Finding a favourite among the Big Four
The top four players in the world are the favourites this week at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club. Jon McCarthy dissects each of their chances to win this week: JASON DAY — World rank: 1 Day hadn’t stepped foot on the golf course until Wednesday, giving him the least prep time of any of the top players and, likely, anyone in the field.
“I haven’t played a practice round. I haven’t seen the course. I don’t know what it looks like,” he said Wednesday morning.
None of this sounds particularly good for his chances at Baltusrol this week but Day does have a few things going for him.
Despite not winning a major, he’s had a good year with wins at three big events: The Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC Dell Match Play and the Players Championship. He also has a win and four top tens in his past seven starts.
If there is a major venue where you can get away without much preparation, Baltusrol is it. There are no tricks to the golf course — what you see is what you get. It’s a classic parkland layout on flat terrain that wears you down with long par 4s and long par 3s. Players don’t see a par 5 until hole Nos. 17 and 18. The best description came from Bill Haas who said that it “par 4s you to death.”
Pound the ball off the tee, leave your approaches below the hole, and make putts. That’s not easy, but it’s not complicated. Current odds 9/1 DUSTIN JOHNSON — World rank: 2 Johnson is the only member of the Big 4 to have won a major this season. The U.S. Open champion also is the only player who can overtake Day for World No. 1 this week.
Johnson saw the course for the first time on Tuesday, but thinks the shape of many of the holes set up well for his natural power fade.
The 7,450-yard Lower Course at Baltusrol has a way of wearing down players with its long, difficult par 4s. For Johnson?
“It’s par 70, but it’s quite long,” Johnson said Wednesday.
“I feel like I wear out my 8- and 9-iron on the par 4s.”
Johnson attributes his improved play this week to practising his wedge game “for the first time, probably since I’ve been on Tour.”
The improved wedge game has helped the longest hitter in golf take even more advantage of his length off the tee. With eight top-10s and a win in his past 12 majors, the time is now for the 32-year-old American. Current odds: 8/1 JORDAN SPIETH — World rank: 3 Spieth is sick of hearing that he hasn’t followed up his double-major breakthrough 2015 season very well, but this week he finally seems able to admit it.
“I set my own expectations so high,” Spieth said. “So have I met them this year? Not yet.”
Spieth has won twice this season but unless he wins this week, 2016 will be remembered for a quadruple-bogey that threw the Masters away on Sunday and a surprising 10-round stretch in majors where he failed to break par.
On a course without many secrets and surrounded by opponents with more firepower, Spieth seems to be at a disadvantage. Current odds: 14/1 RORY McILROY — World rank: 4 McIlroy arrives at Baltusrol looking to win his third PGA Championship. Only Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen, Tiger Woods, Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen have won the championship three or more times.
“I feel like a lot of the courses that I’ve played in PGA Championships have been very fair,” McIlroy said.
The Big 4 is loaded with talent but many believe if every player plays their best golf, McIlroy comes out on top.
The 27-year-old’s four majors equal the total won by the three others combined.
But it’s been just over two years since he won his last major and he seems to be growing tired of hearing about his challengers.
If the forecasted rain comes during the week and softens up the course, look out. Soft conditions and McIlroy equalled an eight-shot win at Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open. Current odds: 8/1