Will Spieth Make History and become youngest career grand slam winner?

[Shilgy]

We can argue til the cows come home about this, Spieth may or may not pull it off, but one thing is certain, there is a lot more f depth nowadays, maybe more than ever, BUT nobody will ever replace Eldrick Woods in the dominance and mental toughness category. Most other players feared him. That's just not true of anyone anymore.

You might be right. It will be a while before we know.

But that was the point of bringing up the Curtis Strange interview with Tiger in '96. The conventional wisdom then was exactly what you just said. Only it was "no one will dominate like Jack again, there's too much depth on tour." Sound familiar?

 

 

very good point.. ill gaurantee you that interview is one of Stranges larger media regrets.... he would un say that if he could...

Ya know, I thought about it after your post. I'm not sure he would regret it really. He was just stating what everyone believed. Players, fans and media all felt that there were tons of talent on tour. Especially with the influx of foreign players that were playing virtually full time in the US. Then Tiger came along and kicked butt.

It would be easy to say there is too much talent in the NBA for guys to dominate today. And yet a select few do. James, Curry, Durant and a few others are really just head and shoulders above the others. And the others are really freak athletes.

So we say the same today that was said in '96. But someone will come along and dominate.

[AmazinBlue]

I want him to sooooo badly, but logic says he won't. He doesn't hit enough fairways and he has little to no history at the course. BUT.....he is the best putter on the planet so he has a chance.

[JD3]

We can argue til the cows come home about this, Spieth may or may not pull it off, but one thing is certain, there is a lot more f depth nowadays, maybe more than ever, BUT nobody will ever replace Eldrick Woods in the dominance and mental toughness category. Most other players feared him. That's just not true of anyone anymore.

You might be right. It will be a while before we know.

But that was the point of bringing up the Curtis Strange interview with Tiger in '96. The conventional wisdom then was exactly what you just said. Only it was "no one will dominate like Jack again, there's too much depth on tour." Sound familiar?

 

 

very good point.. ill gaurantee you that interview is one of Stranges larger media regrets.... he would un say that if he could...

Ya know, I thought about it after your post. I'm not sure he would regret it really. He was just stating what everyone believed. Players, fans and media all felt that there were tons of talent on tour. Especially with the influx of foreign players that were playing virtually full time in the US. Then Tiger came along and kicked butt.

It would be easy to say there is too much talent in the NBA for guys to dominate today. And yet a select few do. James, Curry, Durant and a few others are really just head and shoulders above the others. And the others are really freak athletes.

So we say the same today that was said in '96. But someone will come along and dominate.

if Spieth were one of the longer hitters, I think majority would be on the side of "he's the next to dominate". However at 80th ranked in driving distance, it leaves a big question mark: is he Ben Hogan (about the only one who dominated with average length), or Zack Johnson, a shortish hitter who at times got ridiculously hot with the wedge and putter and picked up a couple of majors? One other thing he does have over the field is his mind, and of course that can't be dismissed. Interesting player for sure

[jmvargas]

i mentioned earlier that one of the reasons jack and tiger were able to dominate in the majors was their awesome power off the tee although jack had a bit more control than tiger..

 

i believe also that the next dominator must have this advantage..

 

without it the competition is too strong for anyone else to dominate..

 

jordan does not have this advantage but his other skills may still allow him to win a bunch of majors but dominate?....no.

 

those that do however-- if and when they can be more complete as a golfer-- are rory mclroy, justin johnson, and jason day.

[playa]

I think for sure he can do it. He has already proven he can go back to back in majors in 2015, and kept the momentum going right through to the PGA. Out of all the players out there right now, Spieth is mentally strongest and most likely to have a 2 major year.

[Rubenc87]

It's possible but will be very difficult. Rory was bombing the driver and will only strengthen his confidence at to that he has had success at Quail Hollow = tough competition. Plus the rest of the field.

[KrazyTrain18]

I don't think Quail Hollow is the ideal "Spieth" type venue, however his putting can neutralize a lot. Everybody talks about the need to drive it long and straight at QH but if we look at the venues Jordan has won majors on, all three are courses that theoretically test your game off the tee. Short game has become the deciding factor of late and there's nobody better right now despite what the stats might tell you. I look to the 2021 PGA at Kiawah as somewhere Jordan could have his best opportunity.

[Payant208]

Boy do I hope so

[JD3]

i mentioned earlier that one of the reasons jack and tiger were able to dominate in the majors was their awesome power off the tee although jack had a bit more control than tiger..

 

i believe also that the next dominator must have this advantage..

 

without it the competition is too strong for anyone else to dominate..

 

jordan does not have this advantage but his other skills may still allow him to win a bunch of majors but dominate?....no.

 

those that do however-- if and when they can be more complete as a golfer-- are rory mclroy, justin johnson, and jason day.

I used to be of the firm belief length was needed to dominate. But with tour avg close to 300, is it such a differentiator any more?

[jmvargas]

i mentioned earlier that one of the reasons jack and tiger were able to dominate in the majors was their awesome power off the tee although jack had a bit more control than tiger..

 

i believe also that the next dominator must have this advantage..

 

without it the competition is too strong for anyone else to dominate..

 

jordan does not have this advantage but his other skills may still allow him to win a bunch of majors but dominate?....no.

 

those that do however-- if and when they can be more complete as a golfer-- are rory mclroy, justin johnson, and jason day.

In used to be of the firm belief length was needed to dominate. But with tour avg close to 300, is it such a differentiator any more?

 

that's a good point too..

 

but ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL the one who can outdrive the average by 20-30 yards will still be at an advantage..

 

these are the guys who have extra power to spare and can be used when needed...

 

i think rory, dj, and even jason day have that right now and are also proven winners in the majors..

 

jordan is not short but not in their class when it comes to distance off the tee..

 

but of course his other skills can often make up for these..

[llewol007]

I like Jordan and he has as good a chance as anybody in the field. We cant pretend that this is the first rodeo for the other players in the field. You are talking previous winners, guys who are hot at the moment, players who have the other big tournament trophies but are missing this one. Jordan has a shot a sometimes, thats what relentless people want is just a shot. I for one am rooting for Jordan to do it.

[rorygilmore9]

no

[BlackDiamondPar5]

He's got as good a chance as any other top PGA tour golfer. I hope he does it.

[KennyP]

I think this could be his best chance; having just won the Open he's obviously playing well and confident. Nobody else at the top of the rankings is really flying ( Rory, DJ, JD). Although Hideki must be considered as a strong contender, he's yet to get over the hurdle of winning one.

 

And the longer he needs the PGA to complete the set, the harder it is likely to get. (See Phil and Rory). Tiger, the last man to achieve the feat, complete the third and fourth legs in consecutive majors.

[Roadking2003]

We can argue til the cows come home about this, Spieth may or may not pull it off, but one thing is certain, there is a lot more f depth nowadays, maybe more than ever, BUT nobody will ever replace Eldrick Woods in the dominance and mental toughness category. Most other players feared him. That's just not true of anyone anymore.

You might be right. It will be a while before we know.

But that was the point of bringing up the Curtis Strange interview with Tiger in '96. The conventional wisdom then was exactly what you just said. Only it was "no one will dominate like Jack again, there's too much depth on tour." Sound familiar?

 

 

very good point.. ill gaurantee you that interview is one of Stranges larger media regrets.... he would un say that if he could...

Ya know, I thought about it after your post. I'm not sure he would regret it really. He was just stating what everyone believed. Players, fans and media all felt that there were tons of talent on tour. Especially with the influx of foreign players that were playing virtually full time in the US. Then Tiger came along and kicked butt.

It would be easy to say there is too much talent in the NBA for guys to dominate today. And yet a select few do. James, Curry, Durant and a few others are really just head and shoulders above the others. And the others are really freak athletes.

So we say the same today that was said in '96. But someone will come along and dominate.

if Spieth were one of the longer hitters, I think majority would be on the side of "he's the next to dominate". However at 80th ranked in driving distance, it leaves a big question mark: is he Ben Hogan (about the only one who dominated with average length), or Zack Johnson, a shortish hitter who at times got ridiculously hot with the wedge and putter and picked up a couple of majors? One other thing he does have over the field is his mind, and of course that can't be dismissed. Interesting player for sure

 

JS has never lost a tournament due to lack of distance. Driving accuracy, maybe.

 

Look at the big ones he could have won;

 

2015: British. Lost it because he missed a seven foot putt on #17.

2016: Masters. Lost it due to a mis hit 8 iron on #12.

2015: PGA. Not sure how he lost but I doubt it was driving distance. He shot 17 under par and lost be three.

[hdr_ric]

This is huge. Most is most, and right now Jacks record looks safe. However youngest is youngest too. And it's something of course Tiger and Jack cannot go back and match.

 

Gotta believe Jordan will rise to the occasion. Not guaranteeing a win by any means, but I do think he'll contend. And at that course which is familiar too many, he'll have a lot of guys gunning for him, who'd like nothing more than preventing him from pulling it off. One of them Rory of course who "owns" that course.

 

I agree, dont see how he doesnt carry momentum in there

If he does pull it off, alot of Tiger fans would be very upset over this but true golf fans would love it

Will Jack fans be ok with it? Were they when Tiger edged Jack?

Will Spieth win 3 slams like Jack and Tiger?

 

Ooohhh, there's a thread for someone.

 

I don't think anyone will "be upset".

 

Getting the career grand slam is the big thing. Getting 2 or 3 career slams even better.

 

Youngest?? Eh. How about quickest (number of starts)? That would be more impressive in my opinion, but just getting it is what matters.

[creecool]

Spieth is a lot like Tom Watson, great wedge/short game and a tremendous putter. The key will be improving his driving like Tom did, but not losing touch and nerves with the flatstick. Being a great putter tends to fade , Tiger is a prime example.

[JD3]

Not looking so good. But I guess if there's one guy who could pull of something so whacky and wonderful as coming from left for dead 11-back for the weekend, he's it

[Hankshank]

Spieth is a lot like Tom Watson, great wedge/short game and a tremendous putter. The key will be improving his driving like Tom did, but not losing touch and nerves with the flatstick. Being a great putter tends to fade , Tiger is a prime example.

I didn't see Tom at his youth, but he had a heck of a better driver swing than Jordan when in his prime. Not saying that Jordan cannot fix it but he must stop making hard pitches from the tee. It's all too timing dependent now, too many parts that has to be coordinated, seemingly. Great for the shorter shots, Jordan has a tremendous touch, But driver swing is about swing and not about touch and control. Those wood visits all the time are costing him too much. Zack and Jordans swings have some similarities, but Zack's seems more connected.

[jmvargas]

Not looking so good. But I guess if there's one guy who could pull of something so whacky and wonderful as coming from left for dead 11-back for the weekend, he's it

 

he has to shoot in the low 60s tomorrow to have a chance...

[benno_r]

I don't know if he is feeling the pressure more than he admits. The choices he made on 10 were downright bizarre, and his putting was good without being up to his norm.

 

You can never say never with Jordan, especially with 2 days to go, but he is going to need a lot of people to play really poorly to catch-up

[Hankshank]

C'mon, give the guy a break. It's not like he's Tiger 2001, and I strongly suspect that he don't feel he is . He's top 5 and will win once in a while. He has shown that he rises with pressure on big events, and he will win more majors for sure. But it's not like you expect him to go 66 today, like Tiger always did on saturdays. He might, but he probably won't. He's one of the guys but not The Guy like Tiger was.

[Andrew Bond of Glencoe]

He shoots 61 and 59 to win the Career Grand Slam.