LONDON - Nick Faldo believes that if all four majors are shoehorned into a tightly-packed window later this year, it will offer Rory McIlroy and the other leading lights a real opportunity to rewrite golf history.
No professional has won all four majors in the same season to complete the grand slam, but Britain’s greatest golfer believes the odds on such a feat will shorten if players go practically from one major to the next.
Speaking from his home in Florida - adjacent to where the Players Championship is held each year - the six-time major champion said: “This could play right into the hands of Rory, Brooks Koepka and three or four other guys. When you win a major, you’ve got a month before the next one when you’re playing in a couple of events, doing all the interviews and over that period of time you kind of lose the magic. We all know the hardest thing about majors is the time you’ve got to think about them.
“But what if you’ve only got a week or so? What if you’ve got all that emotion and confidence from winning inside you and you walk straight to the first tee at the next major? How wonderful would that be if you’re playing great? I think someone who is mentally prepared and mentally strong enough could get on an unbelievable roll later this year. There’s a real chance for one guy to win two or three and we could even see a clean sweep.”
Tiger Woods is the only pro to hold all four majors at the same time, winning the last three in 2000 and completing the set by winning the 2001 Masters.