Jordan Spieth will be hoping he has put recent injury concerns behind him after arriving at Oak Hill to prepare for his career Grand Slam attempt in the PGA Championship.
Jordan Spieth has arrived at Oak Hill looking to complete the career Grand Slam.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/cxzU99oQCQMay 16, 2023
The 29-year-old had been expected to play in the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch last week, but withdrew because of a wrist injury. While missing out on the chance to claim his first PGA Tour win since last year’s RBC Heritage would have come as a blow to the American, of more concern was the proximity to the second Major the year and whether he would recover in time to appear.
The early signs suggest Spieth may still be struggling, as he reportedly played just one hole in a practice round before exiting. However, while we await news on whether he will be fit to play, it's likely there will be few in the field with more determination to tee it up than Spieth.
🚨#UPDATE — Jordan Spieth (injured arm) played just one practice hole before exiting, per @SpiethLegion. It’s unclear still if he will be good to goMay 16, 2023
That's because the PGA Championship is the only Major he needs to join an exclusive list of players with a career Grand Slam. Bobby Jones stands alone as the player to win all four Majors in a calendar year. However, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods all won each Major at some point in their careers, with Spieth eager to add his name to that list.
Before last year’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Spieth described the task of completing his career Grand Slam as “an elephant in the room.” He then explained how much the achievement would mean to him, saying: "It's a goal of mine. If you just told me I was going to win one tournament the rest of my life, I'd say I want to win this one, given where things are at."
In the end, he didn’t really come close and finished with a tie for 34th despite heading into the tournament on the back of his win at Harbour Town and a runner-up finish in the AT&T Byron Nelson.
While 2023 is yet to yield a victory for the Texan, he has been in similarly solid form, with five top ten finishes, including a tie for fourth at The Masters and runner-up in the RBC Heritage.
He'll be hoping that, this time, he can bring that kind of form into the Major, wrist injury permitting. If Spieth does play, there is room for optimism that he could finally realise his career Grand Slam ambition at the seventh time of asking.
