Cinderella won’t get to the ball

FOR 12 of the last 15 champions of the US PGA, it was their first time winning a major championship.

And some of those have been serious springers. Guys like John Daly at Crooked Stick in 1981; Jeff Sluman, all 5ft 7ins of him at Oak Tree in '88; Wayne Grady at Shoal Creek in 1990; and Rich Beem at Hazeltine last year. You could have walked into the bookmakers before each of their victories and been offered 150-1.

The Cinderella saga has become an annual storyline at the PGA but this time, you suspect it may have a different ending. Curtis Strange, winner of the US Open here in 1988, accepts there could be another first time major winner but still has his doubts and for apparently very sound reasons.

"Experience and course knowledge are important attributes wherever and whenever you play a major, but Oak Hill is an extremely strategic golf course that will forgive very few mistakes, especially mistakes off the tee," said Strange who also competed here in the 1995 Ryder Cup match. "Could someone make the PGA Championship at Oak Hill their first major this year? It's possible since there are so many solid players out here who have not won a major. But I would be very surprised if you didn't see a well-seasoned, experienced player win at Oak Hill."

Rich Beem lived the fairy tale last year at Hazeltine to collect his first major and doesn't dismiss the possibility of another emerging 'springer', like he was twelve months ago and Ben Curtis most certainly was in the Open at Royal St Georges.

"Sometimes, things just fall into place like they did for me at Hazeltine," Beem reasons. "Has winning the PGA changed my life? Not really. I'm still the same guy I was although it has opened up a lot of doors for me. I get to play in all the majors for the next five years and events for which I wouldn't have otherwise qualified." In fact, Beem mightn't be here at the end of the week given his wife Sara is due to give birth to their first child on Saturday and he insists: "I'm out of here when the baby decides to come no matter where I am or what I'm doing. We'll just see what the little guy wants to do."

This approach contrasts somewhat with that of the chief Irish hope Padraig Harrington whose wife Caroline is due on Monday. The medical advice is that she will be quite a few days late but even should the call come on Saturday and Padraig is doing well, he will stick around for the week-end before going home on Sunday night. Could he be the latest to join the growing list of first time major winners following fast on the heels this year of Mike Weir, Jim Furyk and Ben Curtis? His current form would suggest otherwise but I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. If Harrington gets off to a decent start and shoots somewhere around par tomorrow and follows up by making the cut at the higher end of the leaderboard, then I think he could well make his presence felt over the week-end.

"My preparation has been far from ideal (a missed cut in the Nissan Irish Open followed by two idle weeks) so I really don't know what to expect out there," he admits.

He's certainly in good form mentally and enjoyed his practice rounds over the past couple of days with compatriots Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, and with another good friend, Thomas Bjorn. The success starved members of the European Tour are here in serious numbers, the PGA having treated people like Paul McGinley (now 165th in the order of merit when he was once 35th) and Lee Westwood (ranked 216) more than a little generously.

Still, there are several other Europeans well equipped to challenge the American domination of the championship. Thomas Bjorn got a taste of what major pressure is all about at Royal St Georges, played well again the week after and could now be ready to make the long awaited breakthrough.

He looks the best Euro hope although Sergio Garcia undoubtedly has what it takes and younger men like Paul Casey and Ian Poulter, a winner in Denmark at the week-end, appear to possess the mental toughness to maintain any serious challenge they might mount.

A trawl through the leading Americans provides more obvious candidates and the names of Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Davis Love III spring immediately to the fore. Vijay Singh is never far away and the same applies to David Toms, the 2001 champion. They are all in terrific form and know what it takes to win major golf championships. However, if you are one of those who believes the modern trend of first-time winners is to be maintained, you might well chance a few euro on Charles Howell III while not forgetting Phil Mickelson who will surely one day get his hands on that first big one.

I especially like the look of the brilliant young Australian Adam Scott and the sweet swinging South African Retief Goosen.

Indeed, my few each way euro will be on Goosen to proceed in his customary quiet way until he has added the 2003 PGA Championship to his US Open of 2001.