First place, first place, fourth place.

This is the track record for a 22-year-old golfer in the three majors so far this year: the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Open.

Pressure was high on Jordan Spieth to win the Open a couple weekends ago at the Old Course, St. Andrews. He was the only player in the game to have a shot of an annual grand slam, an unprecedented accomplishment in the modern era of golf.

He didn’t make it. But it was the next best thing, if that holds any consolation. He was one shot short of tying for first place. His final shot of the day, a nearly impossible putt from off the green on No. 18 of The Old Course, came within three inches of the hole. It was an impressive effort, but it only counts if you get the ball in the cup.
Zach Johnson won the major in the playoff round. Tears of disbelief and joy swelled around his eyes during his post-win interview. It was a well-deserved victory by a player with a true respect for the game.

Spieth doesn’t seem to be taking fourth place too badly, though. Despite a very visible wash of disappointment coming over him after missing his final putt, he still played exceptionally well. There’s a photo of him floating around the web of the young Texan drinking from the Open Trophy Cup, Johnson smiling in the background as Spieth takes a sip.

Yeah, he still has two majors under his belt this year. He’s grounded enough to realize this isn’t the end of the world. In fact, far from it. He seems to understand he still has another opportunity to make history with a win at the PGA Championship in two weeks. He still has a chance to win countless other tournaments and majors. This isn’t the end of Spieth-mania, it’s just getting revved up.

He isn’t going away anytime soon, and neither is the constant fan and media attention. The kid has successfully launched himself into the stardom he dreamed of as a kid. He still has plenty of golf left in him.

The fun part as a spectator is kicking back and watching everyone else bring their A-game just to compete with him. The 2015 PGA Championship will be a good one for that reason alone.