NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Jordan Spieth remembers the time when all he had to do was show up at a major championship and he felt he had a chance.
That was 2014 through 2019 when, in a span of 22 majors, Spieth won three, was runner-up three times and had 10 top-10 finishes.
“Then it was periodical,” he said about the lean years, at least for him, that has resulted in three top 10s since.
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But the man who spent 26 weeks as the world No. 1 is feeling better about his game of late. And that could not come at a better time.
Why? This is how Spieth views the PGA Championship.
“If I can win one more tournament in my life, it would obviously be this one for that reason,” he said. “But the easiest way to do that is to not try to, in a weird way, you know.”
That reason is the PGA Championship — which starts May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club — is the only tournament standing between Spieth and the career Grand Slam.
Those other three majors, the only three he has won: The Masters and U.S. Open in 2025, and the 2017 British Open
While the PGA Championship is at the top his list, Spieth tries hard not to put the added pressure that naturally comes with playing a major championship.
While admitting it would be “amazing” to win the PGA “because it’s just a very, very short list in history” to complete the Grand Slam, Spieth quickly added winning this tournament in general “would be very special.”
“But obviously with having won the other three, that’s the one that everyone focuses on,” Spieth said. “But I’ve been in contention a couple of times in this tournament. It didn’t feel any different than any other majors, so I wouldn’t expect to if I get there this week.”
Rory McIlroy completed career Grand Slam at 2025 Masters
Rory McIlroy became the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, closing that chapter at the 2025 Masters. McIlroy joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
The feat is so rare that after Nicklaus accomplished his Slam in 1966 it’s happened twice: Woods in 2000 and McIlroy.
That’s 34 and 25 years between golfers being celebrated for winning all four majors.
Currently, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the only active golfer besides Spieth with a chance to complete the career Grand Slam. Scheffler, however, needs the U.S. Open.
The look of relief was obvious when McIlroy made his putt in 2025 at Augusta to defeat Justin Rose in a playoff. He admitted to it being an incredible burden, and called it a very difficult journey.
Spieth, perhaps purposely, is downplaying the pressure, saying his situation is nothing like McIlroy’s.
“Rory’s was obviously a very unique final round and his history of having led there, so I don’t think it would feel similar,” Spieth said. “For me, it would just be like … I went on a run of feeling like I was contending or having a good chance of contending at every major for a number of years and then it was periodic. I feel like I’m close to being able to go back to doing that again.”
Since winning that third leg of the Grand Slam in 2017, Spieth has had eight cracks at completing it. The closest he came was 12th in 2018 and third in 2019, when he was six shots behind Brooks Koepka at Bethpage Black in New York.
Otherwise, it’s been a struggle, with nothing better than 29th. He missed the cut last year.
Jordan Spieth has not won on PGA Tour since 2022
Spieth, 32, has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2022 RBC Heritage. He has 14 top 10 finishes in the last four seasons. From 2013 to 2016-17 he had 52 top 10s.
Still, after placing in the top 20 this year at the Valspar Championship, Masters and Cadillac Championship, he believes he’s close.
And how does he know? It came to him late last year while smoking chicken.
He explained:
“I was smoking chicken in the fall on a big smoker I have and it got up to 155 (degrees) quickly and then takes awhile,” he said. “I was like, man, this kind of feels like what I’m trying to do in the swing.
“I don’t know if it’s that way for everybody and just seemed that way for me right now where it’s there, it’s there. It’s like close. It’s matching what I want to do. It feels good and it’s producing the right stuff.”
Maybe it will come down to Spieth smoking a very timely drive to get over the hump.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jordan Spieth seeking career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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