Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Newly crowned US Open champion Jordan Spieth says he is excited to be part of a young generation of players currently dominating golf’s top events.
The 21-year-old has won 2015’s first two majors, with his victory on Sunday coming after his Masters win in April.
Rory McIlroy, 26, holds the other two major titles, the Open and US PGA Championship, with Rickie Fowler, 26, the Players Championship champion.
“It’s awesome that the game is in young hands,” said Spieth.
“It’s kind of cool I think to have two players holding the four majors and Rickie having the fifth [Players Championship].”
Major rivals
Spieth’s victories this year are his first in the majors and match the achievement of McIlroy in winning back-to-back titles after the Northern Irishman’s victories in the Open at Hoylake in July 2014 and in the US PGA at Valhalla the following month.
Spieth is ranked second in the world, behind McIlroy, but the American downplayed suggestions of a rivalry between the two.
“I don’t think there is much of a rivalry. I’ve said that from the beginning,” stated Spieth. “Rory has four majors and dozens of wins and I’m just starting out.
“Again, I’m certainly quite a bit younger than he is. I’m just happy to have this and to be chasing that number one spot that he holds. So I’m certainly focused on that.”
The grand slam
Spieth’s victory at Chambers Bay on Sunday saw him finish five under and one shot ahead of fellow American Dustin Johnson, who three-putted the last from 12 feet.
It means Spieth is now the sixth player to win the Masters and US Open in the same year, the youngest player to win the latter since Bobby Jones in 1923, and keeps him on course to potentially become the first player to win all four majors in a calendar year.
The next major is The Open at St Andrews on 16-19 July, followed by the US PGA Championship in Wisconsin on 13-16 August.
Tiger Woods came the closest to achieving the feat when he won all four major titles consecutively, but over two calendar years in 2000 and 2001.
Player tweets |
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| England’s Lee Westwood: “Many congratulations @JordanSpieth ! On a roll kid!” |
| Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell: “Taking nothing away from the legend that is @JordanSpieth but I feel sick for @DJohnsonPGA. His first major will be seriously overdue.” |
| England’s Ian Poulter: “Congrats to @JordanSpieth first 2 majors of the year, also gutted to see @DJohnsonPGA miss out on the last hole with a 3 putt.” |
| American Brandt Snedeker: “The greatest things about majors is watching someone’s dreams come true.. Mine will have to wait.. Big congrats to @JordanSpieth!! #heisgood” |
| American Zach Johnson: “Congrats to my buddy @JordanSpieth…again. Phenomenal! Humble, fierce, classy, and a hard-worker. Ingredients = champion! Flipping 21! Wow.” |
“I think it’s in the realm of possibility,” said Spieth when asked if he could add the Open and US PGA to his haul this year. “I’m just focused on the Claret Jug [the prize for winning the Open] now.
“I think that the Grand Slam is something that I never could really fathom somebody doing, considering I watched Tiger win when he was winning whatever percentage of the majors he played in and he won the ‘Tiger Slam’, but he never won the four in one year.
“And I figured if anybody was going to do it, it would be him, which he still can.
“I’ve proven to myself that I can win on a British-style golf course now. Now I take it to the truest British-style golf course of any in the world.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity coming then, and I’m not going to think about what could possibly happen after.”
Former American professional golfer Jay Townsend on Spieth v McIlroy |
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| “Spieth beat everyone this week on a course that everyone said was a bomber’s course. He can win at any type of venue. He is a guy that is going to be reckoned with for a long time. He is also the only guy I can envision in today’s game that can challenge Rory McIlroy. It is going to be a great few years coming up.” |
BBC Sport