PGA Championship, Grand Slam Capsules
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2017-08-08
Jordan Spieth Wears His Green Jacket After Winning The 2015 Masters. Spieth Understands Perfectly What Is At Stake In The Final Major Championship Of The Year. A Victory Would Make The 24-Year-Old Texan Only The Sixth Player, And The Youngest By About Six Months Over Tiger Woods, To Capture The Career Grand Slam. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Doug Ferguson/AP) — Jordan Spieth became the 13th player to capture the third leg of the modern Grand Slam when he won the British Open, sending him to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina with a chance to become only the sixth player to win all four majors.
Four others won three different majors before the Masters began in 1934 — Walter Hagen, Jim Barnes, Gene Sarazen and Tommy Armour. Sarazen was the only one from that group to win the Masters.
Here is a capsule look at when players won the third leg and their pursuit of the career Grand Slam:
BYRON NELSON
Third Leg: 1940 PGA Championship.
Age: 28.
Missing Major: British Open.
First Attempt: Tie for 32nd in the 1955 British Open at St. Andrews.
Outcome: Nelson never won the British Open. He only played it two times in his career.
Noteworthy: The year Nelson won the third leg of the Grand Slam, the British Open was canceled because of World War II and did not resume until 1946. He only played in 1955 because he was on a golfing vacation in Europe. He won the French Open a week later.
SAM SNEAD
Third Leg: 1949 Masters.
Age: 36.
Missing Major: U.S. Open.
First Attempt: Tied for second in the 1949 U.S. Open at Medinah, one shot behind Cary Middlecoff.
Outcome: Never won the U.S. Open. After getting the third leg, he was twice a runner-up.
Noteworthy: Snead’s biggest loss in the U.S. Open was in 1939 when he thought he needed par on the 18th hole to win. Thinking he needed birdie, Snead made a triple bogey and finished two shots out of a playoff.
BEN HOGAN
Third Leg: 1951 Masters.
Age: 38.
Missing Major: British Open.
First Attempt: Won the 1953 British Open at Carnoustie.
Outcome: Became second player to win all four modern majors.
Noteworthy: Hogan won the only British Open he played. He became the first player to win three majors in one year. Qualifying for the British Open was the same week as the PGA Championship that year.
ARNOLD PALMER
Third Leg: 1961 British Open.
Age: 31.
Missing Major: PGA Championship.
First Attempt: Tied for fifth in the 1961 PGA at Olympia Fields, five shots behind Jerry Barber.
Outcome: Played the PGA Championship 34 times after getting the third leg. He was runner-up three times.
Noteworthy: Palmer was one shot behind Bobby Nichols going into the final round at Columbus Country Club and shot 69 to finish three shots behind.
GARY PLAYER
Third Leg: 1962 PGA Championship.
Age: 26.
Missing Major: U.S. Open.
First Attempt: Tied for eighth in the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club, three shots behind Julius Boros.
Outcome: Won the U.S. Open for the career Grand Slam on his third try in 1965 at Bellerive.
Noteworthy: Player had won each major one time in the seven years it took him to complete the Grand Slam.
JACK NICKLAUS
Third Leg: 1963 PGA Championship.
Age: 23.
Missing Major: British Open.
First Attempt: Runner-up in the 1964 British Open at St. Andrews, by five shots to Tony Lema.
Outcome: Won the 1966 British Open at Muirfield on his third try to complete the Grand Slam.
Noteworthy: Nicklaus named his home course Muirfield Village after the site of where he completed the Grand Slam.
LEE TREVINO
Third Leg: 1974 PGA Championship.
Age: 34.
Missing Major: Masters.
First Attempt: Tied for 10th in the 1975 Masters, 10 shots behind Jack Nicklaus.
Outcome: Played the Masters 16 more times after getting the third leg. His best finish was a tie for 10th.
Noteworthy: Trevino never enjoyed his time at Augusta National and refused invitations three times. One year he did go, he changed his shoes in the parking lot.
TOM WATSON
Third Leg: 1982 U.S. Open.
Age: 32.
Missing Major: PGA Championship.
First Attempt: Tied for ninth in the 1982 PGA at Southern Hills, eight shots behind Raymond Floyd.
Outcome: He played the PGA Championship 24 times with the career Grand Slam at stake. His best finish was a tie for fifth in 1993 at Inverness.
Noteworthy: Much like Sam Snead and the U.S. Open, Watson’s closest call was before he had a chance at the slam. He shot 73 in the final round at Oakmont in the 1978 PGA Championship. John Mahaffey came from seven shots behind and beat Watson and Jerry Pate in a playoff.
RAYMOND FLOYD
Third Leg: 1986 U.S. Open.
Age: 43.
Missing Major: British Open.
First Attempt: Tied for 16th in the 1986 British Open at Turnberry, 12 shots behind Greg Norman.
Outcome: He played the British Open nine times after he got the third lead and never finished in the top 10.
Noteworthy: Floyd was the oldest player to win the third leg of the Grand Slam. Even after winning his first major in the 1969 PGA, he did not go over to the British Open six times when he was in his prime.
TIGER WOODS
Third Leg: 2000 U.S. Open.
Age: 24.
Missing Major: British Open.
First Attempt: Won the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews.
Outcome: Became the youngest player to win all four majors, and joined Hogan as the only players to complete the Grand Slam in their first attempt.
Noteworthy: Woods won the final two legs of the Grand Slam at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews by a combined 23 shots. He joined Nicklaus as the only players to win the Grand Slam three times over.
PHIL MICKELSON
Third Leg: 2013 British Open.
Age: 43.
Missing Major: U.S. Open.
First Attempt: Tied for 28th in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, 15 shots behind Martin Kaymer.
Outcome: Has played three U.S. Opens since getting the third leg and has never finished closer than 15 shots.
Noteworthy: Mickelson holds the U.S. Open record with six runner-up finishes. He sat out this year’s U.S. Open to attend his daughter’s high school graduation.
RORY MCILROY
Third Leg: 2014 British Open.
Age: 25.
Missing Major: Masters.
First Attempt: Tied for fourth in the 2015 Masters, six shots behind Jordan Spieth.
Outcome: Has three top 10s in the Masters since winning the third leg but has never finished closer than six shots of the winner.
Noteworthy: The Masters looks like it would be the first major he would win in 2011, when McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round. He shot 80 on Sunday and tied for 15th.
JORDAN SPIETH
Third Leg: 2017 British Open.
Age: 23.
Missing Major: PGA Championship.
First Attempt: Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina on Aug. 10.
Outcome: To be determined.
Noteworthy: Of the five players who completed the Grand Slam, none went longer than three attempts at winning the final major.