Jordan Spieth may have the chance to complete a career Grand Slam at the US PGA Champonship this week, but Rich Beem thinks Rory McIlroy will beat the American to the feat.
Spieth moved within one win of joining Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player in winning all four majors with his Open victory at Royal Birkdale last month. That triumph put him alongside McIlroy - who is just missing the Masters from his collection.
Spieth may have the first chance to complete the Grand Slam at Quail Hollow, but Beem believes McIlroy will get there ahead of the Texan despite having to wait until April 2018 for his chance. "If you think of any player that should win Augusta it's certainly Rory with the way that he drives a golf ball," Beem told Omnisport .
"If you look at the greats who have gone round there - Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods - [they are] all sensational drivers of the golf ball. It's only a matter of time before Rory slips on that green jacket.
"Who's going to get there first? It wouldn't shock anybody to see Jordan win this week, I just think Rory is going to get it done next year."
Despite backing McIlroy to beat Spieth to the record, Beem has no doubt the latter will join the list of winning all four majors, having been impressed with his attitude on and off the course. "What he [Spieth] does right now is certainly cementing his legacy and his historical footprint in the game, there's no doubt," the 2002 US PGA Championship winner added.
"I think for Jordan this week he's going to have to put that [winning the grand slam] in the back of his mind and concentrate on the golf course, and if anybody can do it in the game it's Jordan.
"He seems to have the knack for taking care of business at hand right in front of him instead of thinking too far ahead of himself, and he certainly looks like he never dwells on anything in the past for much more than a few seconds."
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