For the fourth time, the 105th PGA Championship will be held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
The East Course will be quite different this week than it was when Oak Hill hosted the PGA Championship in 2013. In 2019, architect Andrew Green restored the Donald Ross-designed course extensively.
Each of the 18 greens and every bunker on the course were rebuilt and reshaped as part of the project. The greens are now made entirely of bentgrass. Green’s employees also cleared several trees and built back tees, bringing the course length to 7,394 yards, 231 yards greater than it was a decade earlier.
Long hitters may have an edge in Rochester, where the weather is unpredictably variable this time of year. High temperatures in the 60s and 70s are expected on tournament days, with a risk of rain.
Here’s a look at who can and cannot win the PGA Championship this week:
For the fourth time, the 105th PGA Championship will be held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
The East Course will be quite different this week than it was when Oak Hill hosted the PGA Championship in 2013. In 2019, architect Andrew Green restored the Donald Ross-designed course extensively.
Each of the 18 greens and every bunker on the course were rebuilt and reshaped as part of the project. The greens are now made entirely of bentgrass. Green’s employees also cleared several trees and built back tees, bringing the course length to 7,394 yards, 231 yards greater than it was a decade earlier.
Long hitters may have an edge in Rochester, where the weather is unpredictably variable this time of year. High temperatures in the 60s and 70s are expected on tournament days, with a risk of rain.
Here’s a look at who can and cannot win the PGA Championship this week:
Jordan Spieth Spieth can complete his career grand slam on Sunday by winning the Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill. He was forced to withdraw from last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson due to a left wrist injury. Spieth is still listed among the competitors.
Cantlay, Patrick
Cantlay hasn’t played well in the majors in recent seasons, which is likely why he enticed Tiger Woods’ caddy Joe LaCava away from his bag. He is the world’s fourth-ranked player without a major title victory.
Viktor Hovland Hovland, 25, is becoming more at ease on the big stage. He tied for fourth place in the Open at St. Andrews and eighth place in the Masters. His work on and around the greens continues to be a source of worry.
Cameron Young Young of Scarborough, New York, is third in driving distance (318.2 yards) on the tour. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but he has three top-10 results in his last four major tournament outings, including a tie for seventh at the Masters.
Mr. Collin Morikawa
The two-time major winner has been in poor form recently, finishing tied for 31st at the RBC Heritage and missing the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. He is ranked 169th in strokes gained: putting (-.325) and has lately modified his putting grip.
Xander Schauffele Schauffele spends as much time on the leaderboard at a major event as the LIV Golf League’s lawyers do in court. He finished tied for 10th in the Masters, his 16th top-25 finish in 23 majors starts. He will eventually complete the transaction.
Fitzpatrick, Matt
The defending US Open winner won the RBC Heritage, and he seems to have healed totally from a bulging disc in his neck. He finished tied for 10th in the Masters, his third top-10 result in four majors.
Mr. Justin Thomas
For a spell, the two-time PGA Championship champion seemed out of sorts, particularly on the greens. He is ranked 138th in putting strokes gained (-.166) and 118th in driving accuracy (57.9%). If Thomas’ putter heats up, he’ll be back in contention.
Homa, Max
Homa is another player with world-class skill but has yet to compete in a big tournament. In 13 big tournament starts as a pro, he has just one top-25 finish. Homa will turn things around sooner rather than later.
Hideki Matsuyama is a Japanese writer.
Since tied for fifth place at the PGA Championship in 2017, the 2021 Masters champion hasn’t placed in the top ten. He has had a nice run recently after suffering neck and back issues, placing sixth at the Players Championship and tied for 16th at the Masters.
Sam Burns, who won his fifth PGA Tour title at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, is still looking for his first major victory. In nine pro starts, he has one top-25 finish.
Day, Jason
The 2015 PGA Championship champion has been in good health and is playing well this year, including winning the Byron Nelson last week for the first time in five years. He ranks T-7 in total shots gained (1.975) and 15th in overall driving.
Cameron Smith is an actor.
The defending Open Championship champion finished in a tie for 34th place at the Masters. In seven PGA Championship appearances, the Australian has failed to finish in the top ten.
Fleetwood Mac
The English golfer is still looking for his first triumph in America. He finished in a tie for fifth place in the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was in contention at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Adam Scott Scott has missed the cut in his last two PGA Championship appearances, although he has six top-10 finishes in 22 tries. He finished sixth in the Wells Fargo Championship and performed well at the in&T Byron Nelson. He’s getting hot again.
Dustin Johnson’s
DJ missed the cut in the last two PGA Championships after finishing runner-up in the previous two in 2019 and 2020. He finished 48th at the Masters and won his first LIV Golf 2023 tournament last week in Tulsa.
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