The world’s top golfers will head this week to the famed Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 99th staging of the PGA Championship. A cool $10.5 million is at stake for the 156-man field with the champion grabbing not only the $1.89 million top prize, but also the prestigious Wanamaker Trophy.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of the 2017 PGA Championship and while you’re at it, you can check out our high-value sleeper picks for the year’s final major tournament as well.
All eyes will be on Jordan Spieth as he chases golf immortality this week. A victory on Sunday would give the Dallas native the career Grand Slam. To further illustrate the enormity of this achievement, only five golfers in the history of the game have achieved this gargantuan feat, namely: Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods. With the way Spieth’s playing right now, it isn’t far-fetched to see him join those golfing titans. Spieth has found the top-20 in five of his last six starts, including impressive victories at the Travelers and Open Championships.
If there’s one golfer who can stop Spieth from accomplishing that career Grand Slam, it’s got to be Rory McIlroy. The Ulsterman loves playing at Quail Hollow as evidenced by his tournament victories there in 2010 and 2015. He shot a course record of 61 in the latter to win the Wells Fargo Championship by seven strokes. McIlroy has been totally lit just the same as Spieth, nabbing top-5s in each of his last two starts at the Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Plenty of experts have been weighing in on Dustin Johnson’s chances this week and they are unanimous in saying that the American’s golf game fits Quail Hollow to a tee. The par-71 course is 7,600 yards long, which is perfect for a bomber like Johnson. The world no. 1 leads the PGA Tour in driving distance this season, averaging 313.9 yards per drive. He is also third in the PGA Tour in greens in regulation percentage with an incredible 70.53 percent clip. That will be a major weapon for Johnson when navigating the tough Quail Hollow course this week. Johnson’s coming off a T17 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.
Looking for a great sleeper this week? How about Patrick Reed? The American has posted top-25s in nine of his last 13 starts, including a T13 at the U.S. Open last June. Reed will look to keep the momentum going at Quail Hollow, which will be hosting a major championship for the first time in its history. Key to Reed’s resurgence has been his superb play with the flat stick. The Texan is 13th in the PGA Tour in strokes gained via putting with a solid .539 average. That will come in handy for Reed when tackling the delicate greens of the Quail Hollow course.
One long shot who can definitely make a run at the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend is Tony Finau. The American has finished in the top-10 in two of his last three starts, including a remarkable fifth-place showing at the Canadian Open last month. Key to Finau’s ascent this season has been his outstanding play from tee to green. He is sixth in the PGA Tour in strokes gained in that particular department with an impressive 1.527 average. That will be a major weapon for Finau when dealing with the tough conditions at Quail Hollow.
Writer’s Prediction
Dustin Johnson (+1,000) wins the 2017 PGA Championship.
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