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A top tour coach has come out in support of beleaguered Jordan Spieth and believes that the three-time major champion will rediscover his mojo if he does one thing. 

The American, without a win since the 2017 Open Championship, has slipped to 85th on the Official World Golf Ranking. Since the start of 2018, he has endured more missed cuts than top-10s on the PGA Tour, with speculation rife that he has sought out Butch Harmon in a bid to get his faltering career back on track.

Jonathan Yarwood, who coached Michael Campbell to US Open in 2005, has suggested that Spieth may need “a psychological rest” and to step away from the spotlight for the time being.

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“Spieth will get his mojo back. He just needs to disappear for a while and figure it out,” Yarwood, the director of golf at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, told bunkered.co.uk.

“You see it with a lot of players. They come into the spotlight, they can’t handle it, self-sabotage and then move out of the spotlight for a while. As a coach, you know what’s going on behind the scenes, which you often don’t in the public. Jordan has been at it a long time and had some success. Maybe psychologically he wants a little rest. He’s only human.”

Yarwood was named a UK PGA Master Professional in 2011 and alluded to just how mentally demanding tournament golf can be on a player.

“You’ve got no idea how tough it is,” he added. “You just need a slight crack somewhere and then it exposes your entire game, which is compounded and exaggerated by being in the spotlight. Could you imagine doing your job and every small error you made, a million people comment on it? Suddenly, it sets you back and is indicative of the pressure on modern people, especially with social media.

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“I think golf is cyclical. You play for a while, you lose form, find yourself searching for an answer and then get back to playing well. Sometimes those cycles are a little bit deeper, like Spieth’s currently is.”

Spieth’s woes came to a head at last year’s US PGA Championship, where he was filmed sitting cross-legged on the driving range with caddie Michael Greller, more than three-and-a-half hours after he had completed his opening round.

“He needs a break,” added Yardwood. “He is playing the hardest sport on Earth and the margins are so fine. He needs support, not people telling him he will never hit form again. He will get it back.”

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