McIlroy, victor of four major championships including the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, feels more at home at Baltusrol than at Royal Troon, where he tied for fifth, distant 16 strokes behind victor Stenson nine days ago.
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If it seems like the PGA Championship is being played earlier this year, well, that’s because it is.
That Baltusrol didn’t have to dramatically lengthen the course-sometimes called “Tiger Proofing”, since Tiger Woods’s prodigious ball striking transformed the game-is a testament to how hard it already plays. It turned out to be the flawless occasion to deliver an important message to the host.
Andrew “Beef” Johnston was a crowd favorite at Troon as he finished eighth in just his second appearance at a major, lifting him to 88th in the rankings. It was his time. “Maybe even more of a desire to get a second one”. He twice was beaten in the final holes by Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie and Oakland Hills. “Course looks great. Very, very good shape”.
He added: “With the limited practice and limited prep that I’ve had this week, I’m not coming into this week expecting a lot. That’s, to me, as someone who cares about golf and where the games going, that’s the best thing to come out of the year so far is getting Dustin into that major championship category because now we’re going to see the best of him”. He’s had some close calls and some heartbreaking calls in the last four years, five years. You’ve got to keep putting yourself in position. There are some where you have to be careful, but I’m mostly hitting mid-irons at the greens.
Lee Westwood is another player on the dubious list of “best to have never won a major”.
After tying for fourth at the Masters, the 32-year-old won his first major at the U.S. Open, triumphed at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and was tie for ninth at the British Open. The Lower became the preferred layout, with Robert Trent Jones reworking it in 1948, and his son, Rees Jones, doing his own work in advance of the 1993 U.S. Open. He has kicked shoes.
Meanwhile, Day has opted for rest over practice before defending his world No. 1 status and his first Major title. “I feel like everything is going really well”. It doesn’t matter where it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the USA, in Asia, in Europe, in Africa. It is tough to win. “I feel like I wear out my 8- and 9-irons on the par 4s”.
“Hopefully it will happen”. I feel like everything is straight out in front of you.
In only three years dating to 1960 have the four Grand Slam events been won by players who previously didn’t have a major, most recently in 2011 and 2003.
Day’s victory at Whistling Straits past year was his first in a major. Obviously I like what I see.
Garcia finished tied for fifth in both last month’s U.S. Open and this month’s British Open, and was encouraged by the brilliance of Stenson, 40, who set scoring records at Royal Troon in edging Phil Mickelson, 46, in a final-round duel. “I had some really good practice sessions with my coach, Michael Bannon last week”.
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“He’s been giving himself a lot of chances, and he finally waited for that day where everything clicked and everything was happening”, Garcia said.
