Grades for Golf's Top Stars Through the 1st 3 Majors of 2015

The 2015 PGA Championship starts August 13 at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where a talented field of decorated veterans and young guns alike will vie for the 97th Wanamaker trophy. 

But how did we arrive at the final major tournament of the year when it seems like only yesterday Augusta was cultivating its meticulous greens and selecting opening-round pin placements for major No. 1? Let's take a critical look back at how the year's first three majors began the narrative of nail-biting finishes and high-stakes duels that will surely come to a head on the shores of Lake Michigan. 

In those short four months from April to August, we've already seen the accelerated growth of promising pros as they vie for titles, the ugly decline of once-proud hall of famers and even the christening of a future legend.

There have been many up-and-down performances among those players as they dip and rise in form, but when we look at the big picture, we can't help but ask: How do golf's top stars stack up when we compare their commutative performances at all of the majors?

Here, we assess the major performances of golf's top stars and assign them grades (using the standard A-to-F scale) based on the quality of their finishes and their overall consistency. 

Since the first round of the PGA Championship is speeding closer every second, let's jump right in by starting with a man who practically wrote the book on majors in 2015...

Jordan Spieth: A+

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Masters: Won

U.S. Open: Won

British Open: T-4

Could we give the 22-year-old anything less than an A+ for his otherworldly performances this year?

Considering Jordan Spieth is only the sixth golfer to win both the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, joining the timeless company of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Craig Wood and Ben Hogan, the obvious answer is “no.” 

Sure, you could criticize him for missing the playoff at the British Open by one stroke and thus failing to complete the third leg of his Grand Slam, but that would make you J.K. Simmons’ character from Whiplash (3:05). Is there no pleasing you?

Joking aside, Spieth defied the odds against a talented PGA Tour field and handled himself like a player twice his age while under nearly constant media scrutiny. He and his caddie Michael Greller crafted a game plan for the majors and nearly pulled off the impossible.

The season is only three-quarters complete, but 2015 can already definitively be named the Year of Jordan Spieth. If that's not worthy of a gold star on his report card, then we don't know what is.

Dustin Johnson: B+

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Masters: T-6

U.S. Open: T-2

British Open: T-49

It's impossible to chronicle Jordan Spieth's dominant year without tipping our cap to the guy who just missed out on his own glory.

Dustin Johnson was bearing down on the young Texan when he crushed his drive on No. 18, making the final hole at Chambers Bay look like a glorified par three. Johnson was easily on the green in two and could have picked up the trophy and ended his majors hoodoo with his first putt.

Instead, he three putted and handed the title to Spieth.

Johnson tried to bounce back at St. Andrews but was thwarted by the weather (while grouped with Spieth, no less) in Round 2 and settled for a T-49 finish.

Though his year may be remembered more for missed opportunities than successes at majors—not dissimilar from his career as a whole—Johnson's record at majors in 2015 has still been impressive.

His Masters and U.S. Open performances deserve recognition, and his subpar (but still top-50) British Open can be forgiven. That’s why Dustin Johnson earns a high-B.

Zach Johnson: A-

Masters: T-9

U.S. Open: T-72

British Open: Won

Winning a major trophy quiets the doubters—at least for the rest of the year, anyway—so Zach Johnson's combination of a Claret Jug (discussed above) and top-10 finish at the Masters earns him a sizable smiley face at the top of his report card. 

Before this year, the 39-year-old hadn’t won a major since his first, the 2007 Masters. Last year, Johnson’s best finish in a major was tying for 40th at the U.S. Open.

He rediscovered his form in 2015, though, by carding rounds of 72, 72, 68 and 68 at Augusta to crack the leaderboard’s top 10. Johnson went on to falter at the U.S. Open with four consecutive rounds over par (including an eight-over 78 in Round 3), but he bounced back from that mediocre performance by lifting the Claret Jug in July.

It would be unfair to award the British Open winner with anything but an A, especially considering Johnson is the only pro not named Spieth to do so this year. A top-10 finish at the Masters also helped to offset a forgettable week at Chambers Bay.

Rory McIlroy: B

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Masters: 4

U.S. Open: T-9

British Open: Did not play

What can we say about Rory McIlroy this season?

On one hand, he missed the British Open entirely after injuring his ankle playing soccer on July 4. On the other hand, he started his 2015 majors quest with two top-10 finishes.

But then again—on some kind of robotic third hand the guys in R&D whipped up for just such an occasion—the four-time major winner was favored to win both of those events after he finished 2014 with British Open and PGA Championship titles.

Does that mean McIlroy underperformed? Or are we holding the 26-year-old to impossible standards after we assumed he would immediately fill the power vacuum left by Tiger Woods?

The absence of wins for the world No. 1 is disappointing, yes, but back-to-back top-10 finishes in majors can only garner praise. We could fault the pre-tournament favorite for getting injured just weeks before he was scheduled to defend his title at St. Andrews, but it would be harsh to significantly downgrade the Northern Irishman for a tournament in which he was physically unable to compete. Therefore, McIlroy registers a conservative B.

Bubba Watson: D-

Chris Tilley/Associated Press

Masters: T-38

U.S. Open: Missed Cut

British Open: Missed Cut

What’s wrong with Bubba Watson?

The 2012 and 2014 Masters champion only managed to (barely) crack the top 40 at Augusta this season before he missed the cut at both the U.S. Open and the British Open. That’s not an entirely unfamiliar narrative for Watson, however.

In his last seven attempts, the 36-year-old has only qualified for the weekend at the U.S. Open three times. Aside from his tied-for-fifth-place finish in 2007, Watson has only cracked the top 20 once in the last decade.

Meanwhile, he has never finished in the top 20 at the British Open and has only made three cuts from his last seven appearances across the pond.

Watson has fared considerably better at the PGA Championship (he even placed second in 2010), but unfortunately for him, this report card comes out before he’ll have a chance to improve his GPA with another outing at Whistling Straits.

Missing consecutive cuts at majors isn’t good. Missing consecutive cuts at majors when you’re a two-time major champion is worse. Were it not for that top-40 finish at Augusta, Watson would have received an F.

Jason Day: B

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Masters: T-28

U.S. Open: T-9

British Open: T-4

Every teacher likes to see improvement from his or her students. So if Jason Day had enrolled in a class called How to Succeed in Majors 101, he would surely be teacher’s pet by now.

He claimed a respectable top-30 finish at Augusta before making dramatic improvement in the two major opens. Day earned a hard-fought even-par score through four rounds at Chambers Bay, where sustained bogey avoidance was nearly impossible and Spieth ultimately won with a gentlemanly score of five-under par.

At St. Andrews, he got even closer to the title, missing a playoff berth by just one stroke. Day only conceded three bogeys all week at the Old Course (all in Round 2), but his inability to generate any red figures after birdying No. 6 in the final round meant he fell painfully short yet again.

Still, despite the heartbreak, Day’s recent top-10 finishes paired with his consistent improvement earn him a solid B for the year so far.

If the Australian can maintain this positive trend going into August’s PGA Championship, he just may shake off the title of “great player never to have won a major” once and for all.

Adam Scott: B

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Masters: T-38

U.S. Open: T-4

British Open: T-10

Adam Scott and Jason Day have similar records in the majors this year, so for that reason Scott gets essentially the same grade as his fellow Aussie. 

The 2013 Masters winner continued his record of earning multiple top-10 finishes at majors every year since 2011. This year, Scott rebounded from a pedestrian one-over-par result at Augusta to finish just two strokes behind Spieth at the U.S. Open after an incredible bogey-free 64 in the final round at Chambers Bay.

He followed that phenomenal round with a promising start at St. Andrews, but he collapsed with three bogeys and a double in the final five holes.

If we were breaking this report card down to scores rather than just grades, Scott would score a little below Day for his Masters performance. However, if Scott can continue his good form at the PGA Championship this month—he’s cracked the top 10 twice in the last four years and never finished outside the top 15 over that period—he might just leapfrog his countryman.

As it stands, though, Adam Scott’s first three major performances rate a B.

Justin Rose: B+

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Masters: T-2

U.S. Open: T-27

British Open: T-6

Justin Rose has been firmly in the majors hunt all year long, and it shows on his report card.

The 2013 U.S. Open champion was a serious contender at the Masters and checked into the clubhouse only four strokes off the playoff trio at the British Open. Throughout his four rounds at St. Andrews, there were not any significant aberrations in scoring, which attests to his generally consistent play and adaptability through varying course conditions.

When looking at the whole picture, it’s easy to see why Rose is one of Odds Shark’s favorites to win the PGA Championship.

The Englishman, however, fails to earn an A on this report card for two reasons. First, there’s the obvious absence of a major victory. Second, despite his consistent showings near the top of the leaderboard, Rose’s T-27 at Chambers Bay does hold him back slightly. Had he managed a top-10 finish there, it could have justified a low A.

Rose could jump a letter grade for his next report card, though, if he can replicate the tied-for-third-place finish he had at the 2012 PGA—or shoot even better.

Rickie Fowler: C-

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Masters: T-12

U.S. Open: Missed Cut

British Open: T-30

Rickie Fowler finally quieted many of his critics by winning both the Players Championship and the Scottish Open this year. His performance at majors, though, has left much to be desired.

The 26-year-old had an outstanding 2014 season, tying for fifth place at the Masters, tying for second at both the U.S. Open and British open, and tying for third at the PGA Championship. Clearly maintaining that momentum was too tall an order.

Fowler’s Masters got off to a shaky start when he found himself one stroke over par after the first two rounds. He made a 70-67 run over the weekend to finish the tournament at six-under par, but that was only good enough to tie for 12th.

A horrendous opening-round 81 (which included a soul-melting streak of three double bogeys and a bogey at holes six through nine) at the U.S. Open destroyed any hope Fowler might have had of contending.

At the British Open, despite lifting the winner’s trophy at a Scottish links course just a week before, he could only muster a T-30 finish with rounds of 72, 71, 66 and 73.

Fowler improved his reputation on tour with two wins, but he still has a lot of work to do to win his first major after this year’s relative struggles. For two top-30 finishes and one missed cut, Fowler earns a C-.

Hideki Matsuyama: B

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Masters: 5

U.S. Open: T-18

British Open: T-18

The 23-year-old from Japan has quietly established himself at majors over the last few years.

In 2013, his first year playing the majority of majors, Hideki Matsuyama tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, tied for sixth at the British Open and tied for 19th at the PGA Championship.

The following year, he missed the cut at Augusta and finished in the top 40 for the rest of the majors but turned it on again in 2015. Matsuyama took fifth at the Masters this year and tied for 18th at both the U.S. and British Opens.

He may only have one top-10 result, but the fact that he has never dropped outside the top 20 in three consecutives majors is a feat worthy of recognition—especially for such a young player.

Spieth and McIlroy may be monopolizing the young hype (and sending the stock-market value of experience on the PGA Tour into a tailspin), but Matsuyama deserves credit for going toe to toe with veterans and 20-something phenoms alike and keeping his cool.

Matsuyama hasn’t yet written his name into history with a major title, but his consistency so far this year has earned him a solid B and a great deal of expectation from his fans for the near future.