The best for last

Making its final run in August, PGA full of intriguing storylines

The PGA Championship, being played this week at Bellerive Country Club outside of St. Louis, is making its final run in August before moving to May next year when it will become the second major championship of the year instead of the familiar fourth.

Based on the unpredictable way in which this golf season has unfolded, picking a clear favorite to win this year’s final major is as easy as pulling off one of those Phil Mickelson flop shots from a hardpacked lie with a 64-degree wedge.

This season in golf has been one marked by a variety of storylines and distractions rather than any sort of distinct and consistent theme. The year has featured two first-time major championship winners — Patrick Reed at the Masters and Francesco Molinari at the British Open — and an unlikely, underthe-radar repeat winner of the U.S. Open in Brooks Koepka.

Add to that Tiger Woods’ comeback, which finally feels like a real comeback rather than one of the several aborted attempts he has made in recent years from back ailments and off-the-course issues, and what we have entering this week at Bellerive is the potential for a riveting PGA Championship.

Then there has been Mickelson’s eventful year, which has included his first victory since 2013 at the WGC-Mexico in March, then the unveiling of his new long-sleeved, button-down shirt, then the bizarre U.S. Open meltdown at Shinnecock, where he swatted a moving ball in play, then the revelation of the upcoming $10 million made-for-TV mano-a-mano Thanksgiving week showdown against Woods and finally last week’s release of the hysterical TV commercial for that Mizzen & Main shirt he’s promoting.

Lost in that maze of intriguing storylines this week is the fact that Jordan Spieth will be the third player this year with a chance to complete the career Grand Slam. Rory McIlroy failed to close the deal at the Masters and Mickelson came