teeing it up for round one.

Regardless if he tees off or not, it’s been a tough season for the three-time major winner. Spieth missed the cut at the Masters earlier this year before winning the RBC Heritage the following week. He turned around with a poor showing at the PGA Championship in May, not being able to crack the top 30 for the third year in a row.

Compare that to a 2021 campaign that saw him finish third at the Masters and second at The Open. Even now, he still comes in at 11th on the money rank – so the expectations are still there for the 28-year-old former No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. Spieth believes he has a legitimate shot to come out on top by the tournament’s end.

“I’ve been driving the ball a lot better this last year and a half, which gives me a chance at a U.S. Open,” Spieth said. “If you don’t drive it straight and far you don’t have a chance, and I’ve been doing both really well this year.”

Over his past 50 rounds, Spieth has gained 1.24 strokes per round from tee-to-green, which is the 11th-best mark of all tournament participants. Combine that with the intricate setup at The Country Club, and Spieth should still be considered one of the favorites this week, stomach bug or not.

“I really don’t know anything about (The Country Club),” Spieth explained on Saturday. “I’ve never played it. So maybe that’s a good thing for U.S. Opens, just go in with a clean slate.You don’t kind of have a lot of worries – don’t go here, don’t go there. Instead it’s where to go sometimes when you have a little less time to prepare.”

Tee time for the opening round of the U.S. Open is set for 6:45 a.m. ET Thursday morning live from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Spieth will get his weekend underway sooner after, as he is set to strike his tee at 7:29 a.m. ET with Max Homa and Adam Scott.