For nearly eight years, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy engaged in a race for the right to become the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam, the first five members of the club being Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
McIlroy, of course, won that race this past Sunday at Augusta National by finally adding The Masters to his major championship resume that already included wins at the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship, and the 2014 Open Championship.
As for Spieth, he knocked out three legs of the career Grand Slam extremely early in his career, winning both The Masters and U.S. Open in 2015 at the age of 21 and then adding The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale just four days before his 24th birthday in 2017.
Since then, the now-31-year-old has attempted to complete the Slam eight times at the PGA Championship. But as you can see below, he's only recorded one top-10 finish, that coming in 2019 at Bethpage Black.
Year | Course | Finish |
|---|---|---|
2017 | Quail Hollow | T28 |
2018 | Bellerive | T12 |
2019 | Bethpage Black | T3 |
2020 | TPC Harding Park | T71 |
2021 | Kiawah Island | T30 |
2022 | Southern Hills | T34 |
2023 | Oak Hill | T29 |
2024 | Valhalla | T43 |
Don't let that T3 finish fool you, though, as the Dallas native finished six shots back of winner Brooks Koepka, who had a seven-shot lead going into the final round and held on to take his second straight PGA Championship with a two-shot win over Dustin Johnson.
And even that T12 the previous year at Bellerive is a bit misleading, as Jordan finished eight back of Koepka.
Now, Speith is soon set for attempt number nine. And oddly enough, it comes at Quail Hollow, where he took his first crack at the career Grand Slam. But given his overall history in Charlotte, his chances don't look great.
Jordan Spieth has never finished in the top 25 in four starts at Quail Hollow
Spieth's first trip to Quail Hollow came as a 19-year-old at the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship, which has been a regular stop on the PGA Tour for decades.
The 2013 campaign was Jordan's first full season on tour, and he played well overall, recording 13 top-25s and nine top-10s, including his first victory at the John Deere Classic. But his week in Charlotte didn't fall into those categories, as he tied for 32nd.
His second start in the Queen City was the aforementioned first attempt at the Slam in 2017. At that time, the PGA Championship was still being played in August as the final major championship of the year. So, this was only about a month after his win at The Open.
But again, things didn't go all that great, as he tied for 28th. The only saving grace there was that he watched his good friend, Justin Thomas, win his first major.
After another lengthy absence, Speith returned to the Wells Fargo in 2023 but missed the cut. And just last year, he tied for 29th. In these four starts, the 13-time PGA Tour winner only carded two rounds in the 60s, twice shooting 69.
Tournament | Scores | Finish |
|---|---|---|
2013 Wells Fargo | 69-71-75-73 (E) | T32 |
2017 PGA Championship | 72-73-71-70 (+2) | T28 |
2023 Wells Fargo | 72-77 (+7) | CUT |
2024 Wells Fargo | 69-71-76-70 (+2) | T29 |
So, again, things look a little bleak.
That said, however, Spieth does have a fond memory of Quail Hollow that he can look back on, as he went 5-0 there during the 2022 Presidents Cup. He went 4-0 in foursomes and fourball, teaming with Thomas each time, and then defeating Cam Davis in singles to help the U.S. to a 17.5-12.5 victory over the International Team.
But that's obviously not the same as trying to tackle a tournament on your own, is it?
Also working against Spieth is the fact that he hasn't won a regular event in three years, taking his last title at the 2022 RBC Heritage.
The good news is that he seems to be rounding into form, as his last two starts have resulted in a T12 at the Valero Texas Open and a T14 at The Masters. However, inconsistency, which has long been an issue, has continued to be a problem this season.
After tying for fourth at the WM Phoenix Open back in February, he then missed the cut the following week at The Genesis. And after tying for ninth at the Cognizant Classic, he then finished 59th at The Players Championship before somewhat bouncing back with a T28 at the Valspar Championship.
It's hard to know which Jordan Spieth we'll get when the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow kicks off on May 15, but one thing we're sure of is that he'll certainly be entertaining in his quest to complete the career Grand Slam.