Ten Players To Look Out For At The PGA Championship

Quail Hollow Club, in Charlotte, North Carolina, will host the final major of the year before the FEDEX Cup. Here are my favorites to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

Quail Hollow has a reputation as a demanding, yet enjoyable track that is a favorite amongst many PGA players.

It will be playing at 7,600 yards and a par 71. This course will most definitely suit longer players, but better ball strikers and putters can also have a good week.

The course ranked inside the top 10 toughest in both fairways hit, and greens in regulation. It also had a season high of proximity to the hole at 43 feet and nine inches. As 5 of the par 4s will exceed 480 yards, this course will reward the long ball hitters that have control and good course management.

Here is a list of 10 players who will be the favorites to win the final major of the year.

1. Hideki Matsuyama- Coming off a win at Firestone and a final round 61 this could be his time. He put on a tee-to-green clinic and this will suit him well at Quail Hollow. First career major victory, and first Japanese major winner sounds pretty good, so expect Matsuyama to be there on Sunday.
2. Rory Mcilroy- This is his course, plain and simple. He has won twice here before, and holds the course record (61) and tournament record (267). Mcilroy has had top fives in his last two starts, and seemed to have no issues with a caddie switch. Everything is lining up for a strong finish.
3. Jordan Spieth- After his win at The Open, Jordan now only needs the PGA Championship to be the youngest player to complete the career grand slam. He’s not the longest player in the field by any means, but he ranks 5th on Tour in greens in regulation from the fairway. Followed up by his incredible putting, Jordan could complete the slam.
4. Rickie Fowler- Rickie has had five top 10s in the past 7 starts, as he leads the Tour in strokes gained: putting. His hot putting and surprising length for his size will make him a contender. He won here in 2012 and finished T4 last year.
5. Thomas Pieters- Personally, Pieters is one of my favorite players. One of the more powerful players in the world will have success at this site, but can he have a good week putting? Although he plays the majority of his golf on the European Tour, he’s had four top 5s on Tour in six months.
6. Phil Mickelson- He has seven top 5’s in 13 career starts, and has 11 top 12 finishes. His game has been very consistent this year as he has already racked up eleven top 25 finishes.
7. Tony Finau- Some would call this a sleeper pick, but when you combine his talent tee-to-green and him being 4th in GIR from off the fairway, this pick makes a lot of sense on paper. We will see if he comes through for a major victory.
8. Zach Johnson- His game is coming together as he approaches the last major and the Fedex Cup. He came in solo second at Firestone as he led the field in strokes gained: putting. He won’t wow you with length off the tee, but his superb ball striking and putting will put him in the mix.
9. Dustin Johnson- His ridiculous length off the tee will mean he’ll take shorter irons for his approach, while other players will rely on ball striking and putting. DJ was strong tee-to-green in the Canadian Open (T8), and he’s coming off a good week putting at Firestone (T17). His back injury from April is still lingering, but can he block that out mentally this week?
10. Charley Hoffman- As you could see from the conversation with his caddie Sunday at Firestone, he’s tired of finishing second. Hoffman has led many tournaments this year going into the weekend, can he come out with his first win this season?

Rory Mcilroy will be my pick this week to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy for his 3rd time. With his previous success at Quail Hollow, and the recent hot streak will keep going. As long as he has a good week putting, I like my chances with him.