Johnson the man to beat

DUSTIN JOHNSON is the favourite to win the PGA Championship in Bellerive this week where the long hitters will be at home in the final major of the year.

A course stretching to 7,547 yards, wide fairways and soft greens will give the big bombers the advantage they did not always enjoy at last month’s Open Championship on the parched fairways at Carnoustie.

Johnson, fellow Americans Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, Englishmen Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy loom as the main contenders.

Less likely to triumph, but sure to attract plenty of attention all the same, are Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, who can achieve the “Career Grand Slam”.

Woods did not play well in Akron last week and Bellerive is not really up his alley. A decade removed from his 14th, and most recent, major victory, he is better suited these days to courses that demand subtlety and shot-making.

Spieth also played poorly in Akron, and he too does not appear to be a good match for Bellerive.

Johnson is not No. 1 in the world by accident, but he is not quite the closer in majors that he is in regular tournaments.

Another near-miss at the US Open in June, where he finished third after a pedestrian final round, resurrected nagging doubts about his ability to seal the deal.