Rory McIlroy’s Masters reaction brought up as Jordan Spieth has a say | Golf | Sport
Jordan Spieth admits Rory McIlroy’s reaction to completing a career Grand Slam was unique as he bids to emulate this feat at the PGA Championship. Spieth has won every other major except for the USPGA.
But Jason Day on -20 denied him the crown. Since then, Spieth has only cracked the USPGA’s top five once and it is that lack of close calls he feels differentiates his Grand Slam bid from McIlroy’s. He said: “My situation was certainly different than his [McIlroy’s] at Augusta. I think that was unique to him.
“You probably didn’t see that kind of reaction with the six guys that have ever done it [won all four majors]. I don’t have video proof of when they won, so you’d have to fact-check me big time on that one. But Rory’s was obviously a very unique final round and his history of having led there and stuff like that, so I don’t think it would feel similar.
“For me, I went on a run of feeling like I was contending or having a good chance of contending at every major for a number of years. Then it was periodic and I feel like I’m close to being able to go back to doing that again. So I just want to give myself a chance.”
McIlroy has only just returned to action after he retained his Masters title in April. This year’s USPGA will be staged at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square and the 37-year-old visited the course for a one-day reconnaissance mission.
He said: “We played the BMW [Championship] there in 2018, but the course played a lot differently. It was wet in 2018 and the greens didn’t play as fast or as severe as what I felt like they played last week when I played. So it’s not a long golf course, but the big defense is the greens and they can tuck the pins away if they want to. But yeah it was nice to get an early look at it.
“It just means that the week of the tournament you’re not under pressure to play a lot of holes and historically the practice rounds at the PGA can be excruciatingly long, so it’s probably going to just be nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday.”
