Finding a favourite among the Big Four
The top players are the favourites this week at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club. Jon McCarthy dissects their chances.
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.
The Day family spent Monday at a local arcade in a planned day off. On Tuesday, the World No. 1 rescheduled his news conference and never made it to the golf course.
“Dash and Lucy are sick right now, and kind of Dash passed that on to me a little bit,” Day said. “I’m OK, I’m fine. I’m just a little under the weather.”
None of this sounds particularly good for his chances at Baltusrol this week, but Day does have a few things going for him. Current odds: 9/1
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. Current odds: 8/1
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. Current odds: 14/1
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. “Everything is straight out in front of you. There’s no real hidden secrets to it.”
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. Current odds: 8/1