For a long time, Jordan Spieth’s quest for the career Grand Slam was no longer a story. His game had fallen off the face of the earth, his world ranking had collapsed, there was a five-year wilderness when he failed to win any kind of tournament, let alone the only Major he needed to complete the set.
And then, at the Masters in April, Rory McIlroy slayed the dragon. The US PGA was next. By an incalculable exchange rate, Spieth’s quest had currency again.
For McIlroy, the story had never died. It had become an instrument of torture. For 11 straight years he turned up at Augusta and faced the same questions. If not now, why? If not now, when? Spieth was spared that persecution. For him, the torment was different: people stopped thinking that the questions were valid. Everyone believed they knew the answer.
“It’s funny, I think, if Rory didn’t [complete the career Grand Slam], then it wouldn’t have been a storyline for me here necessarily,” said Spieth in his pre-tournament press conference. “I mean, it’s always a storyline if I work my way [into contention], but I just feel like I’ve been asked about it more [this year] than other years, including years [like] ’22 where I came in after winning and finishing second back-to-back.
