Jordan Spieth, 21 and playing just his third full season as a professional, is halfway to the golfing holy grail that Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Player and Hogan could not attain.
When the considerable debris is cleared in the aftermath of Chambers Bay, that’s what we’re left with. He’s halfway to what would be the greatest achievement in the history of golf.
We knew Jordan was good, but nobody really thought he was Grand Slam good. Yet the young Texan is already placing his name next to the greatest players of all time.
Winning the Masters and US Open means he’s the youngest player to win two majors since Bobby Jones.
He’s the first player to win a US Open with a birdie since Jones. He’s the first player to head to the Open with the first two majors of a Slam in his pocket since Tiger Woods in 2002.
He’s the first player to go to an Open at St Andrews with the first two parts of the Slam since Arnold Palmer in 1960. You can rack the firsts up, and there’s probably going to be more to come.
Winning at Augusta and Chambers Bay could hardly be more of a contrast. From the greenest and most manicured course with the most consistent and perfect greens to a baked brown natural layout with undeniably the worst greens in major championship history?
Spieth, with his consistency of execution in all parts of his game at the moment, can clearly win anywhere.
Yet – somewhat startlingly, considering the amount of elite golf played on it now – he has never played a competitive round on the Old Course.
One bounce game with the US Walker Cup team in 2011 is his entire experience with the grand old track.
You usually have to serve a longer apprenticeship before the Old Course bestows her favours upon you, but Jordan’s been getting preferntial treatment everywhere else so far…
The challenge now for Rory McIlroy
For a while on Sunday, it seemed like Rory might put the wind up the leaders with his final round charge.
Had he got to three-under or even four, it would have been fascinating to see the effect on the rest of the field.
It was a reminder, notwithstanding Spieth’s victory, that this is the best player in the game. But it’s now a close run thing, and the ball’s squarely in Rory’s court.
The Old Course is his manor. He has the course record, the lowest round in an Open there, and he really should have won the Claret Jug in 2010.
As Tiger owned it and Jack and Peter Thomson and Bobby Jones owned it, the Old Course is Rory’s right now. Which means, if he’s really still the World No 1, no matter what the ranking logarithims say, he’s got to win the Open next month.
No excuses.
DJ’s recurring disasters
Is there something awry in Dustin Johnson’s head? Or was his excruciating three-putt to miss even a playoff caused by the appalling Chambers Bay greens?
Colin Montgomerie called the 18th the worst he’d seen in his career, although he nominated every hole on the course at some point during his commentary stints on Sky.
DJ missed a good number of short ones on his way round on Sunday. Any two go in, we’d be writing a redemption story instead of crowning Spieth.
It’s maybe a bit of both. Johnson may be the most talented all-round player not named Sergio Garcia to be without a major championship.
He’s only a Masters disaster away from a career Grand Slam of chokes.
Johnson has the ability to stop this nonsense at St Andrews or Whispering Straits before this year is out. The only question is whether he has the head, and now also the heart.
Tiger Woods…no, we’re not going to go there this week.
It’s all been said, here and elsewhere. Nothing’s changed. He’s no further forward on the evidence of the weekend.
Louis the King again?
Oosthuizen’s final 54 holes – 66, 66 , and 67- smashed the US Open scoring record for three rounds.
Arguably, had he not been distracted by the awfulness of Woods and Rickie Fowler on the first day, he probably would have won.
The back problems that plagued him are gone. He’s headed back to the scene of his runaway triumph in 2010. Smart money is being pinned on his name in bookmakers as we speak.
Chambers Bay – Revenge of the Golf Course Geeks
What you saw last week was what happens when people who like golf course architecture more than actual golf get their hands on a major championship. It was kind of amusing to read the golf course geeks defending the indefensible elements that were every bit as unfair and frustratingly outrageous as the old style US Open set-up.
The course is great fun in parts. and there’s some out of the box thinking involved, which is rarely a bad thing.
But a major championship with a hole that accommodates NO spectators? Seriously? Sometimes theory overtakes practicality, to no-one’s benefit.
Look at the quality of the leaderboard, say some. Piffle. Valhalla had a great board for the PGA last year and no-one claims that’s a great golf course. Majors tend to get good leaderboards because the PRIZE makes the difference, not what’s under the feet.
The bottom line was the greens, They were disgraceful, wholly substandard for a club medal, much less a US Open.
Am I alone in hoping the USGA stops trying to parrot the Open and reverts a bit more to being its grouchy old self? Maybe at big, brutal Oakmont next year.