According to Spieth, his failure to make it three straight major titles at St Andrews in July has only stoked his appetite. PHOTO: AFP
The 22-year-old will be squarely in the spotlight as he tries to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win three major titles in the same year.
“That would be just such special company,” said Spieth. “But just like at The Open Championship, when I get there, it’s just going to be about that tournament.”
Spieth will have a close-up view of one of his biggest rivals for the crown — defending champion and world number one Rory McIlroy — as they are grouped together for the first two rounds along with American Zach Johnson, who triumphed last month at the British Open where Spieth was unable to capture the third major of the year.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy will be teeing it up for the first time since the US Open at Chambers Bay after an ankle injury prevented him from defending his British Open crown at St Andrews.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be at full strength, but McIlroy said after a practice round at Whistling Straits his ankle was a “non-issue”.
“I’ve come a long way in five weeks,” said the 26-year-old.
Since watching Johnson hoist the Claret Jug in St Andrews, Spieth has turned his attention to the PGA Championship, putting in a two-day trip to Whistling Straits to practice.
During Spieth’s scouting trip, high winds forced players off the course, and such conditions would add to the challenge of the Pete Dye-designed Straits track that produced PGA Championship playoff victories for Vijay Singh in 2004 and Martin Kaymer in 2010.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 11th, 2015.
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