It’s been a wild year for former World No. 1 Jordan Spieth, who has failed to crack the top 20 of the two most recent major tournaments yet has a superb runner-up finish at The Masters as well.
Spieth’s seesasw of a 2016 is what drops him to sleeper status for this week’s tournament. But that shouldn’t keep the Dallas native’s backers from picking him to win at Baltusrol. Spieth still has two wins and five top-five finishes this year, and was also the runner-up at the PGA Championship last season. Perhaps last year’s PGA Tour darling can put on another good show under the bright lights, as Spieth has two wins and five top-four finishes in major tournaments prior to his last two lackluster showings at The U.S. and British Opens this year.
Fresh off his first-ever major tournament victory, 40-year-old veteran Henrik Stenson has got to be feeling good about his chances at winning back-to-back majors this week. However, if this year’s trend of crowning first-time major winners holds up, then the odds are stacked against the sensational Swede indeed.
Then again, Stenson has had a ton of success at the PGA Championship of late to warrant your attention at Baltusrol nonetheless. He’s made the cut of the tournament the past three years, notching a solo third in 2013 and tying for third place again in 2014 before his T25 finish last year.
What Zach Johnson lacks in dominance this season, he more than makes up for with some consistency heading into Springfield this week. Z-Money has has four-straight top-20 finishes in his last four starts, including impressive showings at the U.S. Open (T8) and The Open Championship (T12).
Furthermore, Johnson is also another seasoned pro that has performed well at the PGA Championship. He has three top-10 finishes at the famed tournament since 2009, with his best result being a T3 finish in 2010 and his most recent top-10 finish being a T8 in 2013.
The PGA Championship is one of only two major tournaments that Johnson has yet to win, so you can certainly expect him to come out hungry and determined to emerge victorious from Baltusrol this week.
