CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jordan Spieth became the 13th player to capture the third leg of the modern Grand Slam when he won the British Open, sending him to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte with a chance to become only the sixth player to win all four majors.
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Four others won three different majors before the Masters began in 1934 - Walter Hagen, Jim Barnes, Gene Sarazen and Tommy Armour. Sarazen was the only one from that group to win the Masters.
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Here is a capsule look at when players won the third leg and their pursuit of the career Grand Slam:
BYRON NELSON
Third leg: 1940 PGA Championship.
Age: 28.
Missing major: British Open.
First attempt: Tie for 32nd in the 1955 British Open at St. Andrews.
Outcome: Nelson never won the British Open. He only played it two times in his career.
Noteworthy: The year Nelson won the third leg of the Grand Slam, the British Open was canceled because of World War II and did not resume until 1946. He only played in 1955 because he was on a golfing vacation in Europe. He won the French Open a week later.
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SAM SNEAD
Third leg: 1949 Masters.
Age: 36.
Missing major: U.S. Open.
First attempt: Tied for second in the 1949 U.S. Open at Medinah, one shot behind Cary Middlecoff.
Outcome: Never won the U.S. Open. After getting the third leg, he was twice a runner-up.
Noteworthy: Snead's biggest loss in the U.S. Open was in 1939 when he thought he needed par on the 18th hole to win. Thinking he needed birdie, Snead made a triple bogey and finished two shots out of a playoff.
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BEN HOGAN
Third leg: 1951 Masters.
Age: 38.
Missing major: British Open.
First attempt: Won the 1953 British Open at Carnoustie.
Outcome: Became second player to win all four modern majors.
Noteworthy: Hogan won the only British Open he played. He became the first player to win three majors in one year. Qualifying for the British Open was the same week as the PGA Championship that year.
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ARNOLD PALMER
Third leg: 1961 British Open.
Age: 31.
Missing major: PGA Championship.
First attempt: Tied for fifth in the 1961 PGA at Olympia Fields, five shots behind Jerry Barber.
Outcome: Played the PGA Championship 34 times after getting the third leg. He was runner-up three times.
Noteworthy: Palmer was one shot behind Bobby Nichols going into the final round at Columbus Country Club and shot 69 to finish three shots behind.
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GARY PLAYER
Third leg: 1962 PGA Championship.
Age: 26.
Missing major: U.S. Open.
First attempt: Tied for eighth in the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club, three shots behind Julius Boros.
Outcome: Won the U.S. Open for the career Grand Slam on his third try in 1965 at Bellerive.
Noteworthy: Player had won each major one time in the seven years it took him to complete the Grand Slam.
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JACK NICKLAUS
Third leg: 1963 PGA Championship.
Age: 23.
Missing major: British Open.
First attempt: Runner-up in the 1964 British Open at St. Andrews, by five shots to Tony Lema.
Outcome: Won the 1966 British Open at Muirfield on his third try to complete the Grand Slam.
Noteworthy: Nicklaus named his home course Muirfield Village after the site of where he completed the Grand Slam.
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LEE TREVINO
Third leg: 1974 PGA Championship.
Age: 34.
Missing major: Masters.
First attempt: Tied for 10th in the 1975 Masters, 10 shots behind Jack Nicklaus.
Outcome: Played the Masters 16 more times after getting the third leg. His best finish was a tie for 10th.
Noteworthy: Trevino never enjoyed his time at Augusta National and refused invitations three times. One year he did go, he changed his shoes in the parking lot.
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TOM WATSON
Third leg: 1982 U.S. Open.
Age: 32.
Missing major: PGA Championship.
First attempt: Tied for ninth in the 1982 PGA at Southern Hills, eight shots behind Raymond Floyd.
Outcome: He played the PGA Championship 24 times with the career Grand Slam at stake. His best finish was a tie for fifth in 1993 at Inverness.
Noteworthy: Much like Sam Snead and the U.S. Open, Watson's closest call was before he had a chance at the slam. He shot 73 in the final round at Oakmont in the 1978 PGA Championship. John Mahaffey came from seven shots behind and beat Watson and Jerry Pate in a playoff.
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RAYMOND FLOYD
Third leg: 1986 U.S. Open.
Age: 43.
Missing major: British Open.
First attempt: Tied for 16th in the 1986 British Open at Turnberry, 12 shots behind Greg Norman.
Outcome: He played the British Open nine times after he got the third lead and never finished in the top 10.
Noteworthy: Floyd was the oldest player to win the third leg of the Grand Slam. Even after winning his first major in the 1969 PGA, he did not go over to the British Open six times when he was in his prime.
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TIGER WOODS
Third leg: 2000 U.S. Open.
Age: 24.
Missing major: British Open.
First attempt: Won the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews.
Outcome: Became the youngest player to win all four majors, and joined Hogan as the only players to complete the Grand Slam in their first attempt.
Noteworthy: Woods won the final two legs of the Grand Slam at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews by a combined 23 shots. He joined Nicklaus as the only players to win the Grand Slam three times over.
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PHIL MICKELSON
Third leg: 2013 British Open.
Age: 43.
Missing major: U.S. Open.
First attempt: Tied for 28th in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, 15 shots behind Martin Kaymer.
Outcome: Has played three U.S. Opens since getting the third leg and has never finished closer than 15 shots.
Noteworthy: Mickelson holds the U.S. Open record with six runner-up finishes. He sat out this year's U.S. Open to attend his daughter's high school graduation.
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RORY MCILROY
Third leg: 2014 British Open.
Age: 25.
Missing major: Masters.
First attempt: Tied for fourth in the 2015 Masters, six shots behind Jordan Spieth.
Outcome: Has three top 10s in the Masters since winning the third leg but has never finished closer than six shots of the winner.
Noteworthy: The Masters looks like it would be the first major he would win in 2011, when McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round. He shot 80 on Sunday and tied for 15th.
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JORDAN SPIETH
Third leg: 2017 British Open.
Age: 23.
Missing major: PGA Championship.
First attempt: Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina on Aug. 10.
Outcome: To be determined.
Noteworthy: Of the five players who completed the Grand Slam, none went longer than three attempts at winning the final major.
PGA Championship, hole by hole
A hole-by-hole look at Quail Hollow Club, site of the 99th PGA Championship to be played Aug. 10-13:
No. 1, 524 yards, par 4: The hole was lengthened so that it essentially combines what had been the opening two holes. A big left-to-right tee shots leaves players atop an elevated landing zone beyond the dogleg. The approach is mid or long iron to a small, undulated green guarded by three big bunkers.
No. 2, 452 yards, par 4: The second hole used to be No. 3. A 280-yard drive reaches a slight turn in the fairway, leaving about 170 yards to an elevated green that slopes from back to front.
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No. 3, 483 yards, par 4: The tee shot must be long and straight, leading to an elevated green that is surrounded by three bunkers and divided by a small ridge that separates the back from the front.
No. 4, 184 yards, par 3: What used to be the par-5 fifth hole has been converted into a par 3 that is framed by pine trees and features a large, undulating green guarded by three bunkers in the front. Anything long will end up below the green and leave a tough par save.
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No. 5, 449 yards, par 4: This is another new hole because of changes to the old par 5. It will go down, and then back up a shallow valley to a green that is situated on a hillside behind the sixth tee. The fairway has bunkers on both sides, the green is narrow with a front right bunker.
No. 6, 249 yards, par 3: The long par 3 plays downhill and asks a player to be accurate with a hybrid or a long iron. The green slopes back to front, and is guarded by a front right bunker.
No. 7, 546 yards, par 5: The shortest and most exciting of the par 5s, this is easily reachable in two provided the tee shot avoids bunkers on the left and water on the right that runs long the fairway and cuts in front of the green. The green is surrounded by bunkers. It should be a birdie, but can lead to a big number.
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No. 8, 346 yards, par 4: Depending on the tees and the wind, players can try to drive the green or lay up and attack with a wedge. Two bunkers were added to the left side of the fairway, and the green was rebuilt to soften the contours and expand the landing area.
No. 9, 505 yards, par 4: Typically among the toughest par 4s, the drive should avoid a bunker on the right for a player to have a clear shot with a long iron up the hill toward the green. Two front bunkers guard the green, which has a lot of movement to it.
No. 10, 592 yards, par 5: Players can reach this in two provided they avoid the bunker on the left and trees on the right. The green is sloped from back to front and right to left, so position is everything to convert birdie chances. Bunkers are situated on both sides of the green.
No. 11, 462 yards, par 4: This hole was lengthened 40 yards. A large oak at the corner of the dogleg left has been replaced by two large bunkers. The green is slightly elevated and guarded by deep bunkers on the left.
No. 12, 456 yards, par 4: The fairway is narrow with trees tightly guarding both sides. From the fairway, players face a short iron to an elevated green that slopes severely from back to front. It's crucial to keep the ball below the cup to have a chance at birdie or avoid potential three-putts.
No. 13, 208 yards, par 3: The green is situated between two large bunkers. The putting surface has two levels with a collection area on the right middle portion, along with a severe slope from back to front. Par shouldn't be a problem. Birdies figure to be difficult.
No. 14, 344 yards, par 4: Players can go for the green or lay up with an iron. The water down the left side presents the risk with driver off the tee. From the fairway, the green is long and narrow and can be difficult to get it close to the pin. Birdies are as common as bogeys.
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No. 15, 577 yards, par 5: The final par 5 is deceptively challenging with water on the left and trees to the right. It plays uphill, and anything in the fairway should leave a fairway metal into the green, which has a ridge down the middle that can feed the ball close or repel it further away. This is the last easy birdie opportunity.
No. 16, 506 yards, par 4: The hole was modified in 2013 to move the green some 80 yards to the left so that it sits on the edge of the water. The tee shot to a slight dogleg right should avoid a bunker on the right side, and a mid-iron to a green with a bunker on the right and water on the left.
No. 17, 223 yards, par 3: The signature hole at Quail Hollow is a peninsula green that requires a carry of 195 yards from the back tees. With a firm green, players have to be careful with back pin positions so the ball doesn't run off the back into the water. The popular miss is to the right, which leaves a tough up-and-down.
No. 18, 494 yards, par 4: One of the strongest closing holes, players must avoid a bunker on the right and a creek that meanders down the left side of the hole, with a steep slope to the left of the creek. The second shot is uphill with bunkers right and the creek to the left.
Facts and figures for the PGA Championship:
Event: 99th PGA Championship
Dates: Aug. 10-13
Site: Quail Hollow Club
Length: 7,600 yards.
Par: 35-36_71
Field: 156 players (136 tour pros, 20 club pros).
Prize money: TBA ($10 million in 2016).
Winner's share: TBA ($1.8 million in 2016).
Defending champion: Jimmy Walker
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Last year: Walker held on for par on the 18th hole at Baltusrol for a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Jason Day. It was the longest final day in 64 years at the PGA Championship because of rain, with Walker playing 36 holes on Sunday. Day was trying to become the join Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back in the PGA in stroke play. He hit 2-iron to 15 feet and made eagle on the 18th.
Grand Slam: Jordan Spieth can become the sixth - and youngest - player with the career Grand Slam.
Familiar territory: Quail Hollow has hosted a PGA Tour event since 2003.
Tough at the top: It has been 10 years since the No. 1 player in the world won the PGA Championship.
Key statistic: The last three PGA Championship winners shot 68 or better all four rounds.
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Noteworthy: Tiger Woods is the only player to win the PGA Championship in back-to-back years since it moved to stroke play in 1958. Woods has done it twice.
Quoteworthy: "My focus isn't on completing the career Grand Slam. My focus in on this, the PGA Championship." - Jordan Spieth.
Television (all times EDT): Thursday and Friday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., TNT. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., TNT Sports; 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. CBS. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., TNT; 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., CBS.
Who could lift the trophy Sunday?
A capsule look at 10 top contenders for the PGA Championship, to be played Aug. 10-13 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina:
JORDAN SPIETH
Age: 24.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 2.
Worldwide victories: 14.
2017 victories: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship, British Open.
Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017).
2017 Majors: Masters-T11, US Open-T35, British Open-1.
Backspin: Spieth becomes the third player in the last four years to have a shot at the career Grand Slam. If he were to win the PGA Championship, he would break the record by Tiger Woods (by about six months) as the youngest with all four majors. He played Quail Hollow one time on a sponsor's exemption in 2013 and shot 75-73 on the weekend to tie for 32nd. He was runner-up two years ago in the PGA Championship behind Jason Day.
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RORY MCILROY
Age: 28.
Country: Northern Ireland.
World ranking: 4.
Worldwide victories: 21.
2017 victories: None.
Majors: U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014), PGA Championship (2012, 2014).
2017 Majors: Masters-T7, US Open-Cut, British Open-T4.
Backspin: McIlroy keeps taking steps back right when it looks as though he's moving forward. His year has been slowed by a rib injury in January. He missed three out of four cuts going into the British Open and was 5 over through six holes when he rallied to get into the picture on the weekend, only to have another spell of mistakes. McIlroy surely would like to keep Spieth from the career Grand Slam before he gets another chance at the Masters. He is a two-time winner at Quail Hollow and will be playing with a new caddie.
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HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Age: 25.
Country: Japan.
World ranking: 3.
Worldwide victories: 13.
2017 victories: Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Majors: None.
2017 Majors: Masters-T11, US Open-T2, British Open-T14.
Backspin: He has played as consistently well as anyone in the majors this year, though his only close call was the U.S. Open and he never was near the lead at Erin Hills. At the start of the year, he was a popular choice to bring Japan its first major. But his only victory was in February, and he missed his only cut this year at Riviera when he had his only chance to reach No. 1 in the world.
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DUSTIN JOHNSON
Age: 33.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 1.
Worldwide victories: 15.
2017 victories: Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Majors: U.S. Open (2016).
2017 Majors: Masters-DNP, US Open-Cut, British Open-T54.
Backspin: Johnson looked unbeatable going into the majors, and they have turned into his biggest disappointment. More than the severity of his back injury when he fell down the stairs on the eve of the Masters was the momentum he lost from going a month without being able to practice. He has said the road back to his top form is harder than it looks, and he also has lost some confidence over the putts that made him so hard to beat. He has played Quail Hollow three times, the most recently six years ago, and missed the cut twice.
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JON RAHM
Age: 22.
Country: Spain.
World ranking: 6.
Worldwide victories: 2.
2017 victories: Farmers Insurance Open, Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Majors: None.
2017 Majors: Masters-T27, US Open-Cut, British Open-T44.
Backspin: His two victories make him the most feared player of the newcomers, and he would be could confirm his reputation as a future star by winning the final major of the year. His form was great going into the Masters and British Open, and perhaps that became a burden. His temper is being viewed more appropriately as passion, and it helps him as much if not more than it hurts him.
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RICKIE FOWLER
Age: 28.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 11.
Worldwide victories: 7.
2017 victories: Honda Classic.
Majors: None.
2017 Majors: Masters-T11, US Open-T5, British Open-T22.
Backspin: Fowler looked as though he might finally break through and win a major this year until he wasted good chances at the Masters, where he closed with a 76, and the U.S. Open, where he closed with a 72. He was never in the mix at the British Open, though he has remained patient and sees his opportunities as chances to win, not more chances to fail. The key for Fowler is a good start. His first PGA Tour victory was at Quail Hollow in a playoff over Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points.
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SERGIO GARCIA
Age: 37.
Country: Spain.
World ranking: 5.
Worldwide victories: 26.
2017 victories: Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Masters.
Majors: Masters (2017).
2017 Majors: Masters-1, US Open-T21, British Open-T37.
Backspin: Garcia has only one top 10 since he won the Masters, a runner-up finish in Germany. His game has been steady, however, and he his outlook is more positive than ever as a major champion and stability in his personal life. He married Angela Akins on July 29 in Texas. It was at the PGA Championship in 1999 when the Spaniard first showed off his potential when he nearly tracked down Tiger Woods at Medinah. Not since Jack Nicklaus in 1975 has someone won the Masters and PGA in the same year.
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MATT KUCHAR
Age: 39.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 12.
Worldwide victories: 9.
2017 victories: None.
Majors: None.
2017 Majors: Masters-T4, US Open-T16, British Open-2.
Backspin: He doesn't have enough victories to be near the top of the list of the best to have never won a major, but he has become the sentimental choice as best without a major with how he handled himself at the British Open. Kuchar has gone three years without a PGA Tour victory, and two years since he won the Fiji International on a working holiday. He is coming off a big disappointment at finishing second to Jordan Spieth's great finish at Royal Birkdale.
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BROOKS KOEPKA
Age: 27.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 10.
Worldwide victories: 4.
2017 victories: U.S. Open.
Majors: U.S. Open (2017).
2017 Majors: Masters-T11, US Open-1, British Open-T6.
Backspin: Koepka quietly has the lowest aggregate finishes of anyone in the majors this year, quiet only because so much attention was on his four-shot victory in the U.S. Open. Struggled at the start when he had an outside chance at Royal Birkdale. He took an extended break after his U.S. Open victory to prepare for a heavy schedule at the end of the year. He has never played Quail Hollow, though his power game should be ample.
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JASON DAY
Age: 29.
Country: Australia.
World ranking: 7.
Worldwide victories: 11.
2017 victories: None.
Majors: PGA Championship (2015).
2017 Majors: Masters-T22, US Open-Cut, British Open-T27.
Backspin: The biggest surprise of the year has been Day, especially after declaring he wanted to keep the No. 1 ranking all year. He was distracted early by his mother's battle with lung cancer, along with what he felt was the burden of being No. 1. Now he's all the way down to No. 7 and losing ground quickly. He keeps waiting to snap out of this slump, and maybe it will take the final major of the year to do that. Day has played Quail Hollow twice, a tie for 22nd in 2010 and a tie for ninth in 2012.
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Past PGA Championship winners
Match Play
PGA Championship, anniversaries
A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the PGA Championship:
50 years ago (1967): Don January, who lost in a playoff at the PGA Championship six years earlier, won his only major on what at the time was the longest course in major championship history. Columbine Country Club outside Denver was 7,436 yards, though it played much shorter in the mile-high air. Dan Sikes had a two-shot lead over Jack Nicklaus and Tommy Aaron going into the final round and neither could keep up with January, who closed with a 68, and Don Massengale, who shot a 66. They tied at 281, and January won in an 18-hole playoff the next day. It was the last 18-hole playoff at the PGA Championship.
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25 years ago (1992): Nick Price missed the 1991 PGA Championship because of the birth of his son. A year later at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, he won his first major by overcoming a two-shot deficit in the final round against Gene Sauers. Price closed with a 70 for a three-shot victory over Sauers, John Cook, Nick Faldo and Jim Gallagher Jr. It was the second straight major in which Cook was runner-up; he finished one back of Faldo at the British Open. Cook never won a major.
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20 years ago (1997): Davis Love III finally got rid of the label as "best without a major" at Winged Foot in the 1997 PGA Championship, and it was marked by a rainbow. Love was tied going into the final round with Justin Leonard, who was a month removed from his British Open title at Royal Troon. Love took an early lead and Leonard never caught up. The record will shot Love closing with a 66 to win by five, but this PGA Championship required pictures. As his last birdie dropped on the 18th, a rainbow stretched across Winged Foot. One couldn't help but think of Love's father, the respected PGA pro who perished in a plane crash nine years earlier.
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10 years ago (2007): Tiger Woods went back-to-back in the PGA Championship for the second time (he also won in 1999 and 2000), and this one at Southern Hills was a clinic. Woods had a 15-foot putt for 62 in the second round, only for the ball to swirl out of the cup. His only 63 in a major gave him a two-shot lead going into the weekend, and he never trailed the rest of the way. It was his fourth PGA Championship title. His dominance was so pronounced that when he won at Southern Hills, Woods had more majors (13) than the rest of the top 10 in the world ranking combined. He never won another PGA Championship, and he won only one more major the following year.
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