PGA Championship: Jordan Spieth’s Grand Slam Under Threat? Unfavorable Report Paints Bleak Future

For a professional golfer, achieving the career Grand Slam is probably one of the most prestigious and hardest tasks. In the history of golf books, the number of players who have won all the majors happens to be only five, which includes legends like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen. There are currently three golfers, one of whom happens to be Jordan Spieth, who is close to joining the five-player list.

The career Grand Slam has eluded the 30-year-old for more than six years. He has won three majors so far: two in 2015, the Masters, followed by the U.S. Open, and then two years later, the Open. Now, all Spieth needs is the Wanamaker Trophy to complete his career Grand Slam. Next week in Valhalla, he will have the opportunity to do just that, but will he be able to do so? Judging by his performance so far this season, the feat seems a little distant to achieve.

Jordan Spieth’s underwhelming 2024 golf journey 

Spieth started his 2024 campaign on a rather positive note with a solo third finish at the Sentry. After this, he chose to sit out of three events and returned to the greens at Pebble Beach, which marked his second event of the season. The short break did not work well for the 30-year-old, as his performance took a turn for the worse. He carded his first finish outside of the top 30 at T39. Jordan Spieth gained his momentum once again at the WM Phoenix Open.

The Dallas native scored all four rounds in the 60s and was tied for sixth, significantly better than his play in California. However, the surge in his form was short-lived. Spieth’s nightmare began at Riviera. The 30-year-old played in the opening round, and for signing the incorrect scorecard, he received a disqualification letter from the PGA Tour at the Genesis Invitational.

The next stop for Spieth was the fourth signature event. Spieth has never won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and this year was no different. His journey at Bay Hill came to a rather early end, as he missed the first cut of the season. From the 50th PLAYERS Championship, when Scottie Scheffler defended his title to CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Spieth missed the cut four more times, including at Augusta National. The only top-10 finish amidst the chaos was at the Valero Texas Open, where he secured a T10.

Jordan Spieth survived the cutline at the fifth signature event—RBC Heritage. Spieth finished at T39 on the leaderboard, despite his left wrist ECU tendon popping out. Much of Spieth’s slump in 2024 could be attributed to his ‘come and go’ ulnar nerve damage in his wrist, disrupting his ability to play at his full potential. He is doing regular therapy to help his game and will not be undergoing surgery. “So I’m doing a lot of stuff off the course, therapy side, whether it’s treating tendon to treating the nerve in general. You know, I think that that’s helping. I kind of maybe got a little bit away from it as I got into a heavier stretch of golf the last eight weeks, so I had a couple instances that weren’t good,” said Speith.

Spieth ended his play at Quail Hollow with an overall score of 2 overs. He finished at T29, and it was Rory McIlroy who clinched his 26th Tour title. Did Spieth’s performance change for the better?

How did the PGA Tour pro perform at Quail Hollow?

The 30-year-old started the opening round with a much better pace. He made only bogeys on the 4th and 16th holes while shooting two birdies on the back nine and an eagle on the par-5 7th hole. After ending the first round with an impressive score of 2 under 69, Jordan Spieth’s performance saw a gradual decline.

Although the birdie count increased from two to four, the eagle was replaced by a double bogey. With that, in the second round, the 3-time major winner managed to score at par. Spieth was spared from adding another missed cut to his list since there was no 36-hole cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. The moving day had more bad news waiting for the Dallas native.

It was the worst round of the three rounds that he played on the Charlotte greens. From being in the top 30s, Spieth had fallen out of the top 40. After the 54 holes were concluded, Spieth found himself at T42. All because he made four bogeys on the front nine with a lone birdie on the 7th hole. The bogey streak continued even on the back nine, and Spieth finished 5 over 76 with a final bogey on the par-4 18th. Following this, the 30-year-old had a burden to play better on Sunday, which he did slightly. He shot 70 in the final round, with three bogeys and two birdies in the first nine holes. To redeem the poor shot he played on the 17th, his other four birdies on the 10th, 13th, 16th, and 18th holes came in handy.

Wells Fargo Championship is the only event standing before he tees up at the Valhalla. Spieth wouldn’t want to enter Valhalla with a bad finish, but his T29 finish cannot be accounted for as good or bad; it’s basically an average finish! But seeing his current form, playing against the best, such as the defending champion Brooks Koepka and others, to win his fourth major title and complete his career grand slam, looks daunting and a distant dream!