KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA | A sense of the unknown rode the breezes buffeting the Ocean Course on Tuesday as prep work for the PGA Championship intensified in advance of the year’s second major.
The Ocean Course presents a steep and unique learning curve.
The wind is going to blow. The question is how hard.
Big numbers are going to be made in the canals and dunes that sit like ears on the face of every hole. The question is how big and by whom.
For Jordan Spieth, who shares the pre-tournament favorite role with Rory McIlroy, he spent Tuesday building his own book of knowledge, having arrived late and with no true sense of what awaits him this week.
At his best – Spieth will tell you that was 2017, not 2015 when he won two majors and finished second and fourth in the others – Spieth plays with soul more than mechanics. Both went missing for the better part of three years and only recently have they come back.
When the PGA Championship was played here nine years ago, Spieth had just lost in the match-play portion of the U.S. Amateur and was heading back to the University of Texas where he was debating when to turn pro.
Just when it seemed Spieth was cresting another hilltop with his slump-busting victory in the Valero Texas Open in April, he contracted COVID-19 a month ago and spent three weeks doing nothing.
Not exactly ideal preparation for a course considered among the hardest in the game.
And, still, there is an almost magnetic pull toward Spieth this week. Though the Ocean Course is listed as the longest layout in major championship history – it can be stretched to 7,876 yards though it won’t play that long any tournament day – it’s about more than power.
With almost every putting surface raised and severe run-offs around many, creativity and imagination with a dose of tenacity figure to be determining factors in this PGA Championship.
That’s where Spieth enters the pre-tournament narrative.
At his best – Spieth will tell you that was 2017, not 2015 when he won two majors and finished second and fourth in the others – Spieth plays with soul more than mechanics. Both went missing for the better part of three years and only recently have they come back.
There are still gaps to fill but they’re more like potholes compared to the canyons they had been. In his past nine starts, Spieth has seven top-10 finishes including his victory in San Antonio, snapping a winless spell that stretched back to his Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
It may not be like old times but it’s a world away from where Spieth was last August when he was an afterthought in the PGA Championship at Harding Park.
“I’m kind of at this point measuring myself off feels and freedom, playing golf from a position of where I feel comfortable stepping over this shot,” Spieth said Tuesday. “I’m embracing this long iron into a green under pressure versus, ‘Oh, shoot, where is this thing going to go?’
“It’s more like playing with freedom for me regardless of results because I know if I’m playing with freedom that I have the confidence level and the skill set to be able to compete in the biggest tournaments. That’s where I can draw on previous times.”
The arc of Spieth’s career – from the rocket ride that brought three major championship victories in short order to the uncomfortable tumble toward irrelevance – has made his recent resurgence more compelling. He never tried to hide from his struggles and even now, despite his success, insists there is still significant progress to be made.
He has a chance this week to become the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam and should he be in contention on the weekend, Spieth will be the center of attention. In a sport stuffed with talent, Spieth is different because of how people react to him. He causes people to stop and watch him.
For a time they almost sought to console him.
“The weirdest part is just when you’re out and about at a golf course or even at a restaurant and someone is like, ‘Hey, you know, hope you figure it out,’ or something like that,” Spieth said.
“I’m like, ‘OK, it’s golf.’ You’ve just got to kind of brush and laugh it off and stick to your game plan and believe in yourself, bet on yourself. I’ve always done that and I feel like that’s paid off pretty well to this point.”
To achieve big victories – such as winning this PGA Championship – Spieth has had to achieve small wins. Challenging himself to hit difficult tee shots when he lacked trust in his swing. Remembering where he hit bad shots and doing his best to think good thoughts.
Knowing what he feels like under pressure and what his tendencies are. It’s not cleaning out the scar tissue that has accumulated in three-plus years. It’s moving beyond it.
“I’ve proven to be very human,” Spieth said. “It’s kind of fun.”