Jordan Spieth believes his game is ready to challenge for a PGA Championship victory, but insists the pressure of completing a career Grand Slam is different than that faced by Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy’s dramatic playoff victory at the Masters last April made him the sixth man to win all four major titles, and he won the green jacket at Augusta National in his 17th appearance, 11 years since he completed Game 3 of a Grand Slam.
Spieth won the Masters and the US Open in 2015, then the British Open in 2017, and this year’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club (live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday) is his 10th chance to win the elusive major title needed to join golf’s Grand Slam club.
“My situation was certainly different than his (McIlroy’s) at Augusta, so I think it was unique to him,” Spieth insisted. “I probably wouldn’t have seen that kind of reaction in other players who have had this kind of reaction in the past.
“Lowrie’s final round was obviously very unique, and with his previous winning history (2011, when he won by four strokes on the final day), I don’t think it will feel similar.
Jordan Spieth has won 13 times on the PGA Tour, but not since the RBC Heritage in 2022.
“I’ve been running for years feeling like I could compete or have a chance to compete in every major tournament, and it was cyclical. And I feel like I’m getting closer to being able to get back into that situation again. So I just want to give myself a chance.”
Spieth finished second to Jason Day at the 2015 PGA Championship and finished fourth or worse in all four majors that year, but his share of third place in the 2019 contest is his only top-10 finish in the tournament since then.
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Jordan Spieth suffered a quadruple bogey on the par-3 12th hole at the 2016 Masters and lost the lead with nine holes remaining.
The former world No. 1 has failed to register in the world’s top 10 until 2026, falling outside the world’s top 50, and although he arrived in Pennsylvania in a shared 52nd place at last week’s Tourist Championship, he insists he can challenge for his first PGA Tour win since 2022.
“If I could win another tournament in my life, it would obviously be this (Grand Slam),” Spieth explained. “But the easiest way to do it is not to try to do it in a weird way.
“Just go out there, prepare for the first hole, have a good game plan and attack the way you need to. My game is getting better and better. It’s good enough to have a chance to win.”
If Spieth fails to win a Grand Slam, will Scheffler be next?
If Spieth fails in his bid to qualify for the major he needs, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler could become the seventh golfer to win the sport’s most exclusive club by winning this summer’s U.S. Open.
Scheffler has won all four majors and only needs a win at Sinek Hills, where his final round will be played on his 30th birthday, to complete his quest for golf greatness, and has already surpassed McIlroy at the top of men’s golf for the past few seasons.
Will Scottie Scheffler complete a career Grand Slam with Rory McIlroy?
He won his first major at the 2022 Masters and reclaimed the title two years later, but his dominant wins at last season’s PGA Championship and British Open set him up to become the next Grand Slammer.
“Rory achieved it (the Grand Slam), so it’s on everyone’s mind,” Scheffler said after winning the British Open at Royal Portrush last July. “It’s certainly a career accomplishment, but I don’t really focus on that.”
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Watch Scottie Scheffler win the British Open at Royal Portrush, completing the third leg of the Grand Slam.
Previous players such as Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Raymond Floyd are set to retire with one major left to complete, and given Spieth and McIlroy’s past struggles, there’s no guarantee that Scheffler will have instant Grand Slam success.
Phil Mickelson is another player who needs to play in the US Open. He has finished runner-up in this tournament six times, but has missed out on a spot four years in a row and is not included in this year’s list.
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Relive Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship, where at age 50 he became the oldest major winner in history.
Can Rahm move one step closer to a Grand Slam?
Rahm won his first major title at the 2021 U.S. Open and two years later won the Masters. That means a win in Pennsylvania this week will give him a chance to complete the Grand Slam at the U.S. Open later this summer.
Rahm, a former world No. 1, finished in the top eight for the third time at the PGA Championship after taking a share of No. 8 last year, briefly sharing the lead in the final round and playing the final three holes at 5 over.
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Highlights from the final round of the 2025 PGA Championship, where Scottie Scheffler won his third major with a five-shot victory.
“I’d love to do (a Grand Slam), but obviously it’s not easy,” Rahm said ahead of last year’s PGA Championship. “If you can get a third different win like Jordan[Speth]did, you’re going to be in more of a headspace.
“If I had an idea right now, I’m going to focus on the amount of majors rather than which majors I get. Let’s say I don’t get that. If that makes sense, I’d probably be better off in a situation like Sir Nick Faldo, which is six out of two majors, than having three different majors.”
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Jon Rahm explains reaching agreement with DP World Tour to restore membership and remain eligible to play in the Ryder Cup
“If I can get all four and win one of each, I think that’s more important than six. But like right now, I’d rather think more about number three and focus on the possible Grand Slams, if that happens to be the British Open or the PGA (Championship).”
Johnson is another player who won the 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters and has a chance to advance three-quarters of the way to a Grand Slam this week, but he has only finished inside the top 20 at a major twice since joining the LIV Golf League in the summer of 2022.
The American had back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2020, but has failed to qualify in three of his past five PGA Championship appearances, including last year.
Who else will be next to join golf’s Grand Slam club?
Collin Morikawa has finished tied for 25th or worse in each of his past five U.S. Open appearances, has finished in the top 20 at the Masters in each of the past six years, and has already won the PGA Championship (2020) and British Open (2021), including a shared third place in 2014.
“If it (Grand Slam) doesn’t pop into your head, then you really don’t care,” Morikawa said of the 2025 Masters. “For me, I guess I want to put myself in these positions because I care. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s definitely something I want to try and accomplish.”
Collin Morikawa withdrew after one hole at The Players in March due to a back injury.
Xander Schauffele has also won the same two majors as Morikawa, winning both the PGA Championship and British Open in 2024, and the American already has 13 career top 10 finishes between the Masters and British Open.
“It (a Grand Slam) was something I’ve always wanted, even before I won a major,” Schauffele said after winning the Claret Jug. “I’m one step closer, but I still have a long way to go. But if I don’t think I’m doing it, I’m never going to do it.”
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Watch highlights from the 2024 Royal Troon British Open final round. Xander Schauffele shot a closing 65 to win the Claret Jag.
Brooks Koepka had the most wins in men’s majors over the past 20 years until McIlroy’s back-to-back Masters titles surpassed his record, with the former world No. 1 winning three PGA Championships (2018, 2019 and 2023) in addition to back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2017 and 2018.
Koepka hasn’t finished in the major top 10 since winning his third Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill, but like Johnson and Rahm, he could move within one Grand Slam title if he can win the British Open at Royal Birkdale this July.
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Tom Watson suggests returning players like Brooks Koepka from LIV Golf should spend a year on the Korn Ferry Tour to qualify for the PGA Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau is a two-time U.S. Open champion and has finished runner-up in the past two PGA Championships. Another good performance this week could put him in the conversation as a future Grand Slam contender.
There was a gap of 25 years before McIlroy joined Tiger Woods at the Grand Slam club. Many players in the field for this week’s PGA Championship will find out that the wait for a seventh member won’t be too long.
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch live all week long on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening match will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
