Less than five years into his professional career, Jordan Spieth is already in some pretty exalted company. His latest triumph in the British Open made him the second youngest golfer after Jack Nicklaus to win three different majors. Nicklaus was 23 years and six months old exactly while Spieth was 23 years, 11 months and 26 days old when he lifted the Claret Jug after a sensational closing stretch at Royal Birkdale. (Tiger Woods was 24 and Rory McIlroy 25 when they secured their third different majors.)

Spieth’s British Open victory elevated him to second in the world rankings and, if his successful run continues, he has a strong chance of overtaking compatriot Dustin Johnson and regaining the top spot he held for 26 weeks during various periods in 2015 and 2016.

Dallas-born Spieth, who turned professional in 2012 after having been the top-ranked amateur in the world, is already enjoying an impressive season, with three victories (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship and British Open), eight top-10 finishes and nearly $7 million in prizemoney on the US PGA Tour. He still has plenty of time, and tournament opportunities, to emulate his most successful season to date (2015), when he won five of the 12 titles he has secured so far on the PGA Tour (he has also been victorious in two other international tournaments, both in Australia).

After the PGA Championship, one of his main goals will be to regain the FedExCup title he won in 2015 (at the end of July he was second in the rankings). During that memorable season the Texan won two majors (US Masters and US Open), three other PGA Tour titles and the season-long FedExCup. He finished in the top-10 on 15 occasions and it was the best season of any player in 20 years – not named Tiger Woods. Since turning professional five years ago Spieth has accumulated, in prizemoney alone, nearly $33 million.

The American Idol

When during his debut season as a pro Spieth won his first title, the John Deere Classic, and tallied nine top-10 finishes, American fans were excited again: they had a new idol to help them overcome the disappointments caused by foreign rivals’ successes since Tiger Woods’ world tumbled around him, and he lost his magic and world number one ranking. Finally, they had another compatriot to hero-worship. The new messiah of US golf was a young man who, when he won his second PGA Tour title at 21 years of age, matched the statistical feats of Woods, Sergio García and Robert Gámez.   

They were the only three players until then (2015) in seven decades to have won twice before turning 22. In addition to the Valspar Championship and John Deere Classic, Spieth had actually won two other events: the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour tournament; and the Australian Open. 

Apart from having triumphed twice before his 22nd birthday, Spieth shares another similarity with Woods: they are the only players to have won two US junior amateur championship titles.

If his debut triumph in the John Deere Classic, at just 19 years of age, caused a sensation, Spìeth’s performance in the 2014 US Masters attracted just as much attention, when he was only denied victory by Bubba Watson and finished as the youngest runner-up in the history of the tournament.   

In 2015, he caused an even greater stir in the golfing world when he won the US Masters and US Open, was joint fourth in the British Open and finished second in the US PGA Championship.

Historic Grand Slam Challenge

Jordan Spieth’s dramatic victory in the British Open (or The Open) set him up with a great opportunity in August of securing golf’s Holy Grail – and in historic fashion.

Only five players in the history of the game have won at least one of each of the current four Grand Slam titles: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

The term “Grand Slam” was first coined to refer to Bobby Jones’s epic feat of winning The Open Championship (British), U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur and British Amateur in 1930 – the latter two being considered “major championships” at the time.

Over time, after the US Masters was founded in 1934 and the professional era gained growing status, the modern Grand Slam was considered to be the Masters, U.S. and British Opens and US PGA Championship, which was changed from a matchplay to strokeplay format in 1958 and subsequently rescheduled to avoid a clash with the British Open.

No player has won all four modern majors in the same season, but Woods held all four titles simultaneously, from the 200 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters (known as the “Consecutive Grand Slam” or “Tiger Slam”). Several players ended their careers stuck on three (including Byron Nelson, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino) while, of currently active players, Phil Mickelson needs the U.S. Open and Rory McIlroy the Masters to secure a “Career Grand Slam”.

Heading into the PGA Championship, Spieth was on the verge of joining the elite Grand Slam group, having won the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open. He needed to win this year’s event to take over Woods’ record as the youngest player to achieve the modern Grand Slam. Tiger was 24 years and seven months old when he won the 2000 British Open, while Spieth turned 24 on 27 July.

Of the other four “Major Slammers”, Nicklaus won his fourth (British Open) aged 26, and Player was 29 (US Open), Sarazen 33 (Masters) and Hogan 40 (British Open).

The World at His Feet

In spite of his youth, Spieth has shown – since his first steps as a professional – that he has the mental strength to match his talent at decisive competitive moments. In fact, his first two PGA Tour victories came in play-offs.

Spieth is clear about what he needs to do to achieve his goals. Years ago, when he was still a teenager, his father taught him that he needed to set some objectives. “That’s been my philosophy, to set goals and work hard, maintain my concentration and try to achieve them as soon as possible. At each level, I always revalue my goals and set new ones: I don’t want to become complacent.”