Career Grand Slams - who's next

[Wally Fairway]

Yes I'm talking the "modern" slam - Masters/US Open/(British) Open Championship/PGA

Only Jack, Tiger, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen have a career grand slam.

Do you think we will see another Career Slam, and if so who?

Rory is missing the Masters
Phil is missing the US Open
Spieth is missing the PGA and Open Championship
Kaymer is missing the Masters and Open Championship
ZJ is missing the US Open and PGA
Others with more than one championship that still play - Paddy, Cabrera, VJ, Ernie

Lots of players looking for their first or second championship  - DJ, Hideki, JT, Bubba, Stenson, Day, Scott.....

I think we will see on, and obviously Rory is the likely candidate and Jordan seems to the only other with a crack at it; as the game is so competitive and the fields are so deep.


 

 

[David in FL]

Ever?  Of course.

 

[krupa]

Unless Rory keeps hurting himself, I think he'll eventually get a Masters.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Spieth win it as well.  They're both so young that unless they have a complete meltdown or serious injury, it's probably just a matter of time.

 

[jamo]

If I had to guess I'd say Rory will be the next we see. He's played well enough at Augusta that it's only a matter of time. 

[Big C]

Yes, I think it will probably happen at some point in the next 5 years. The way Johnson is playing right now, it's hard to imagine he won't be at 2, maybe 3 out of 4 by years end. Spieth always seems to find himself in the hunt. And I would say it's probably close to even money that Rory wins one of the next 5 Masters.

[Buckeyebowman]

When you stop and think about it, Phil should already have a career slam! Except for that boneheaded driver shot off the 18th! Rory is the next obvious choice, and like krupa said, Spieth has a lot of years left.

[Jakester23]

I would be very surprised if Rory and Jordan both don't complete it.  I guess my question would be is there anyone else who is likely to get there.  If I had to put some money on it I would say Day or DJ. Id say they both need to get one out of the way sooner than later.  It just seems hard to have your A game and get the breaks to win each of them.  Actually DJ could be in the same boat as Rory if he finished a few times.

[jbishop15]

If Rory doesn't at least win two Masters, I'd be very surprised. The Masters should be the easiest one for him, frankly. 

[Jakester23]

11 minutes ago, jbishop15 said:

If Rory doesn't at least win two Masters, I'd be very surprised. The Masters should be the easiest one for him, frankly. 

I would slightly disagree with this.  He seems to thrive on slower courses.  If you look at his major wins they were all a little soggy He just smashed his driver and took dead aim at every flag.  I think he will win one but Augusta doesn't seem to ever be all that slow.

[Wally Fairway]

12 hours ago, David in FL said:

Ever?  Of course.

Not ever - will we ever see it (so in your lifetime and mine).

It seems like we'd see on every decade, but other than the decade plus of Tiger, then you have to go back to Jack who won his last major 30+ years ago, and completed his career slam 50+ years ago.
Tons of talented guys who've come up short - Watson, Palmer, Faldo, Phil.
But we've reached an era where there are very few players who've won more than 1 major; since Tigers last major win there have been 26 different players win a major, and only Rory, Jordan, Paddy, Kaymer & Phil have won multiples.

When Rory won back-to-back majors and then Jordan immediately followed it looked like a sure thing.

Or look at it this way, when were career slams completed?
Tiger - 2000
Jack - 1966
Player -  1965
Hogan - 1953
Sarazen - 1935

I think it is a rare accomplishment, that always seems to be at the grasp of several currently dominant players.
 

[Gunther]

I'd like to see Phil and Rory get there in 2017, Jordan in 2018, DJ in 2019.  Could happen.

Don't see Day getting it done, injuries will hold him back.  Not sure why but he seems to be very fragile for a big strong guy.

[bkuehn1952]

Obviously, the players with 3 of the 4 legs are in position to seal the deal.  Still, there have been some very good players over the years who came close but never could pick-up that 4th leg (Snead, Palmer, Watson, Trevino).  Byron Nelson retired early and played only a few Open Championships.

Rory would seem to have the inside track.  He is only missing the Masters and that has a limited field and is played at the same course every year.  He is going to figure it out.

Phil may have missed the boat.  While he is still a fine player, he may not have many years left for the U.S. Open.  

The rest are all crap shoots.

[skydog]

Hell Spieth was within 3 or 4 strokes of winning the single season slam in 2015. I would be somewhat shocked if he doesn't get the career slam at some point. I would say the same thing about Rory but who knows with him and Augusta...I wouldn't be surprised if he one day wins a green jacket by 8 strokes and I wouldn't be surprised if he never wins there.

[MuniGrit]

Phil could get it on the right track. 6 runner ups. He only needs a couple hot rounds to do it.

[DeadMan]

I think Rory will likely get the career slam. Augusta sets up too perfectly for him, and he frankly should have won one already. He's 27 now, so he's probably got another dozen, at least, opportunities. If he gets on one of his hot streaks at the right time, he can blow the field away there. I think it will happen.

I think it's too early to tell with Spieth. This is somewhat baseless speculation, but I think he's a bit of a head case. I think he could get a big mental block if he gets into the lead and loses it at a major like he did at Augusta. That said, I'd honestly be pretty surprised if he doesn't get at least a half dozen majors, considering how young he is. But I can't help but feel that's not a sure thing. Plus, while he's definitely a great player, I don't think he has the dominant game that players like Tiger, Rory, Arnie, or Jack had. That's what you're talking about to get to 4+ majors.

I think Phil has missed the boat on winning the US Open. At this point, it would have to take the perfect course and perfect playing from Phil to make it happen. I just don't see it at his age.

Other than that, nobody else really jumps out as having much of a chance. The golfers who have won grand slams have started really young: Sarazen was 20 when he first got a major, Tiger was 21, Jack was 23, and Gary Player was 23, Only Hogan was 34 when he won his first major. It's really hard to do, and you need a lot of chances and time. So as great as DJ or Jason Day are, they are already running up against the clock.

[tristanhilton85]

I think that it is a fairly safe bet that Rory will get it done. As others have said, he plays well at Augusta, so it's hard to imagine that at some point he won't win there. I'd say that Spieth has a good chance at it as well as he's half way there with a lot of time to go.

It'd be nice to see Phil get it done, but with only once chance every year to complete it, and him starting to get up there in age, I think it'll be tough for him.

[skydog]

2 hours ago, DeadMan said:

I think it's too early to tell with Spieth. This is somewhat baseless speculation, but I think he's a bit of a head case. I think he could get a big mental block if he gets into the lead and loses it at a major like he did at Augusta. That said, I'd honestly be pretty surprised if he doesn't get at least a half dozen majors, considering how young he is. But I can't help but feel that's not a sure thing. Plus, while he's definitely a great player, I don't think he has the dominant game that players like Tiger, Rory, Arnie, or Jack had. That's what you're talking about to get to 4+ majors.

 

I continue to scratch my head over how many people feel this way about Spieth...he's somehow become the least believed superstar in the game's history it seems. 2 majors before age 22 and within a couple of sniffs of the single season slam and people still don't think he's that good. Not directing this at you specifically deadman because there seem to be a lot of people that feel this way.

FWIW, I don't think either one is a head case but if I had to pick one I would say Rory is mentally weaker IMO.  His game is more inconsistent and fragile than Speith's -remember the Woz break up, club changes, management issues, etc. and how they all effected his game. I think people mistakenly take Spieth's comments and shows of emotion/frustration on the course as mental weakness but when you look at his clutch putting, consistency and ability to bounce back after a bad shot (minus #12 at Augusta) I think he's as mentally tough as anyone on tour.

Edited March 7, 2017 by skydog

[DeadMan]

20 minutes ago, skydog said:

I continue to scratch my head over how many people feel this way about Spieth...he's somehow become the least believed superstar in the game's history it seems. 2 majors before age 22 and within a couple of sniffs of the single season slam and people still don't think he's that good. Not directing this at you specifically deadman because there seem to be a lot of people that feel this way.

FWIW, I don't think either one is a head case but if I had to pick one it would Rory who is a good bit weaker mentally IMO.  His game is more inconsistent and fragile than Speith's -remember the Woz break up, club changes, management issues, etc. and how they all effected his game. I think people mistakenly take Spieth's comments and shows of emotion/frustration on the course as mental weakness but when you look at his clutch putting, consistency and ability to bounce back after a bad shot (minus #12 at Augusta) I think he's as mentally tough as anyone on tour.

I think this is fair. I'm being a little harsh on Spieth, because my thinking is that his tics mean he lacks mental strength. Which is a huge jump, and I'll admit that.

As far as his talent, I tend to think his 2015 season was an outlier, and going forward, he'll be closer to 2016 than 2015. Which is still really good, but when you're talking about the career slam or getting to a half dozen majors, you're talking about a top 20 golfer of all time. He's definitely top 5 in the world right now, but that's a big jump. There's nothing about his game that is that dominant. It's false that he's the putter in the game, although he's really good. He's really well rounded. But he doesn't approach Tiger or Rory's dominance. And that's the type of talent we're talking about to get to a grand slam.

I don't have much against Spieth (his slow play and whining bug me, but that's pretty minor). I just don't think he's shown he's a top 20 all-time golfer. Yet.