Golf's US PGA Championship preview: All You Need To Know
Rory McIlroy signs his autograph for fans after practice at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club
: Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Irish time -6 hours)
: 7,556 yards.
: 70.
: 156 players (20 PGA professionals).
: TBC ($12 million in 2021).
: TBC ($2.16 million in 2021).
: Phil Mickelson (not competing).
Mickelson became the oldest major champion in history at age 50 with a two-shot victory at Kiawah Island. It was his sixth major and second PGA title. Mickelson made a pair of early birdies to take control and let Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka and everyone else make the mistakes. He led by as many as five shots on the back nine and closed with a 1-over 73. He became the 10th player to win a major in three decades.
: Tiger Woods won his 13th major and fourth PGA Championship in 2007 with a two-shot victory over Woody Austin. Woods posted his lowest score in a major with a 63 in the second round.
Woods flew to Tulsa on April 28 and is likely to play. He made the cut at the Masters nearly 14 months after a car crash crushed his right leg and ankle.
Jordan Spieth needs to win the PGA Championship to become the sixth player to capture the career Grand Slam.
This is the eighth major at Southern Hills, which previous hosted the PGA Championship four times and the US Open three times. It has hosted the PGA more than any other course.
: Southern Hills is 425 yards longer than it was for the 2007 PGA Championship.
: All seven major champions at Southern Hills had at least a share of the lead from the second round until completion.
: The last five major champions at Southern Hills are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
“He’s setting the bar pretty high right now and he’s kind of the guy to chase for all of us. What he’s doing is borderline Tigeresque.” — Will Zalatoris on Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.
Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017).
Worldwide victories: 16.
PGA Championship moment: Finishing runner-up to Jason Day at Whistling Straits in 2015 in his bid to become the first player to win the American Grand Slam. He reached No. 1 in the world for the first time.
Backspin: In his sixth attempt at completing the career Grand Slam, this might be Spieth’s best chance. His swing has become more reliable, and he rebounded from his first missed cut at the Masters by winning at Hilton Head. Tiger Woods in 2000 was the fifth and most recent player to get the career slam.
Majors: U.S. Open (2021).
Worldwide victories: 14.
PGA Championship moment: Shooting 68 or better all four rounds at Bellerive in 2018 and being in contention in the final hour until tying for fourth.
Backspin: The Mexico Open marked his sixth consecutive season with at least one victory. It also gave the Spaniard a shot of confidence from the start of the year in which he grew tired of not seeing putts go in. Another major victory could put him back at No. 1 in the world.
Majors: None.
Worldwide victories: 7.
PGA Championship moment: Making two eagles in the opening round at Kiawah Island last year. He also had five bogeys and no birdies.
Backspin: The FedEx Cup champion has come into his own except in the majors. This would be a good opportunity and his game is in excellent shape. He had a pair of playoff losses to Scottie Scheffler in Phoenix and Jordan Spieth at Hilton Head.
Majors: Masters (2022).
Worldwide victories: 4.
PGA Championship moment: Playing in the final group Sunday in his PGA debut at Harding Park.
Backspin: Right when it looks as though his remarkable streak of great play will come to an end, Scheffler wins the Masters. All four of his wins have come in his last seven starts, and he has experience at Southern Hills from college. He will try to become only the fourth player in the last 50 years to win the first two majors of the year.
RORY MCILROY (NI, 32, WR 7)
Majors: PGA Championship (2012, 2014), U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014).
Worldwide victories: 28.
PGA Championship moment: Setting the PGA record with an eight-shot victory at Kiawah Island in 2012.
Backspin: McIlroy is entering his eighth year since winning his last major. Hopes were built on his closing 64 at the Masters for a runner-up finish, though he never had a chance to win. He hasn’t broken 70 in the opening round of a PGA since his last victory at Valhalla in 2014.
Majors: PGA Championship (2020), British Open (2021).
Worldwide victories: 6.
PGA Championship moment: Driver to 7 feet for eagle on the 16th hole at Harding Park to win the PGA Championship in his first try.
Backspin: He hasn’t won since the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, and he hasn’t seriously contended since then. But he’s all about majors. A victory would be three straight years with a major. Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the only players who have done that in the last 30 years.
Majors: None.
Worldwide victories: 5.
PGA Championship moment: A 66 in the opening round at Harding Park, his lowest score in the PGA.
Backspin: His last PGA Tour victory was more than three years ago. That doesn’t account for his Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last summer. He had been relatively quiet until teaming with Patrick Cantlay to win in New Orleans. Has finished in the top 10 in nine of his 19 majors.
Majors: Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019), PGA Championship (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007), U.S. Open (2000, 2002, 2008), British Open (2000, 2005, 2006).
Worldwide victories: 93.
PGA Championship moment: Becoming the first back-to-back PGA champion in stroke play with a playoff win at Valhalla in 2000.
Backspin: Woods already defied the odds by returning from a car crash that crushed his right leg and not only playing in the Masters, but making the cut. He’s had five weeks to rest and improve and now returns to a Southern Hills course where he won his fourth Wanamaker Trophy.
Majors: PGA Championship (2017).
Worldwide victories: 14.
PGA Championship moment: Winning at Quail Hollow and celebrating with his father, a former PGA of America officer and longtime club pro.
Backspin: Thomas now has gone 14 months since his last win at The Players Championship, and the biggest struggle has been his putter. He has only four top 10s in the 15 majors he has played since winning the PGA Championship in 2017.
Majors: Masters (2020), U.S. Open (2016).
Worldwide victories: 25.
PGA Championship moment: Grounding his club in the sand at Whistling Straits without realizing it was a bunker, costing him a spot in the playoff in 2010.
Backspin: This will be his first major as a married man, tying the knot three weeks ago to Paulina Gretzky. On the golf course, Johnson has been in a slump. His last win was 15 months ago in the Saudi International. He was No. 1 in the world at the PGA last year. Now he’s No. 11.
The tee shot is from an elevated tee with a view of the Tulsa skyline and a slight dogleg to the left. Two bunkers are now left of the fairway. The green slopes from front right to back left and has a large bunker front and right of the green.
: One of the more demanding tee shots on the course, players have to carry bunkers and a winding stream that turns to the left side. The fairway slopes in that direction. The approach is a mid-iron to a well-bunkered green.
The hole bends sharply to the left and is tree-lined. The green is severely sloped and has bunkers on both sides.
The picturesque hole goes back up the hill toward the clubhouse. The elevated green is heavily bunkered, and the wedge to the green is complicated by a rolling fairway with uneven lies. The green slopes severely to the front, so it’s key to leave the ball below the hole.
This hole used to be 600 yards back when 600 yards meant something. It’s still the longest hole on the course. Bunkers on both sides of the landing area and trees make it a difficult tee shot. The stream on No. 2 cuts in on the right side of the well-bunkered, undulating green.
The hole plays slightly downhill and the meandering stream starts short right of the green and runs to the left. Bunkers guard the front of the green. Behind the green is a fence that marks the edge of the property.
A new tee creates an uphill drive to a crest of a hill and reveals a narrow, false-front green situated between bunkers left and the stream to the right. What used to be a drive and a wedge now is a demanding hole that requires two solid shots into a difficult green complex.
This plays into the prevailing breeze, making it play even longer than it already is. Long and left could create problems because it slopes hard toward a creek.
Two fairway bunkers guard the inside corner of this short dogleg to the right. The prevailing wind and an elevated green make this hole play a little longer than its yardage. The green slopes significantly to the front.
A creek winds down the left side of the hole and then crosses the fairway, and there’s a thick stand of trees to the right. The approach is uphill to one of the most challenging greens on the course and is surrounded by bunkers.
The shortest hole on the course requires great accuracy because the small green is surrounded by four bunkers and a creek to the left. The tee is elevated, and the wind in this corner of the course tends to swirl.
: A signature hole at Southern Hills, which Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer called one of America’s great par 4s. The slight dogleg to the left features a tee shot to a blind landing area on a fairway sloping to the left. The green moves left to right and is protected by bunkers short, left and long. A creek is short and to the right.
This is regarded as the last good birdie chance. The hole bends slightly to the left. Getting home in two requires a blind shot to a small green protected by bunkers and a pond in front. Laying up short of the water would be the safe play.
: The green on this long par 3 is surrounded by six bunkers. The prevailing wind is right-to-left toward the out-of-bounds which runs along the entire left side of the hole.
: A short dogleg to the left has a bunker guarding the inside corner that narrows the landing area. Bunkers and collection areas circle a green that severely slopes from the back right to the front left. Players must be below the hole for a good look at birdie.
This plays as a par 5 for the members. The drive must carry a gentle slope to provide a view of a small green featuring bunkers short, right, and long.
: This short par 4 is framed by a creek to the right that meanders in front of the green and a thick stand of trees to the left. It’s hard to find a level lie in the fairway, making it tough even with a wedge into the green. The PGA is likely to move the tee forward at least one round to give players the option of trying to drive the green.
The closing hole is so difficult that Tiger Woods is the only major champion at Southern Hills to par the 72nd hole. The dogleg to the right requires a tee shot that finds a plateau on the left side of the fairway. The elevated green is well-bunkered and slopes hard to the front.
Hubert Green was leading the 1977 U.S. Open at Southern Hills by one stroke with four holes remaining when he pulled his tee shot left of the 15th fairway. He tried his best to keep his distance from his caddie, Shayne Grier. The caddie knew why, Jim McCabe writes for PGAtour.com.
Told of a death threat on his life called into the Oklahoma City FBI – an anonymous woman said gunmen would shoot Green at the 15th hole – Green had been given options by USGA President Sandy Tatum and police officers. Green said there was only one option. He’d play on.
In an interview with the Boston Globe in 2007, Grier said Green was keeping his distance so if there was a shooting, the player would be the only target. The gregarious Grier, still a volunteer official with Mass Golf, said he caught up with Green on the 15th and said, “Let’s give them two targets to shoot at.” The levity might have helped. Green recovered from the left rough and made par at 15, then birdied 16 to increase his lead to two. He negotiated a par at 17 and could afford the safe bogey at 18 to win by one over Lou Graham.
Sky Sports Golf (Ch 405) - Thursday 1pm-1am; Friday 1pm-1am; Saturday 2pm-12am; Sunday: 2pm-12am.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
