PGA Championship: Clubhouse talking points as Jordan Spieth searchs for own grand slam
Jordan Spieth of the United States looks on from the 12th hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Pic: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
The PGA Championship has been the second major of the golfing year for seven years now yet can still feel like it’s searching for its place.
Irrespective of scheduling, its modern history boasts one trend that organisers should trumpet more: it’s a first-timer’s paradise.
Since 2009, nine men have become maiden major winners by lifting the Wanamaker Trophy. While Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa have spring-boarded their way to more, Jason Dufner and Jimmy Walker were one-and-done.
As many hope for a Scheffler-McIlroy showdown, among the 156-strong field this week the red-hot Cam Young is the pick of plenty of fellow pros to soar into golf’s true elite. Veteran and darling of the American galleries Rickie Fowler has rounded into some extremely good form of late too. Can his 56th major week be his first win?
For the Europeans, Ludvig Aberg and Tyrrell Hatton lead the list of would-be breakthrough artists. Aberg’s Masters record is formidable but he’s struggled at other Stateside majors.
Hatton’s excellent iron play and short game prowess looks a great fit for Aronimink.
With plenty of justification, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry take up the lion’s share of newsprint the day before most majors.
But there are two more Irishmen on the property in Pennsylvania this week.
Like his LIV compatriots, Tom McKibbin’s long-term future feels very hazy but in the here and now he’ll play back-to-back majors for only the second time in his life and, unlike last month at Augusta will hope to make it to the weekend. He finished T50 at last year’s PGA.
Padraig Harrington raised the Wanamaker in 2008 at Oakland Hills which guarantees his spot each year. In just perfectly stereotypical fashion the 54-year-old, who has made winning senior majors look particularly easy of late, outlined how he arrived at Aronimink in a rough headspace — but still believes he can claim another major.
"I lost the flow of [my routine] so I'm actually as negative as I could be right now,” Harington told before later adding: "Yeah, [I] absolutely [think I can win a major]. I just have to make sure I don't believe I need to be perfect to do it.”
Once McIlroy completed the career grand slam last year, much of the focus turned to Scottie Scheffler. But Jordan Spieth has been on the precipice for a whole lot longer.
This week marks his tenth attempt to add the PGA to his Masters (2015), US Open (2015) and Open (2017) triumphs.
Spieth hasn’t won a tournament of any stripe since 2022, battling injury and swing rebuilds. Yet there have been flickers this season: five top-20 finishes since mid-February.
“If I can win one more tournament in my life, it would obviously be this one for that reason,” Spieth said Monday. “But the easiest way to do that is to not try to…in a weird way…you know?”
With both Ryder Cup captains on hand, Adare Manor and the 2027 tilt at three in a row looms at least a little over this week.
For Luke Donald, who picked almost identical teams in 2023 and 2025, there are suddenly green shoots.
Alex Fitzpatrick has moved from Matt’s little bro to breakout PGA Tour performer in the space of three weeks, claiming $2.8m in prizemoney.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan claimed a maiden PGA victory with last week’s impressive Truist triumph. Furyk’s envy (and concern) could climb some more this week.
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