By Dave Cordero, Director of Communications
Since the start of the 2014-2015 golf season, there has been much discussion and speculation about one of the sport’s rarest achievements: the Grand Slam.
First the spotlight was on Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, whose fourth place finish at Augusta meant he would have to wait another year for a chance at history. Then, the attention shifted to World Golf Hall of Fame member Phil Mickelson, who at age 45 was desperately seeking a U.S. Open win and a chance to capture the elusive feat. A T64 finish at Chambers Bay Golf Course however, meant he too would have to put his plans on hold until 2016 at Oakmont.
Little did we know at the start of the season, that the “Grand Slam” talk would now be directed toward 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. Just 70 days after a four-stroke romp at The Masters, Spieth once again prevailed over a star-studded field to win the U.S. Open.
The only other golfer to win two majors at 21 years of age was Hall of Fame member Gene Sarazen, who grabbed the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 1922.
So what is the Grand Slam, and what makes it so rare?
The original term “Grand Slam” was used by the media to coin Bobby Jones’ wins at the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the two amateur events, the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur – both of which were considered Majors.
The modern day Grand Slam includes victories at The Masters (founded in 1934), the U.S. Open (1895), The Open Championship (1860) and the PGA Championship (1916).
To date, the modern-day Grand Slam has only been achieved by Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
With elite names like that, excitement and speculation are to be expected.
The last player to win the Grand Slam was Tiger Woods, who at one point, held all four Major titles at the same time over the span of two calendar years. With wins at The Open Championship and the PGA Championship in 2015, Spieth would become the first to win the Grand Slam in the same calendar year.
Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves, and we need a reminder that Spieth was taking exams in high school just three short years ago; but after convincing performances in the season’s first two Majors, it’s hard not to speculate that we are witnessing a Hall of Fame career blossom before our eyes.
