Tiger and Rory can strike a blow for old guard
Star duo on song for last major before revolution
AS the final major to take place before the game tilts on its axis and enters a world of lawsuits and bitter division, it’s no wonder the sport is looking forward to the 104th edition of the USPGA Championship beginning today with particular relish.
By the time we get to the US Open in June, the Saudi-backed disrupters will be up and running, Ryder Cup legends will have cast aside long-held loyalties to join the rebels and we’ll see who blinks first when it comes to the threat of suspension from the PGA and the DP World Tours.
In the meantime, the major once considered the runt of the litter has duly taken on an added lustre, helped by a healthy list of fascinating storylines.
Ever since the Masters finished five weeks ago, there has been considerable speculation as to what happens next for two of the men who made it such a memorable occasion. Helpfully, they will spend the first two days walking the fairways together.
In the absence of defending champion Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the two biggest draws in the field. Both left Augusta with considerable grounds for optimism.
In his own words, Tiger felt like he had ‘climbed Everest’ in making it through 72 holes at Augusta and, while Southern Hills lives up to its name, it is Ben Nevis by comparison.
For McIlroy, it was the mental release of finally playing as he can in a major again, and the addictive joy that accompanied a final-round 64 at the Masters.
Now we await to see if Woods can move on and become a contender again, at the place where he claimed the 13th of his 15 major victories in 2007. Can McIlroy play so freely in the first round of a major?
Their efforts will take place at a venue that has come as a positive revelation. The last time we were in these parts, the course was a generic American country club layout with few distinguishing features, played in August in unpleasantly hot temperatures.
What a job course architect Gil Hanse has done with his wonderful restoration, thinning out the trees and allowing the natural features to be seen and become meaningful parts of the course once more.
The 17th, arguably the most interesting hole on the course, is a classic case in point. In 2007, the creek to the right of the green could hardly be seen because of the woodland. Now, it will play its part at a hole destined to have a significant bearing on the outcome.
Completing the stellar threeball this morning will be Jordan Spieth, who has even more at stake than his two colleagues with the career Grand Slam on the line. Befitting a man in form, he is embracing the prospect of holding the Wanamaker Trophy aloft rather than shying away from it. ‘I don’t go around talking about it but it’s clearly the elephant in the room when it comes to my career,’ he said. ‘If I could only win one more tournament for the rest of my life, then it would obviously be this one.’
As for his playing partners, he added: ‘You have to enjoy threeballs like this, the ones that you’ll tell your kids about when they’re older. Tiger and Rory are dream players to be paired with, there’s no one in the field with more majors than they have and they’re so positive.’
Another star group are the world’s top three who hold the other three majors between them: Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion Jon Rahm and Open champion Collin Morikawa.
As for the British and Irish challenge, Matt Fitzpatrick has played consistently well all year in America, while Tyrrell Hatton invariably saves his best stuff for stringent tests such as this one.
Russell Knox may have squeezed in because of injury to Paul Casey, but he tied sixth at the most recent big event, the Players Championship in March, while his fellow Scot Robert MacIntyre is also worth watching.