Tom Kim states what he noticed about Rory McIlroy during practice at The Masters as he also makes comment about Jordan Spieth

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Tom Kim has made an astute observation about Rory McIlroy, and indeed the ramifications that his incredible Masters win could have for Jordan Spieth.

McIlroy finally won The Masters on his 16th attempt, and Kim has opened up on how happy he was for the 35-year-old.

In what should be a frightening prospect for his rivals, McIlroy’s win at The Masters is expected to free him up now.

Meanwhile, Spieth is already a Masters champion of course.

Incredibly, Spieth told his golf coach when he was just 12 that his goal was to win The Masters, and he achieved his dream by triumphing around Augusta National in 2015.

It’s hard to believe that that was 10 years ago. The 31-year-old has won the US Open and The Open Championship since then, but he is without a major win over the last eight years.

And he is still missing The PGA Championship from his resume.

So could he break his long wait for one of golf’s premier trophies by winning at Quail Hollow in two week’s time?

What Tom Kim noticed about Rory McIlroy during Masters practice round as he comments on Jordan Spieth

Kim endured a challenging Masters tournament, and ended up finishing in a tie for 52nd.

However, that didn’t stop him appreciating McIlroy’s sheer brilliance at Augusta National.

Kim spoke to reporters on Tuesday ahead of the start of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and shared his delight at seeing McIlroy finally complete the Grand Slam:

“I’m so happy for him. The emotions that let out on the 18th green were so real and raw. I got to play with Rory my first Masters on Monday, the practice round, and the first two days. I could just see, even no matter how you try, you can still personally only imagine what he’s feeling, the pressure that he’s feeling. To be able to do that and watching the last few holes, I never really felt that nervous for someone else before.

“This guy’s trying to chase history, and it’s taken him so long to be able to do that and to be in the position that he’s at, it’s unimaginable. I think everyone — he definitely made it a lot harder on himself than it should have been. I think he kept everyone on their toes for, I think, three hours. But once he got it done, I was so happy for him. And it’s really good for the game of golf, and I think a few players have said it, but he finally got over the major hump so it’s going to be a lot more challenging for us to compete.”

And then Kim was asked to give his opinion on Spieth’s chances of emulating the Northern Irishman by joining the exclusive Grand Slam club:

“It would be astronomical for the game of golf. I really do believe that, to be able to have two career grand slams in one year. We’ve only had — is it only five — is it six now? I think Jordan again being such a big face of the game of golf would be really good for us, for the PGA Tour. I think seeing Rory do it for sure is going to motivate him more to get it done in Charlotte.”

Jordan Spieth has major concern ahead of The PGA Championship

Spieth is already under huge pressure to get the monkey off his back every single time he tees it up at The PGA.

However, there is something else that really isn’t working in his favour as well.

The Dallas native has only played at The Wells Fargo Championship (now the Truist Championship) three times during his career, so he clearly doesn’t think the course is a great fit for his game.

He finished in a tie for 32nd in 2013, missed the cut in 2023 and ended up in a tie for 29th in 2024.

Spieth also played at Quail Hollow in the 2017 PGA Championship, but experienced a disappointing week, finishing in a tie for 28th at two-over par.

The stats aren’t looking good for Spieth right now. He only has two top-10 finishes in nine events to his name this season, and he hasn’t won a tournament for three years.

The 31-year-old is undoubtedly capable of emerging from his slump with a win at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this week, or at The PGA Championship in a couple of weeks for that matter.

However, Spieth’s game right now doesn’t seem to suggest that he will be joining Rory McIlroy and co in the Grand Slam club this year.