Jordan Spieth is eyeing golf's fabled career grand slam after exorcising his Augusta demons with a dramatic British Open triumph at Royal Birkdale.
Spieth denied fellow American Matt Kuchar with an extraordinary final-round 69 that featured an eagle and three birdies in four holes after he'd relinquished his three-shot overnight lead in wild fashion on the 13th.
Spieth sliced his tee shot 50 metres right into thick grass on a sand dune so steep he could hardly stand up.
After lengthy deliberation and consultation with officials, he accepted a penalty for an unplayable lie before hitting his next shot from the practice driving range - and near a Titleist truck.
The 29-minute scene inevitably evoked memories of last year's spectacular Masters meltdown when Spieth threw away the green jacket with a quadruple seven after popping two shots in the water on Amen Corner's famous par-3 12th.
But, unlike Augusta, Spieth rallied to knock a blind three iron over the dune to short of the green, chipped up and holed a clutch two-metre putt for a miraculous bogey.
Kuchar made par to assume a one-shot lead but it was Spieth who felt all the momentum.
Spieth almost aced the par-3 14th, then made eagle on the par-5 15th and further birdies on 16 and 17 to leave his playing partner and Ryder Cup teammate shell-shocked after a decisive three-shot swing.
With a par at the last, Spieth secured a tension-filled three-stroke victory, his 12-under-par 268 leaving the 23-year-old heading to next month's US PGA Championship bidding to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as only the sixth player to win all four majors.
"It's incredible. It's a life goal of mine. It's a career goal," Spieth said.
Already alongside Nicklaus as only the second man to win three majors before turning 24, having captured the 2015 Masters and US Open titles, Spieth says it's all a dream.
"Growing up playing golf, I just wanted to be able to play in major championships and compete with the best in the world, and things have happened very quickly," he said.
"And this is as much of a high as I've ever experienced in my golfing life."
But, for all his steel, Spieth admits his Masters collapse had left him with doubts.
"Before the round, I thought I have a reputation as being able to close, but I was hesitant in saying "majors" to myself," he said.
"And if it weren't to go my way today, then all I'm going to be questioned about and thought about and murmured about is in comparison to that, and that adds a lot of pressure to me.
"Today took as much out of me as any day that I've ever played golf."
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