The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Spieth: grand slam is possible
American sets sights on winning third successive major at St Andrews
Jordan Spieth believes an unprecedented calendar grand slam is possible with the right preparation, although his will rely on a charter flight from Quad City International Airport.
Just two men have ever won three major championships in the same year, with Ben Hogan winning all three he played in 1953 only to be denied the chance to claim all four due to a clash of dates.
Hogan won the Masters by five shots and the US Open by six, but with the US PGA – then still a match play event – not finishing until July 7 in Michigan and the Open starting a day later, he opted to travel to Carnoustie and secured his only Open title by four shots.
In 2000, Tiger Woods won the US Open, Open Championship and US PGA before completing the ‘Tiger Slam’ in 2001 with victory in the Masters.
Spieth’s thrilling US Open victory on Sunday means he is halfway to making history, but in typical fashion, the 21-year-old will honour his commitment to play in the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois before travelling to St Andrews.
“I plan to go there on a charter, the way I’ve done the last two years after the John Deere,” said Spieth, who became the first teenage winner on the PGA Tour since 1931 when he secured his maiden win at the same event in 2013.
“So I won’t be there as early as I was for this major, but that’s the same time I got in for the Masters; I got in late Sunday night to Augusta.
“To go to the Home of Golf in the next tournament is the sole focus, I am not going to look beyond that. But I guess you can’t win them all unless you win the first two.
“I think it’s in the realm of possibility. I think that the grand slam is something that I never could really fathom somebody doing, considering I watched Tiger when he was winning whatever percentage of the majors he played in and he won the Tiger Slam, but he never won the four in one year. And I figured if anybody was going to do it, it would be him, which he still can.
“This (Chambers Bay) was somewhat of a British-style golf course, so are the next two majors (St Andrews and Whistling Straits). I’ve proven to myself that I can win on a British-style golf course now. Now I take it to the truest British-style golf course of any in the world.”
Spieth’s only experience so far of the Old Course came when he and his United States team-mates played a round there in 2011 before contesting the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen.
“It’s one of my favourite places in the world,” added the 21-year-old, who is the youngest winner of the US Open since 1923 and youngest two-time major champion since Gene Sarazen in 1922.
“I remember walking around the R&A clubhouse and seeing paintings of royalty playing golf, and it was dated 1460-something.
“I’m thinking, our country was discovered in 1492 and they were playing golf here before anyone even knew that the Americas existed. And that really amazed me and helped me realise exactly how special that place is.”
I’ve proven to myself that I can win on a British-style golf course now. JORDAN SPIETH