“The long journey is over, McIlroy has his masterpiece…”
The now famous and perfectly encapsulated call from Jim Nantz came as Rory, in as dramatic a fashion as possible, finally conquered the demons he first created back at the 2011 Masters. Not only did Rory finally slip on his long desired green jacket, he also joined golf’s exclusive club of Grand Slam champions. His win at the Masters made him the sixth golfer of all time to join the list, and the first since Tiger Woods a quarter century earlier in 2000.
With one Grand Slam storyline coming to an end, another quickly began. By year’s end, Scottie Scheffler, with wins at the PGA Championship and The Open to go along with his two green jackets, had put himself just a U.S. Open win away from becoming the seventh Grand Slam champion of all time. When we arrive at Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open later this year, Scottie will be making his first attempt at the Grand Slam, and rightfully so it will consume all the headlines surrounding the week.
However, something I haven’t seen mentioned much is that by week’s end at the Masters, there’s potential for two other golfers to join the mix and become part of the Grand Slam discussion at the U.S. Open, crashing Scheffler’s solo party.
There’s also another golfer who could add his name to the conversation of “next to win the Grand Slam” by the conclusion of Masters Sunday. However, if he wins, he will have to wait until after the U.S. Open before getting his first crack at it.
As you have probably figured out by now, I’m talking about Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, and Collin Morikawa, all of whom, by adding a green jacket late Sunday afternoon, would join Scottie, and Spieth technically, in the Grand Slam discussion for 2026.
A win for Xander or Collin this week would leave them both needing only the U.S. Open, just like Scottie, while Brooks would be left needing The Open. Something to note as well, if Jon Rahm were to win the PGA Championship in May, he too would have a shot at the Grand Slam in 2026 at The Open, just like Brooks.
So as you can see, we very well could have the chance to be discussing multiple names when the topic of the “Grand Slam” arises at the final three majors this year.
However, winning majors isn’t easy, and the odds are that the only new name associated with the term Grand Slam in 2026 will remain Scottie Scheffler. But if that isn’t the case, and the golf gods want to reward us with some fascinating major championship storylines, then…
Which of Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka or Collin Morikawa have the best shot at completing the first step and knocking off the needed green jacket this week?
All three have had success at the Masters and have had chances to win on Sunday, but when those opportunities presented themselves, none were able to capitalize and seize what the moment required.
Brooks was in the best position when he was the 54-hole leader in 2023. However, birdies were hard to come by on Sunday for Brooks, and Rahm, who he was playing with, chased him down fairly quickly into the round. He was also in the thick of it on that glorious Sunday in 2019 when Tiger Woods, as Nantz so perfectly put it, returned to glory. Brooks was tied for the lead that day thru 15 holes, and that was even with hitting his approach shot on the famous par-3 12th short into the water. He would end up finishing one back.
Collin, two years ago, played in the final pairing Sunday with Scheffler, where they were tied for the lead thru eight holes before Collin unraveled in a 45-minute span, making double bogeys on the 9th and 11th holes.
Xander played in the final pairing with Hideki Matsuyama in 2021. He got off to a horrible start, and after his double bogey on the par-4 5th hole, putting him seven back of Hideki, it seemed he had quickly relinquished any chances of donning the green jacket that day. However, he ended up clawing his way back little by little, and as Hideki started to leak oil late, Xander eventually pulled within two shots of the lead after birdieing the par-5 15th. But what followed on the par-3 16th, right as Xander had brought himself all the way back into contention, was the fastest ejection you will ever see. A water ball short on a hole that offers one of the friendliest Sunday funnel pins out there, where the water is typically not really in play. It led to a triple, and that time there was no clawing his way back.
Xander, like Brooks, was also in contention at the 2019 Masters for Tiger’s eventual win. In fact, Xander was in the same position as Brooks, tied for the lead thru 15 holes. He too would come up just short and finish one back.
So as you can see, they have all had their moments come Sunday, with Brooks and Xander having had the best opportunities late on Sunday so far.
But can any of them return to being part of the storyline late on Sunday in 2026?
Being a big fan of Brooks Koepka, I would love to see him in the mix, but I’m not too convinced this is going to be the year. His putting has been slowly improving, but not enough to the point where he can win a major right now, especially the Masters.
However, what I’m far more confident in is the potential for Brooks to knock off the third leg at Royal Birkdale for The Open Championship instead, and then, this time next year, like Rory did for so long, come into Augusta needing a win to complete the Grand Slam.
How does that storyline sound? Because sign me up.
When it comes to Collin, unfortunately it sounds like he’s still dealing with the back injury that forced him to withdraw after one hole of THE PLAYERS Championship. Without that injury, the way Collin’s game had been trending, highlighted by his win at Pebble Beach earlier in the year, I think he would have been a force to be reckoned with this week. Augusta is challenging enough on its own, and to also be battling pain and discomfort makes me want to set Collin’s chances at zero for winning. Crazier things have happened, but does an injured Collin Morikawa have a chance? My answer is no.
My hunch, and what my gut is telling me, often completely wrong, is that Xander Schauffele will be in the mix late. The last couple of years he’s finished with uncompetitive top 10s, and it’s been a few years since his last real chance to win here. By putting himself in the mix at the Genesis and then THE PLAYERS, he’s building back to something big after his extremely disappointing and frustrating 2025 campaign.
If I’m choosing one name, I’m giving Xander Schauffele the best shot at winning this week, resulting in crashing Scottie Scheffler’s first official Grand Slam attempt party at Shinnecock Hills and where the golf will truly get spicy.
