Scott did tee it up the last time the PGA Championship was held at Baltusrol Golf Club, finishing ten strokes behind champion Phil Mickelson in 2005 on his way to a T40 finish as a 25-year-old.
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Jordan Spieth turned 23 yesterday.
Do these guys know majors are supposed to be hard?
Woods, a four-time PGA champion, has missed all four majors this year due to his long-term back problems. Thirteen years later, Nicklaus beat his own mark by scoring 8-under 272 at Baltusrol.
The 28-year-old Australian has eight wins in 2015 and 2016, but he hasn’t had a good first round in any of the majors this year, which makes his having two Top Ten finishes in them all the more impressive.
Nicklaus, golf’s legendary “Golden Bear”, has called it one of his favorite venues.
His eighth-place finish in the British Open helped push him into the spotlight, but Johnston’s appearance and personality has done that even more. “But he did enough”.
Baltusrol was soaked with almost 2 inches of rain overnight, though the Lower Course was in remarkably good shape for a full day of practice on Tuesday in sweltering conditions that only add to the pressure of players trying to break through. “But the fields are deeper and so many guys have chances to win”.
“I’m not going to go into a cave and stay in there until I die because I didn’t win a major”.
The length at which players are driving the ball plays a big role in the scores.
Temps: Could reach into the 90s for the first round but should be a little more tolerable after that, although it could still feel muggy at times.
“They are here to see Jason Day”, Labritz said. If he can get his putter going again and avoid the post-major, he could be in it again two weeks after winning at Royal Troon.
“When I first came out in 2006”, he said, “I remember some of the cut lines were plus-one, plus-two, and now most of the cut lines are under par”.
“I really have to go out there and try and find a game plan that works for me and making sure that on the tough holes, I feel comfortable, and the easy holes, I can take advantage of”.
That lucrative take home comes from a money pool of $10m, tying the US PGA Championship with the other Stateside majors of the year, the Masters and the US Open, in its remuneration offering to players.
“It might come across like that to some people, but it’s all about the golf”, he said.
“I think everyone expects if you’re in the lead or if you’re a favourite to win, they expect you to win, and if you don’t, then you’re in a slump”. Unfortunately, it’s not the case.
Golfers walk down the 18th fairway during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., Wednesday, July 27, 2016. This year he’s tied for fifth in both the U.S. Open and the British.
He has finished out of the top 10 only five times in his 16 starts this year, including his last six tournaments.
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“Because we have a big tournament coming up right now and because I am playing well”, he said, “I don’t want to let an opportunity, another really good opportunity that I have to play a PGA Championship here at Baltusrol at a course I like while my game is sharp… and let the effects or disappointment linger”. “Not going to lie to you, I’ve been checking the board since to see if anyone’s got up close to me”.
