Coming into last year’s PGA Championship, Jordan Spieth had a chance to win the coveted career grand slam. Winning all four majors has only been done by five people over the past 100 years: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
For Spieth, it was a chance to cement his name among the greatest golfers in history, and the young superstar wasn’t taking the opportunity lightly. He had just won his third leg, the British Open, a month earlier. But two opening rounds over par at the PGA Championship sunk his chances and he finished tied for 28th.
This year, the 25-year-old may not be in line for a grand slam, but he does have a chance to win the title that has eluded him. Unlike last year, when he won three times and had nine other top 10 finishes, Spieth has struggled this year — with as many missed cuts as he has top 10 finishes.
Bookmakers have him not as a favorite, but as someone definitely worth a look at 20/1 to win. Dustin Johnson is that favorite at 9/1, followed by Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy at 12/1.
Despite Spieth’s struggles to win in 2018, and finishing only five times in the top 10, two of his deep runs have come in majors, which gives him hope that he can find a victory this week at the PGA Championship, held at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri.
“First of all, getting into position to have a chance on Sunday, that’s been a rare case for me this year,” Spieth said. “So a situation like The Open, where I was really patient the first few rounds, I kind of let it come to me.”
Radar Picking up Nothing
Spieth is usually in the conversation about any major championship, and finishing third at the Masters and ninth at the Open Championship should at least get him mentioned.
This event seems different, however. While other players are enjoying some pre-tournament buzz, Spieth’s name is hardly being whispered. PGATour.com puts out a power rankings feature for every event and Spieth didn’t even make the top 20 for possible winners.
Which is perfectly fine with Spieth, who is actually enjoying not getting any attention. It is a big change from last year when he was the main focus of the event.
“I feel somewhat under the radar this year,” Spieth said. “I’ve kind of felt that way a lot this year, I don’t mind it. But at the same time, this tournament will always be circled until I’m able to hopefully win it some day. It will always be circled to complete the career Grand Slam, which will ultimately achieve a life-long goal for me.”
Can Spieth Win?
The key to this week, according to Spieth, is not to think about the career grand slam, and just focus on winning this tournament.
“I think I’ll approach it as in this is a golf tournament that I have a chance to win, go about how you go about any other Saturday and Sunday trying to win,” Spieth said.
His stats would indicate he has the chance to win. He is 66th in driving distance, 16th in greens in regulation, and 13th in birdie average. Where he has struggled is his putting. He is 113th in putts per round and 201st in putts from three feet. If Spieth is going to win, he is going to have to have a much better putting performance at a major where birdies can come fast and furious.
“I think you’ll see guys shoot some low scores, given when they get into trouble you’re not going to see that many bogeys or doubles, or if you keep the ball in front of you and into the right location around the greens,” Spieth said.