For Jordan Spieth, who is still seeking his first win since the 2022 RBC Heritage, every decision about the games has to be precise, even if they don’t end up giving amazing results. The Spieth fans are currently witnessing him showcasing his skills at the weather-beaten CJ CUP Byron Nelson, wherein the American, admittedly boosting a consistent performance this season, is hanging at T23. However, just because Spieth’s performance looks gloomy does not mean the stories coming out of TPC Craig Ranch are like that.

Sitting down for an exclusive with Amanda Balionis ahead of the Sunday round, the 31-year-old golfer shared how fellow Tour player Si Woo Kim and he planned to take over the Sunday round. Here’s how the story goes: just before Spieth sank an eagle putt on the 18th—something we’ll dive into shortly—he chatted with Si Woo Kim about their plans for Sunday. With a grin, Spieth told Kim he needed to two-putt on the 18th hole to guarantee they could play together the following day. When Kim successfully made the putt, Spieth declared that the pressure was now on him to deliver a strong performance. And he did! So, how did they celebrate? By chest bumping!

Spieth explains the story behind the $9.9M event’s Saturday round to a laughing Balionis, “I told Si Woo he’s not allowed to make it because then we wouldn’t play together tomorrow, so he had to two-putt. But if he did, and he did, then I said, ‘ok then it’s my job’. That’s what that was for. Then Si Woo and chest-bumped me, that was because we will play together again.” On Saturday, following Kim’s performance, Spieth sank a 21-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole, his final hole of the day. His Sunday playing partner, Si Woo Kim, is currently tied with him at T23.

However, now that men’s professional golf is heading into the second major of the season, Spieth fans want him to take his chances at a career Grand Slam seriously, given his performance. He finished tied for 12th before the Masters, tied for 14th at Augusta, and then tied for 18th the following week. If he plays well this week, he will likely earn another top-20 finish. However, aside from these events, another tournament—the PGA Championship—holds significance, as it was where he had his first shot at the Grand Slam in 2017 at Quail Hollow.

Jordan Spieth has the difficult responsibility to earn his career Grand Slam at Quail Hollow

Jordan Spieth has a worrying history with Quail Hollow, which is hosting the PGA Championship for the second time since 2017. The Dallas native has played in the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow three times but hasn’t performed well in any of those events. In his appearances, he tied for 32nd in 2013, missed the cut in 2023, and tied for 29th in 2024.

The same applies to his history with the second men’s major at Quail Hollow. The course hosted its first PGA Championship in 2017, where Spieth had a disappointing performance, finishing tied for 28th at two-over par. The closest he came to winning the major after 2017 was in 2019, when he finished tied for 3rd at the PGA Championship. He is aware of the disappointmemt, however.

In 2024, two players rose up in the hype list to win the sixth career Grand Slam in the sport’s history: Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. However, in 2024, he said, “He’s got more accolades. He’s been a better player over his career. Maybe that creates a little noise. He’s been a bit more vocal about it himself, so maybe that makes a little bit more difference.” While both the golfers are amazing in their own right, the Irishman did manage to fulfill Spieth’s prophecy this year with the Masters win.

However, a year later, Spieth is still one of the contenders for the next career Grand Slam win along with Phil Mickelson, and fellow Tour player Tom Kim has a message for him, “It would be astronomical for the game of golf. I really do believe that to be able to have two career grand slams in one year. We’ve only had — is it only five — is it six now?”

Sure, Jordan Spieth’s history with the PGA Championship is a mixed bag, but he has been consistent this season. Do you think Tom Kim’s prophecy will come true this year?