Jordan Spieth suffers injury in bid for grand slam as US PGA returns to Oak Hill

For the second main in succession, membership of golf’s most elite membership is up for grabs as the US PGA Championship returns to Oak Hill Country Club for the primary time since 2013.

Yet if any reminders have been wanted of how tough it was to full a profession grand slam, the occasions of the previous few weeks have supplied a lot.

First was Rory McIlroy’s efficiency on the Masters as he sought to be a part of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having received all 4 main titles, the Northern Irishman lacking the minimize in dispiriting style after a second spherical of 77.

Then there was Jon Rahm’s victory at Augusta National, the Spaniard indicating he might be the person to beat going ahead after claiming a second main title by 4 pictures, regardless of beginning the week by four-putting the primary gap.

And lastly got here the information that Jordan Spieth, who wants to win the US PGA to full the grand slam, is affected by an premature wrist injury which pressured him to withdraw from the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Spieth’s greatest consequence in the US PGA is second behind Jason Day in 2015, the yr he received the Masters and US Open and missed out on a play-off in the Open Championship by a single shot, whereas he was additionally a considerably distant third to Brooks Koepka in 2019.

A subsequent lack of kind ended with victory in the Valero Texas Open the week earlier than ending third in the 2021 Masters, with Spieth additionally battling Collin Morikawa for the Open title at Royal St George’s three months later.

After lacking the minimize in the Masters for the primary time in his profession in 2022, Spieth bounced again to win the RBC Heritage the next week and this yr completed fourth in the Masters thanks to a closing 66.

Seven days later, Spieth misplaced to US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off for the RBC Heritage and appeared to be in excellent form for the US PGA, however along with his participation in critical jeopardy and Tiger Woods additionally dominated out by means of injury, consideration might as soon as once more flip to McIlroy.

McIlroy is a member at Oak Hill – his spouse Erica is from the world – and was the defending champion when it final staged the US PGA a decade in the past, with Jason Dufner taking pictures 10 beneath par to win by two pictures from Jim Furyk.

The East Course has been considerably renovated since then to higher mirror the unique Donald Ross design, with the entire greens and bunkers rebuilt and lots of of bushes eliminated.

The previous sixth gap has been changed by a shorter par three which now slots in as the fifth, with the fifth changing into the sixth gap on the cardboard and lengthened to 504 yards.

The par-three fifteenth additionally has a wholly totally different inexperienced that has been repositioned and is not guarded by a pond, adjustments which have met with McIlroy’s approval.

“I think Andrew Green’s done a really good job,” he mentioned. “I think the renovation has hopefully restored the East Course back to its former glory.

“From the last time I was there, or we were all there (in 2013), my connection to Rochester’s got a lot stronger. I’m excited to go and play a major championship in what feels almost like a second home to me.”