'You’d Back Schauffele To Get His Two Before Spieth Or McIlroy Get Their One'

If you were putting odds on who would be the next player to win the career Grand Slam at the start of the year, Xander Schauffele would've been way down the list - but right now he's arguably the favourite.

The 30-year-old Californian was right there with the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland in terms of possible first-time Major winners at the start of 2024, sure, but still his Grand Slam odds would've been astronomical.

But for a few reasons he's the man to have your money on right now - not least because he's delivered two different Majors so quickly he's already made it halfway there.

That puts him in the same boat as Brooks Koepka, who may have five Major titles but only in two different Majors, while Scottie Scheffler can match Schauffele's two Major titles but both of his Green Jackets mean he's still three wins away.

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are just one win away, yet Schauffele's quick-fire one-two punch has given him a great chance of becoming the sixth player ever to win a modern-day career Grand Slam in golf.

And here's why...

Strike while the iron is hot

Schauffele finished in the top eight of every Major this year and won twice for the best season since Jordan Spieth's 2015 when he won The Masters and US Open, and his story is a familiar one.

Brooks Koepka looked like winning every Major when he claimed four titles in eight appearances, while Dustin Johnson won twice in 16 appearances with six other top 10s and multiple chances.

Rory McIlroy got four wins in four years but he's slightly different as a perennial challenger over a winless decade, but the moral of the story is that when players get hot in Majors they need to cash in while they can.

These things go in cycles unless you're a very special talent, and even Scottie Scheffler, who has been head and shoulders the best player on the planet, still only has two Majors on his CV.

Right now, Schauffele has the game, the form, and more importantly the confidence of knowing he can get over the line, which is often the difference down the stretch in Majors.

And with them all coming relatively quickly a month apart, a player hitting Major form can challenge in them all as they come thick and fast - so a good start at Augusta next April could lead to another Schauffele summer.

Schauffele's incredible US Open & Masters stats

Circumstance and luck often dictate when a player peaks just at the right time to win a Major - they're not really able to pick and choose when that happens, but if he could pick, then Schauffele winning his two 'worst' Majors first and leaving his favoured two to complete the set is surely the way he'd go.

The pressure will grow as he looks for that Grand Slam, but luckily for him it's The Masters and the US Open where he's played his best golf and had his best results - plus winning The Open always has the weather involved in some way.

At The Masters, Schauffele has made six out of seven cuts with four top-10 finishes including a second and third - Augusta National is a place that gets easier the more you play so a Green Jacket certainly wouldn't be a surprise.

What would be a surprise would be if Schauffele doesn't win the US Open as his record in his national championship is stunning - making eight out of eight cuts and recording seven top 10s with a lowest finish of T14!

His T7 at Pinehurst was the sixth time he's finished seventh or better, so he loves the tough test the USGA presents him and you'd be amazed if he didn't win one sooner or later.

Now with that confidence only winning Majors can bring, and his two favourite events left to win, Schauffele could not be better placed to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only men to win all four current men's Majors.

Issues for McIlroy and Spieth

Another reason you'd make Schauffele favourite is that the guys who only need one more to complete the set have plenty of negatives - not least because having just one left brings a fresh pressure all of it's own.

McIlroy's Major drought is well documented and with his missing title being The Masters it brings even more pressure of the first Major of the year - always the most hyped-up we get.

Throw in his latest and biggest near miss at Pinehurst and there's a lot of demons that will be floating around should he get into contention in April.

Spieth should really have won on his first three Masters appearances, and he could've added at least one more Major in that stunning 2015 season when he finished second at the PGA and T4 at The Open.

His game has not been good enough in Majors to challenge for a while now, and he's not finished higher than T29 in the last five PGA Championships - so as of now you'd back Schauffele to get his two before Spieth or McIlroy get their one.

A lot can change before next April, but McIlroy will carry a lot more heat into Augusta than Schauffele, so the American is in the driving seat of those chasing a place in golf's most exclusive club.