Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Can Spieth win career Grand Slam?

 


Can Jordan Spieth win the career Grand Slam? Hope returns at this year’s PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 13: Jordan Spieth of the United States prepares for his tee shot on the third hole prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “If I don’t win one in the next 10 years, then maybe there’s added pressure,” Jordan Spieth said here eight years ago, nodding his head as he spoke, making sure everyone realized just how much time lay ahead. It was Aug. 9, 2017, the week of the 99th PGA Championship. Spieth was 24 at the time, only a few weeks removed from a back-nine fever dream at Royal Birkdale. Arriving at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship, he was four good rounds away from becoming the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam. Sitting for his pre-tournament news conference, Spieth faced the kind of questions that come when history hovers.

He shrugged them all aside. Spieth figured a long career ahead might give him 20 or 30 chances to win the PGA. If he didn’t do it that week, he posited, he could do so sometime down the line. Listening back to that news conference now is further proof that the best part about being young is having no clue how fast the future comes.

“Hopefully, we don’t have to have this conversation in 10 years,” Spieth said. “But if we do, then it might be different.”

Now it’s 2025, and a father of two bearing a striking resemblance to Jordan Spieth sat for a similar pre-tournament news conference Tuesday morning. Ten years haven’t yet passed, but no one needs to wait. Everything is indeed different. Since winning the 2017 Open to join Tiger Woods as the only player with 10 PGA Tour wins before age 24, Spieth has won twice in his last 177 starts and is 0-for in his last 29 major appearances.

That PGA Championship win? That career Grand Slam? Everyone is still waiting.

Spieth, fidgeting a bit in his seat Tuesday, looked around for the first question.

“It’s funny,” he began. “I think if Rory (McIlroy) didn’t complete the Slam at the Masters (last month), then it wouldn’t have been a storyline for me here, necessarily.”

Back at Quail Hollow this week, Spieth, now 31, is surrounded by what sure seems like a lot of coincidences.

Maybe it’s a coincidence that he’s returning to the course where he had his first chance to complete the Grand Slam.

Maybe it’s a coincidence that this comes immediately following McIlroy’s completion of his own quest just four weeks ago.

Maybe it’s a coincidence that this is all happening as Spieth arrives in Charlotte with some genuine momentum, a rarity in recent years.

All of that is enough to rouse the kind of desperate hope Spieth can conjure perhaps more than any other player on tour.

Spieth’s journey since 2017 has been unsparing in its torment. Every swing tweak seemed to push him further from his former self. Every hint of a return to greatness was followed by swift falls backward. All along, he existed in some kind of space-time continuum of 2015 to 2017, with his every move compared to the days when the game bent to his whims and all onlookers fawned.

In hindsight, the guy probably needed a cold, prolonged break in recent years. It’s hard to change directions when in motion, and though looking for fixes, he never really stopped.

Isn’t it appropriate, then, that a hard reality Spieth was avoiding, or at least delaying, could end up being exactly what he needed? This past offseason, after years spent crafting and recrafting a swing shaped by soreness in his left wrist, Spieth underwent surgery to not only aid his play but also improve his quality of life. The wrist was an issue since 2017 and got significantly worse over the last two PGA Tour seasons. In recent years, he’d occasionally dislocate his wrist when picking up one of his kids.

Despite being long needed, the decision to shut things down and start anew was not an easy one. After completing the procedure in mid-August, he went 12 weeks without hitting balls and five months without competitive play, his longest period off the course since early childhood. Spieth has said he resembled a 4-to-6 handicap in the weeks leading up to his 2025 season debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He made the cut that week and has since said he has never felt more “grateful” to be playing professional golf.

That gratitude? All that time spent focused on fixing himself and not fixing his swing? Who knows what, in the long run, may come to be unlocked? What is known is this: Spieth finished T4 in Phoenix three weeks after Pebble. And T9 at Cognizant two weeks after that. And he posted four straight top-20s from early April through early May, including a T14 finish at the Masters and a fourth-place showing at the CJ Cup.

He’s now in Charlotte talking about his game in a way that makes you damn-near believe something is possible. He views his driver as a “weapon.” A few approach shots got away from him in Philadelphia last week, but he says he’s cleaning that up. His putting is and will always be capable of sorcery. Add it all up and you don’t have to squint to see what might be possible now and down the line. Spieth used the T-word on Tuesday.

“I think I’ve been trending really well,” he said.

Jordan Spieth, right, and longtime caddie Michael Greller know their way around Quail Hollow. (Warren Little / Getty Images)

Spieth’s history at the PGA Championship isn’t only devoid of a win. It has been his weakest major by a healthy degree. He has two top-10 finishes in 12 career appearances. He gave Jason Day a run in 2015 at Whistling Straits in the lone edition he nearly won. A T3 finish at Bethpage in 2019 came while Brooks Koepka nearly lapped the field over four days. Spieth has finished no better than T29 in the PGA over the last five years.

He does, however, have a good feel for Quail Hollow. Spieth went 5-0-0 here during the 2022 Presidents Cup and has deep familiarity with the course from years of Wells Fargo Championship play.

“I don’t feel like I have to learn where all the pins are and where all the misses are and stuff,” Spieth said. “You can ask me the hole location on any green around this place right now, and I can tell you how I’m going to play the hole and where I’m going to try to hit it.”

There’s a chance that this is Spieth starting anew. He said Tuesday that he’s still unsure whether certain swing issues he has obsessed over were his fault or if his wrist was to blame. The beauty here is that he doesn’t know and doesn’t seem to care. The overhanging issue has been resolved, and now he’s free to play.

Maybe that’s all it’ll take to put history back on track.

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

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Brendan Quinn

Brendan Quinn is a senior enterprise writer for The Athletic. He came to The Athletic in 2017 from MLive Media Group, where he covered Michigan and Michigan State basketball. Prior to that, he covered Tennessee basketball for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BFQuinn

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3 Comments

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Alexander H.

· 1h 44m ago

"In recent years, he’d occasionally dislocate his wrist when picking up one of his kids" - yeah feels like he did the right thing getting that seen to...


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Peter A.

· 3h 0m ago

That's got to be the dumbest question posted in a headline in the Athletic this week?


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Russell S.

· 25m ago

What is it about golf that causes these decades long disappearances. I can't think of any other sport where this happens. Anyone seen Yani Tseng lately? She's still playing. That being said, my wife and I root for Spieth every time out. It would be wonderful to see him pull off the grand slam this week.





long shots, sleepers and prop picks

 

2025 PGA Championship long shots, sleepers and prop picks: Top 10s, head-to-heads and more

FLOURTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 08: Si Woo Kim of South Korea hits a tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the Truist Championship 2025 at The Wissahickon at Philadelphia Cricket Club on May 08, 2025 in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

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The PGA Championship has produced a long list of big-name winners over the last 20 years. But the long shots in the field this week can still hold out some hope by looking back on John Daly and Rich Beem and picturing themselves holding the Wanamaker Trophy over their heads on Sunday.

Some people like to point to Y.E. Yang with his win over Tiger Woods as a somewhat recent underdog to win the PGA Championship, but he was far from a long shot in 2009. He had already won on the PGA Tour that season at the Honda Classic and was a winner at the Korea Open just a few years before that.

While most of the attention will be on the top of the field regarding winning bets, there is some value in long shots in this field. To bet a long shot in this tournament, they need to be in some sort of ball-striking form, whether it’s off the tee or on approach. Players will be using the driver more than 85 percent off the tee this week, and they are going to need to have a decent carry distance to avoid long second shots into the greens. The average approach shot distance on the par 4s is over 185 yards for most players in the field.

Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and a handful of others will be playing a slightly different course because of their distance advantage. The long shots I picked below can hang with those guys off the tee and on their approach shots when they are at their best.

PGA Championship long shots

Min Woo Lee (+9000) is a winner on the PGA Tour this season at the Houston Open and absolutely mashes it off the tee. He gained over 3.6 strokes off the tee for the week at the Truist Championship. He has been excellent around the greens all season, which has helped him save par in big spots while also making par 5s less of a risk on the long second shots. Lee has been inconsistent with the irons all year, and that has made him rely on his putter and his driver a little too much. His best-ever finish in a major was a tie for fifth at the 2023 U.S. Open. He has two straight top-26 finishes at the PGA Championship and is playing Quail Hollow Club for the first time.

Keith Mitchell (+10000) has gained over 1.6 strokes off the tee in nine of his last 10 measured events. You throw in a T2 at the Corales Puntacana Championship and the way he drove it at the Zurich Classic, and he is more than likely 11 for his last 12. He has five straight top-18 finishes, and he battled McIlroy here shot for shot in 2021. But his around-the-green game has killed him at the PGA Championship over the years.

Wyndham Clark (+10000) won the 2023 U.S. Open after surprisingly winning the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship. A little putter change and a lesson from Rickie Fowler made all the difference at the time. He has had stretches where he looked like he was going to be among the top five players in the world. A win at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was followed up by a second-place finish at Bay Hill and a T2 at the Players Championship before a back injury derailed him a bit. Clark gained strokes across the board at the Houston Open this year, finishing T5, and gained over 1.3 strokes on the field with his driver in his last round at the Truist Championship. He’s a long shot for a reason, as he has never had a very good showing at the PGA Championship, but his experience at this course and his ability to pop out of nowhere have me intrigued.

Si Woo Kim (+12500) is at one of his lowest points in his career with his putter, and yet I look at him and know he can win anywhere and against anyone. He has three straight top-17 finishes in regular non-team events, and he has gained over 10 strokes combined on approach over his last two tournaments. He gained over nine strokes at Quail Hollow Club from tee to green in 2024. He has gained over five strokes combined off the tee in his last two trips here.

Best PGA Championship prop bets

To make the cut

  • Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler to make the cut (-400)
  • Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm to make the cut (-150)

Top Canadian

  • Corey Conners (+138) has gained strokes off the tee in eight straight events while gaining strokes on approach in seven straight. He has gained over 10.5 strokes on approach combined at his last two PGA Championships. He has two top-10 finishes in his last three major championships. He has two straight top-13 finishes at Quail Hollow Club while gaining over 16 strokes combined from tee to green.

Top Asian

  • Hideki Matsuyama (+225) gained over 10.7 strokes on approach combined over his last two tournaments. His around-the-green game is second to none, and he was in contention to win the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in 2017. The last two times he gained over two strokes with his driver, he won. If he gets his driver in order, he will be up among the leaders.

Top English

  • Tyrrell Hatton (+300)

Top Brit and Irish

  • Rory McIlroy (+100)

Top Japanese

  • Hideki Matsuyama (-125)

Top rest of the world

  • Corey Conners (+800)

Final placement in top 10

  • Rory McIlroy (-190)
  • Xander Schauffele (+188)
  • Patrick Reed (+450)

Final placement in top 20

  • Xander Schauffele (-120)
  • Justin Thomas (-135)
  • Tyrrell Hatton (+150)
  • Patrick Reed (+225)
  • Brian Harman (+400)

First round leader

  • Scottie Scheffler (+1400)
  • Bryson DeChambeau (+2000)
  • Keith Mitchell (+6600)

Tournament matchups (tie — no bet)

  • Patrick Reed vs. Jordan Spieth: Reed (-125)
  • Brooks Koepka vs. Cameron Smith: Koepka (-120)
  • Rickie Fowler vs. Dustin Johnson: Fowler (-125)
  • Jon Rahm vs. Xander Schauffele: Schauffele (+100)

Hole in one?

  • No (-175). There have only been six hole-in-ones at Quail Hollow Club over the last 20 years, with Joost Luiten holing out on the par-3 fourth hole at the PGA Championship in 2017. The field for this week is much stronger than most of the fields that played those Wells Fargo Championships, but I still think there is value in the no side of the hole-in-one bet. It may not be exciting to bet this, but it could help keep your bankroll in the green.

Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo of Si Woo Kim: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

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Dennis Esser is a contributor to The Athletic, covering golf through the lens of sports betting and fantasy sports. A resident of New Jersey, Dennis' writing has appeared in numerous fantasy and betting outlets. Follow Dennis on Twitter @coachesser

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Glenn C.

· 1h 0m ago

Thanks for this, Dennis. I love a range of interesting bets to get me thinking on the Wednesday before Thursday tee offs - I smiled when I saw your Rory/Scottie/Bryson to make the cut! Seems like a decent value even though I'm more of a top 10 bettor myself. Appreciate the story - hope you get to attend the tourney!