Jordan Spieth has always wowed golf fans with his wild, rollercoaster play on the course. It helps that his style of play led to three major wins early in his career.
Spieth has also expressed an ambiguous way with words during his time in the spotlight, from heated discussions with his friend Michael Greller on the course to detailed explanations of his unique thoughts in interviews and press conferences.
On Tuesday at his 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink, Spieth even talked about his hobby of smoking meat… and how it’s similar to working on his golf game.
But, more interestingly, Spieth commented extensively on one of the biggest stories of the week: his desire to complete a career Grand Slam at the PGA.
If he were to lift the Wanamaker trophy for the first time on Sunday, he would become the seventh player in history to win all four of golf’s major championships. And while Spieth admitted that would be “awesome,” he also shared an unconventional strategy to make it happen that he himself described as “weird.”
Jordan Spieth says ‘easy way’ to win PGA Championship ‘is to try not to do it’
Spieth won the 2015 Masters, the 2015 US Open and the 2017 Open Championship. At the 2017 PGA Championship, he had the opportunity to become the youngest player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
But nine years have passed since then, and Spieth is still waiting for his first PGA Championship victory to come. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy ended his longest drought at the 2025 Masters to become the sixth Grand Slam winner in history.
Despite not winning a tournament since 2022, Spieth is playing his best golf in recent years heading into this week’s PGA. He has finished four times T12 or better this season, including a T12 at the Masters.
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In his press conference on Tuesday in Aronimink, Spieth explained that because of his quest for the Grand Slam, the PGA Championship is “always highlighted,” but he also revealed the opposing strategy of the week: to win, he must try not to fall.
“Regarding the Grand Slam career, this tournament is always highlighted. If I could win another tournament in my life, it would be this one for that reason,” explained Spieth. “But the easiest way to do that is not to try, in a weird way, you know.”
He continued: “Just go out and prepare for the first hole, get a good game plan and attack it the way it needs to be attacked.”
In other words, instead of letting the pressure of completing a Grand Slam get to him, Spieth will treat this PGA Championship like any other week. And his performance in the recent competition gives him confidence that he can win it.
“My game has been getting better and better. It’s great to have a chance to win. It’s about working my way into contention. I’ve been able to do that the last few weeks. Being in the final couple this weekend for the first time this season. I’m glad I was there and hopefully I can do that this week and do better,” Spieth said.
Even if he gets into contention this weekend at Aronimink, Spieth doesn’t expect it to feel any different than any other major.
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“But obviously I have won three more [majors], [the PGA is] the one everyone focuses on. But when I’m here, and when I’m off the golf course, I’ve been in contention a few times in this tournament. It was no different than any of the other majors, so I wouldn’t expect to get there this week.”
If he can pull it off and join McIlroy as a career Grand Slam winner, Spieth admitted it would be “amazing,” but added that winning the PGA Championship would be “special” without the Grand Slam in mind.
“It would be great, okay, because it’s just the shortest list in history. So, you know, at the same time to win the PGA itself, you get to play in the PGA for however long they let you. I don’t really know the PGA rules. Is it 60? Forever? Or until you’re asked to maybe celebrate this as yours,” Spia said on Tuesday. “To win this tournament in general would be very special. The Ryder Cup has been a very important part of my life, as well as the PGA of America, to have my instructor who I’ve had for a lot of time in my career become a professional of the PGA of America, so there are many reasons.”
Why Spieth thinks his Grand Slam will be ‘different’ than Rory McIlroy’s
When McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam last year, it was the first time a player had done so since Tiger Woods in 2000. Rory arrived after nearly two years at Augusta and other majors, and the relief was palpable.
But Spieth sees his Grand Slam quest as “different” than McIlroy’s. He thinks his Grand Slam celebrations will be more muted than Rory’s.
“My situation was really different than that [McIlroy’s] at Augusta, so I think that was unique to him, that maybe – you probably didn’t see this kind of reaction with, what, six or seven other guys that did. And again, I don’t have video evidence of when they won, so you’re going to have to double check that one for me,” Spieth explained.
He added: “Rory’s was obviously an exceptional last round and his history of leading there and things like that, so I don’t think it’s going to feel the same. For me, it was going to be like, look, I was kind of—I kept feeling like I was competing or had a good chance to get into the bigs for a couple of years and then it felt like I could bounce back. I wanted to give myself a chance.”
Whatever Spieth thinks the reaction will be, if he pulls off his first major win in nine years this week, it will be one of golf’s biggest stories of the century.
;)
