Baltusrol certainly adds to prospect of a fascinating PGA Championship

We are in the midst of one of the busiest periods in golf ever. Less than two weeks after Henrik Stenson lifted the Claret Jug, players will once again be fighting for major honours this week at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club course.

Obviously, this logjam of events has been caused by the reintroduction of our sport in the Olympics, which itself is another couple of weeks after the PGA Championship. And while I know some of the top players have opined that they do not consider Olympics golf at par with majors, for many others, especially those from developing nations, it will be like playing three majors in five weeks.

Before I talk about the chances of some of the players, I must say that I am a huge fan of AW Tillinghast’s designs, and Baltusrol is one of his most amazing creations. He designed some of the finest golf courses in the first couple of decades in the 20th century. Winged Foot and the Black Course at Bethpage State Park are two of my all-time favourites.

Baltusrol, which was named after an 18th century farmer Baltus Roll who was tragically murdered very close to where the golf course was later built, is actually blessed because it has two Tillinghast courses — Upper and Lower. How good are they? Well, both the golf courses have hosted US Opens in the past, so you know how strong they both are.

Big contenders

The 649-yard, par-5 17th is one of the most talked about holes in Baltusrol. Past records show us that only one player in championship conditions — John Daly during the 1991 US Open — has managed to find the green in two. It is not only long, but also fairly well protected by fairway bunkers. Most players will lay up, but I can assure you Daly will have plenty of company in that list by Sunday evening.

However, there are 17 other very strong holes and in all these years of hosting major championships, Baltusrol has never gone double digit under par. Phil Mickelson won there in 2005 at four-under par. But I have a feeling that stat might change this year.

Looking at the contenders, I have always said I believe in momentum in golf, and I think it is with Henrik Stenson and Mickelson. Not even a fortnight has passed since they blitzed the Royal Troon, so I have no doubt they will continue to play well.

However, my No. 1 choice this week will be Rory McIlroy. I always like his chances in the PGA Championship and there is a very good reason he has won two of them in the last four years. Of all the four majors, the weather condition and the course set-up is probably the fairest at a PGA Championship. In such circumstances, McIlroy becomes unstoppable.

World No1 Jason Day is the defending champion and given the amazing strengths of his game, and how he has developed the mental ability to perform in big tournaments, let’s not count him out either. And the way Dustin Johnson is hitting the ball at the moment, he always has a chance to add to his US Open title won earlier this year.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour