Help me re-attach my governor spring on my 12HP Dixon 428 ZTR

I've got a 12HP 281707-0128-01 that is surging and stalling constantly. This is on a Dixon 428 ZTR mower. I took a closer look at the throttle linkage, and I see what appears to be a broken spring on the throttle linkage. It looks like the spring slides up and down the linkage, and maybe connects to some point on the side/outside of the engine body. Is this perhaps my engine governor spring? It's not connected to anything, and I see one end has a slight curve to it, as if to indicate that the loop end broke off.



I can't seem to find a parts explosion that shows this spring. Is the governor spring what I'm describing, and will it cause the behavior I'm describing?