Spieth’s Slam bid stalls out

For the second year in a row, Jordan Speith came into the PGA Championship with a chance to complete the career Grand Slam. But looking at the behemoth of Bethpage Black, Spieth knew that was unlikely.

So it was with great admiration for himself that he left after a final-round 71 on Sunday that put him at 2-under for the tournament and in a tie for third behind winner Brooks Koepka.

“I knew coming into the week that it was unlikely on this golf course that I was going to have a chance to win, and that’s a humbling feeling for me,” Spieth said. “But I knew that if I played the course the right way, had the right mentality, kept putting the way I’ve been putting, that I would be in it; that I would be having a chance to make some noise.”

The noise was minimal for Spieth, deadened when he was in the final group with Koepka on Saturday and swatted his way around with a two-over 72.

But the narrative was the threetime major winner was struggling, having fallen to No. 39 in the world rankings. Still, he remains nothing but positive about the progress he has made.

“It says that I have full belief in our team,” Spieth said. “I have full belief in my process, my mentality, my selfishness and my work ethic. I put in more hours over the last five months than I’ve ever put in my game in a fivemonth stretch, just trying to get to where I can be out here on a major championship Sunday making par saves, making birdie putts, and contending even without having my best stuff.

“That’s like 2015, 2016, 2017, that’s how I felt then.”

Back then, it didn’t seem like any course was too much for Spieth.

But it feels like a while since then, and there is still no PGA for Speith. Turns out Bethpage Black was just too much for him.

“I don’t feel like I overachieved. I felt like I made progress from where I was last week,” Spieth said. “Bethpage, just when the rough is up this high, obviously I can’t pick a course that’s probably further away from it being for me.

“Having said that — and still feeling like I have work to do — I’m in a good place.”