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Jordan Spieth offers Rory McIlroy theory before PGA championship
Jordan Spieth is the only player in the 2024 PGA Championship with a chance at completing a career Grand Slam. Only five golfers have ever achieved this feat, and there are three active players who could join them at some point. Only Spieth can do so this weekend.
Rory McIlroy missed his chance to do so at the Masters in April. He struggled in that tournament, relegating himself to another opportunity in about 11 months. Spieth has a chance to do it now, but he’s not as concerned with it.
Via Clutch Points, the golfer said:
“I remember thinking about it in ’17 because it was right after The Open and I was playing so well. But I don’t feel like it will build up over time, not like people talk about Rory’s building up over time.”
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It has been a decade since McIlroy’s last victory in a Major championship. The fact that he’s missing the most prestigious of the four tournaments doesn’t help, either. Spieth’s time spent waiting to complete this feat is much shorter, and it’s less talked about than McIlroy’s.
The status of the player matters in this conversation, at least according to Spieth. McIlroy and Jordan Spieth aren’t heralded in the same way, which means less people are concerned with Spieth getting a Slam than McIlroy.
“He’s got more accolades,” Spieth said. “He’s been a better player over his career. Maybe that creates a little noise. He’s been a bit more vocal about it himself, so maybe that makes a little bit more difference.”
Jordan Spieth also downplayed the historic feat in general:
“For me, it’s like the PGA Championship feels decently similar to a number of tournaments we play. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s played on some of the biggest, best golf courses. But the identity is not the same as the other three. In my mind, you don’t need to find a different way to win, versus guys who don’t have some of the other ones.”
He said there are a few tournaments played every year that could be PGA Championships if the branding was changed. Whether or not that fact will contribute to Spieth’s eventual Grand Slam remains to be seen. For now, all eyes will be on him this weekend to see if he can be the first since Tiger Woods to win one of all four Majors
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