Golf's Big Three -- Day, Spieth, McIlroy -- feels pressure to excel in 2016
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — They ruled golf in 2014 and ’15, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day did.
In that two-year stretch, at one time or another, the three attracted daunting comparisons to the shock and awe of Tiger Woods in years gone by. They each assumed ownership of the world No. 1 ranking, each was triumphant on a major stage in which they build their seasons around — five majors in all between them — and they took home 26 titles globally.
They were all the rage.
They were anointed the Big Three.
But a funny thing happened en route to the reincarnation of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, the Big Three of yesteryear.
Dustin Johnson crashed the party with his smashing victory in this year’s U.S. Open while McIlroy crashed his left ankle ahead of the 2015 British Open. Spieth dumped a couple balls into Rae’s Creek in this year’s Masters, while Day’s blazing flame in the spring has flickered in the summer. And only two weeks ago, Henrik Stenson reminded everyone how talented and deep the pool is in professional golf with his tour de force in the British Open.
It’s all led to a not-so-funny thing. Despite winning six titles between them this year and with Day No. 1 in the world, Spieth No. 3 and McIlroy No. 4, the perception in some golf circles is that the three have had disappointing seasons.
Only Spieth at the Masters, the detractors will point out, has been a factor in a major championship deep into the final round where, at Augusta National, his chances of winning a green jacket in consecutive years washed away on the 12th hole. The burden of expectation and excellence has weighed on all three and will continue to do so this week on the Lower Course at Baltusrol Golf Club in the 98th PGA Championship, where Day defends his title and all three have one last shot to win a major this year.
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The majors, after all, carry enormous significance and with that comes critical judgment, annoying and harsh as it has been at times. It’s often been telling in the body language of the three and in the sounds of their words from the last six months.
Before the U.S. Open, Day, who’s the only player with three wins this season, said he’d never been so stressed in his life trying to hold on to No. 1 and live up to his own expectations. At the British Open, Spieth, while saying no one should feel sorry for him, spoke to a solid, positive 2016 campaign that includes two wins and a T2 in the Masters but one that has been saddled with negative questions about his falling short of matching his Grand Slam-chasing, five-win season in 2015. McIlroy just hasn’t had the same hop in his step that he did when he won six titles, two of them majors, in 23 events spanning 10 months starting in July of 2014.
“This just shows how unbelievably fragile this game is,” said Nick Faldo, a winner of six majors and now a CBS analyst.
All along, the three have downplayed the premature talk of the Big Three, often mentioning out of respect and admiration the World Golf Hall of Fame careers of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player, and to the current crop of talent. But while bothered by the noise surrounding them in the form of criticism and questions and headlines, all three know that on any given Sunday, one or two or all three can rise again.
“I set my own expectations so high. So have I met them this year? Not yet,” Spieth said Tuesday after a practice round. “I still can, based on the goals that we set for the year. I've improved in categories from last year I wanted to improve on, and other categories have diminished slightly. I'm hitting the ball farther this year, which is really nice.
“I have more confidence in my mid- to long-iron play than I did last year. Short game has gone down just a bit. I'm working hard on it. But I have my own goals, and it's just about staying focused on those.
“It is hard to do. … You mature each time going through it, and I feel like I've matured quite a bit this year as a person and player in trying to stay focused on my own goals and keep outside noise outside.”
Day said that it’s been crazy the last 12 months and often talks to his caddie and best mate, Colin Swatton, about dealing with pressure. His best response is to work harder and never get complacent. But that’s easier said than done.
“I need to work harder than I ever have before to win tournaments, because it's only getting tougher,” he said. “It's coming into the crunch time for me pressure-wise. … Being kind of the favorite going into each tournament and expectation levels are high and then all that amounts to pressure that you put on yourself and stress that you put on yourself, and you've got to somehow kind of manage yourself, manage your ego. And then somehow execute the shot, execute the game plan, and go out there and try and win.”
McIlroy was the first of the three to get to No. 1. He didn’t have any trouble holding his own inside the ropes, but the distractions outside the ropes, the increased demands and extra scrutiny, got to him at times. Now, however, his main struggle is himself.
“Sort of a little bit of neutral,” McIlroy answered when asked what word he would use to describe his year. “I feel there's been times where I got a little bit of momentum, and then sort of got set back a little bit. It's been a little stop/start in a way. I'm trying to stay as positive as I can. I feel like I am positive because my game is in good shape. But I guess maybe running out of patience a little bit and trying to make it happen.
“ … And then a grade this year? I'd say like a B-, maybe B. It's OK. I could change that into an A+ on Sunday. As you say, there's a lot of golf left, last major of the year, and I want to give it my all to get in the mix and try to win another one of these things before I have to wait another eight months to get another opportunity at Augusta next year.”