HEARN, TAYLOR HAVE PLENTY TO PROVE

David Hearn is in the first group off the No. 10 tee Thursday; Nick Taylor is in the last off No. 1.

Hearn, the 36-year-old veteran from Brantford, Ont., has done everything but win on the PGA Tour, losing in playoffs at 2013’s John Deere Classic (to Jordan Spieth) and this year’s Greenbrier Classic (to Danny Lee), leading last month’s RBC Canadian Open by two strokes after 54 holes before being overtaken on Sunday by Jason Day.

Taylor, the 27-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Abbotsford, B.C., has won — last November’s Sanderson Farms Championship — but not done much else.

The two Canadians competing in this week’s PGA Championship both agreed the fairway is the place to be this week.

“Length is always an advantage. They’ll be hitting three woods to where I’m hitting drivers some times,” said Hearn. “But I think this is a course where the accuracy might level the field a little bit.”

“Obviously these long holes, the longer you hit it, it’s going to help, but you still have to hit it straight,” Taylor said. “It’s not one of those (courses where) you bomb it anywhere and you can find it.”

Graham DeLaet would have made it a Canadian three-ball Monday, but the same left thumb injury that forced him to withdraw at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago is still giving him trouble and he pulled out.

“So disappointed that I can’t tee it up at the PGA,” the 33-year-old from Weyburn, who has had a series of small injuries the last couple of years, posted on Twitter.

Both Hearn and Taylor are focused on qualifying for, and contending in, the majors. Hearn has made only three cuts in the eight majors he has played.

Taylor, earned a three-year exemption for his victory and the $720,000 first prize, but has made just more than $300,000 in his other 24 PGA Tour starts this season.