Golf's Grand Slam

Golf’s Grand Slam: What is it,

and can anyone follow in Rory’s footsteps?

It’s the most exclusive club in golf. Before this year just five men had won the Grand Slam of Golf in the professional game. But what is it? Why is it so difficult to do? And is there anyone likely to join this exclusive club soon?

What is the Grand Slam?

The current incarnation of the golfing Grand Slam consists of four tournaments that are played for annually. They are:

· The Masters Tournament

· US PGA Championship

· US Open

· The Open Championship

These tournaments are known as the majors. Before the birth of The Masters Tournament, created by Bobby Jones in 1934, there was a different Grand Slam that included The Amateur Championship and the US Amateur Championship along with The Open and US Open. Only one man had done that. Bobby Jones.

Who has done it?

The six golfers to have completed this version of the Grand Slam are:

· Gene Sarazen

· Ben Hogan

· Gary Player

· Jack Nicklaus

· Tiger Woods

· Rory McIlroy

Sarazen was the first to complete it in 1935, including ‘the shot heard around the world’ when he holed his second shot to the 15th at Augusta for an Albatross. When Hogan completed it in 1953 it still wasn’t seen as a slam. Ironically, as the slam would elude him throughout his career, it was Arnold Palmer who is often seen as the creator of calling these tournaments the four majors.

South African Gary Player was the first, and until this year the only, non-American winner of the Grand Slam. While Hogan and Sarazen completed it at the first time of asking, it took Player three attempts to complete it, winning the US Open in 1965.

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods stand alone at the top of the game for major records. They have both completed the Grand Slam three times over! For this reason, they are often considered to be the best two players of all time, although Hogan, Palmer and Sam Snead also get mentioned in that particular grouping. Tiger is also the only person to hold all four at the same time, having won three in 2000 and then adding the Masters in 2001…

And then we come to Rory just a few weeks ago. Eleven (!!!) attempts at winning the Masters before finally getting it over the line, via many heart-stopping moments and a playoff. I’m writing this the week of the US PGA in 2025 and there is a realistic chance that we could see the ‘Tiger Slam’ eclipsed this year, but more on that later!

Why is it so hard to win?

Firstly, you have to consider the actual tournaments. It takes very different skills to win an Open Championship compared to a US PGA Championship, particularly when we think back to the 1950s-90s.

The Open Championship is played on links courses in the UK, and it requires a mind that could conjure shots to beat the elements as well as firm, uneven ground conditions. The US PGA has generally been played on parkland courses in the Eastern part of USA.

The US PGA was the one that eluded both Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer, while The Open was the one that got away for Raymond Floyd.

The realism is that only 29 golfers in the history of the game have even won four majors in total and 10 of those had done it before the Masters even existed. It’s exceptionally hard for even the best golfers in the world to win one major.

The Contenders:

The Year Grand Slammer:

Rory McIlroy:- yes, he has already won the Career Grand Slam but there is a realistic, but still very outside, chance that Rory could pull off the Year Grand Slam. As mentioned before, Tiger is the only person to hold all four titles at the same time but his wasn’t in the same calendar year.

This year’s venues have lined up perfectly for Rory. Next up is Quail Hollow for the US PGA Championship. Quail Hollow has been renamed Rory McIlroy Country Club by many of his peers. His record there is sensational, and he has already won four PGA titles at the venue.

Whilst the US Open at Oakmont doesn’t necessarily hold too many past moments for Rory, it is a long course that requires driving accuracy, and there is no better than him at that. And then, if he is holding all three, he returns home to Northern Ireland to play the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. A golf course he knows like the back of his hand, having grown up close to it and playing it on numerous occasions as well as holding the original course record of 61 before the changes for the 2019 Open.

It's a long-shot, but it’s not out of the realms of possibility that we are talking about one of the greatest years any golfer has ever had.

One Away:

Jordan Spieth:- Spieth was on a trajectory to annihilate many of the previous records and was on course to beat McIlroy to this before a severe dip in form and, in particular, horrendous driver issues. Spieth picked up one of each of the Masters, US Open and Open Championships in a three-year spell between 2015-2017.

But Spieth is looking back to his best. A final-round 62 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson is very much proof that he is ready to compete for a major again. The belief seemed to return as he started to find fairways, and now he has seen Rory beat his demons at the 11th time it would be a wise person to have an eye on Spieth at Quail Hollow.

Phil Mickelson:- ‘Lefty’ is one away, and it’s the one he has coveted from the start of his career, the US Open. It’s been a tournament full of heartbreaks for the man considered, along with McIlroy, to be the closest to Woods in the last 30 years.

Whilst age and an incredible amount of young talent are against him, it would be just like Mickelson to find something extraordinary at Oakmont and show the young bucks how it is done.

The World Number One:

Scottie Scheffler:- Look, it’s probably even less likely than Rory doing the Year Slam, but Scottie is in position. He’s won two Green Jackets at Augusta but has failed to capture one of the other big ones so far. However, he can’t be far away from adding to his list of incredible feats over the last two years.

Rory has had an incredible last 12 months and is still a long way away from catching Scheffler at the top of the rankings. Scottie also dominated recently in his hometown of Dallas with an extraordinary performance. His 31-under par score is the lowest score of all time for a tournament not played at the Sentry, which is played on a par-73 course in Hawaii. Indeed, his score of 253 for the four rounds tied the lowest total score ever recorded on the PGA Tour.

Having now seemingly recovered from a hand injury picked up while carving meat over the holidays, Scheffler is bang in form and a showdown with McIlroy looks like the most likely outcome at Quail Hollow.

Not This Year:

Xander Schaufele:- Coming off an injury at the end of last season. He finally learned how to win a big one last season and ended up taking home two. Just needing a U.S Open and a Masters to claim the lot, he may sneak in as the next one.

Collin Morikawa:- Needing the same as Schaufele to complete the Slam, Morikawa has stopped winning. He has just one win since his Open Championship victory at Royal St. George’s in 2021, but at 28 time is still on his side, and he hasn’t been out of the top 16 in any of the last five majors.

Justin Thomas:- Like the previous two, he has won two majors, but they were both PGA Championships, and you wouldn’t put it past him earning a third at Quail Hollow, but to complete the Grand Slam might be a long shot for Thomas. He is an exceptional player but his record at The Open Championship in particular is truly atrocious for a player of his ability.

Jon Rahm:- His move to LIV hasn’t exactly worked brilliantly for him in the majors. Since then, he has just one Top 10 in any major, coming at last year’s Open Championship. He has two wins to his name and just needs the PGA and Open to complete the Slam, but it would be a big shock if he were to pull off both this year.

Bryson DeChambeau:- One player who really has enjoyed his move to LIV is Bryson, and while he won’t be adding the Slam to his resume this year, he has finished in the Top 6 in four of his last five majors. Outside of Rory and Scottie, he has been the most consistent of anyone in the last couple of years and is a threat at every tournament he turns up to.

The Outsiders:

Few with one major currently look likely to join the six greats on the Slam List, but the likes of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Patrick Reed have all been in fantastic form this year and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them add another major to their list this year. Sadly time is probably against each of them making it to the heady heights of a Grand Slam.

Conclusion:

We are unlikely to see another one this year but if there is then it’s going to be a fun ride watching Scottie win all three or Spieth find some magic to beat all the odds this week. What we have seen already this year though, is the crowning of Europe’s finest ever golfer. Faldo may have one more and Seve may have been the best to watch, but Rory is out on his own at the top and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue to win this week.