Jordan Spieth hasn’t teed it up since posting a T3 at the Masters. And now we know why. The 27-year old superstar caught COVID following his four rounds at Augusta National.

“I’m not exactly sure yet. I took kind of a week off, and then I ended up, actually, getting COVID,” said Spieth, when asked about his current form after such a lengthy break.

“So then I was out for a little while. And then so I’m just kind of starting to get it back the last week or so and kind of get back on track.

“And so I’ve only played a couple rounds and so I’m looking to kind of maybe knock a little rust off that I didn’t think would necessarily be here.

“But, yeah, I feel good. I feel strong. I feel ready to go for a good stretch of golf coming up.”

Spieth isn’t sure how he caught the COVID-19 virus, which now appears to have emanated from a lab in Wuhan, China, and not from a market in the totalitarian communist country.

He first noticed the flu-like symptoms on the Tuesday of the Zurich Classic week, which lasted about “a day and a half.” And for the five days that followed, it was more lingering cold-like symptoms such as congestion and a stuffy nose.

“Not really sure when I got it, to be honest, because nobody I was around ever got it,” said Spieth, when asked to talk more about his COVID symptoms.

“And, then, yeah, it was the Wednesday of New Orleans, I think, when I, when it — or Tuesday of New Orleans when I started my symptoms and it was bad for a day and a half and then it was just kind of annoying for the next five days, kind of lost energy, and sinus stuff.

“And then after that I started to kind of get full strength back and I would say the last week to week and a half now I’ve been acting as if it never happened.

“I’ve just gone about my days and doing, feeling full energy and being able to hit kind of full workouts and practice sessions and all that kind of stuff.

“So just kind of set me back a little. It was actually, I guess, if there’s ever a good time during the season, it kind of worked out okay. But I was planning on continuing to play. I wasn’t planning on taking a month off in the spring.”

He also didn’t lose his sense of taste or smell, which are reported to be some of the more unique side effects of COVID, but he did find it “interesting” to quarantine from his wife in his own home.

“I didn’t lose taste or smell and I didn’t lose appetite, which was nice,” said Spieth. “But I had to quarantine away from my wife, which was — in the same house, which was interesting. So that I know a lot of people have had to do that over the years or over the last year or so.

“So, yeah, so, anyway, I guess it certainly could have been worse and so I was lucky with that.”

COVID, like any SARS virus, can be “a big deal” for the elderly and/or those with comorbidities, but for anyone under say 60, who is relatively healthy – particularly a 27-year old athlete, it’s generally like fighting off the flu.

Spieth confirmed this:

“It’s not really, in my opinion, it’s not really a big deal,” said Spieth, before catching himself.

He continued. “It’s certainly been a big deal for a lot of people. I’m not downplaying that. I’m just saying as far as me getting it.

“You know, I’m one of very many of who have gotten it and you just go about the process of what you’re supposed to do: stay home, stay away from people, wait until you get cleared, and then go back to work.”

For the opening two rounds, Spieth will be paired with fellow Texans Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler.