Jordan Spieth’s rise in the golf world sounds like your typical sports storytale with the way he’s dominated, overcome obstacles, and made a lasting legacy on the game. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1993, Spieth wasted no time making waves in golf,  winning the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship twice putting him in a category with Tiger Woods himself. Then later as he moved from junior golf to collegiate golf he kept this momentum rolling by becoming one of if not the best player in college golf

When Spieth joined the University of Texas’s golf team, his impact was immediate. As a freshman, he was a key part of the team making it to the 2012 NCAA Championship. “He wasn’t just the best player on our team, he was the best leader,” said Jordan’s coach John Fields. “Jordan had a maturity beyond his years and a deep understanding of what it took to win.”

Largely due to his success in college, Spieth made the decision to turn professional in 2012 at just 19 years old. However he proved the saying that age is just a number In 2013, when he won the John Deere Classic, becoming the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour in over 80 years. That victory secured his Tour card allowing him to play in more tournaments and opened lots of doors to his golf career.

“Jordan was different,” said former PGA Tour pro and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee. “He had this uncanny ability to control the moment. Most players get overwhelmed early on, but Spieth fed off the pressure.” These words don’t describe many of the best players in the game today, making them being said about a teenage Jordan Spieth even more unbelievable.

By 2015, Spieth’s game was on another level compared to the rest of the PGA tour leading in almost every statistical category. In 2015 alone Jordan won the Masters, the U.S. Open, finished tied for fourth at The Open Championship, and was runner-up at the PGA Championship. He almost completed the Grand Slam in one season, ending the year as the undisputed best golfer in the world.

But as the old saying goes “ Easy come, easy go” because after 2017 Spieth’s game took a turn for the worst. Despite being the best golfer in the world he wanted to push the needle further and started to train to hit the ball farther. However this didn’t make him more dominant, it made him worse. He struggled to stay in contention in tournaments, and after his winning of The Open Championship in 2017 the wins dried up over the next 3 years. 

Spieth said in 2019, “It’s not about just one part of the swing or one part of the game It’s about the whole thing coming together—and that’s been the challenge.” Critics speculated about the root of his issues. Some pointed to swing changes; others suggested mental fatigue from early success. But, despite all this Spieth stayed patient and resilient working through these difficulties without letting the press get to him.

In a 2021 interview, Spieth’s golf swing coach Mark McCormick shared, “Jordan’s determination never wavered. Even when results weren’t there, he showed up ready to work. That’s rare. A lot of players lost belief, but Jordan kept searching.” The searching he was doing worked too because in April 2021, when Spieth won the Valero Texas Open. It was his first PGA Tour win in nearly four years. The victory brought both relief and validation.

After the win Spieth said “It’s been a road that’s had a lot of tough days, I’ve never doubted myself to the point where I thought I wouldn’t come out of it. But when you’re struggling, it feels like a long way away.”

Since then, Spieth has shown flashes of his old brilliance with top finishes at the Masters, a win at the RBC Heritage in 2022 but is yet to capture the elusive major championship he’s been so desperately working towards.

This week Jordan enters the PGA Championship with another chance to claim a major title however, the stakes are higher than ever. It is the only major he has yet to win, and capturing it would secure him a place in golf’s most exclusive club: the Career Grand Slam.

There are only six people in the exclusive club, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and most recently Rory McIlroy. This is not his first nor his last chance to join the club but with Rory McIlroy’s recent entry golf fans are hoping for Spieth to join him.

At the PGA Championship in 2023 Spieth said “This is a week that means a lot to me“There’s no hiding from it—I want this one badly. But I know from experience, the more I force it, the harder it becomes.”

The course this year, Quail Hollow, is the biggest problem that Spieth has to face though, with Rory McIlroy’s career of success on the course as well as his recent win at the masters he seems to be a shoe in for the Championship but Spieth hopes to prove that tale wrong.

In order for him to do so he’s going to have to tap into his elite short game and have a great week in every other facet of his game. NBC Sports analyst Paul Azinger said “He’s one of the smartest players we’ve ever seen. When his short game is clicking, and he believes in what he’s doing, Spieth can beat anyone.”

As he tees it up this week, Spieth carries with him the lessons from his college days, the perseverance he gained from his struggles, and the belief that greatness is still within reach. Whether he joins the legends with a Grand Slam or not, his journey has already etched a unique chapter in golf history.