US PGA Championship – Could 2024
It’s little greater than 4 weeks since Scottie Scheffler was receiving his Inexperienced Jacket as a most deserving winner of The Masters – the opening Main of the 2024 season. However now the very best gamers on the planet are convening once more, this time at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky to prepare for the second of the sport’s largest prizes, the PGA Championship, or as we maybe higher realize it, the US PGA.
Regardless of its standing, it’s a match that may typically really feel a bit ‘meh’, or unloved, definitely compared with the opposite three. However right here at AMERICAN GOLF, that is our likelihood to elucidate the way it bought its status and what helps to outline it as an occasion.
Fourth out of 4:
Golf, like in tennis, is outlined by the 4 largest tournaments of the 12 months – the Majors (the Grand Slams in tennis). They’re the occasions the place all golf followers tune in to observe, together with extra informal sports activities followers. They’re the occasions the place you possibly can recite the winners, years after they had been performed as a result of they carry the load of historical past and custom.
In tennis, all 4 Grand Slams are love and cherished. The Australian Open might have been the poor relation a few years in the past, however it has lengthy since shed that undesirable and unloved tag. In golf, it will be unfair to explain the US PGA as unloved, however it’s undoubtedly the fourth out of 4 within the checklist of Majors that gamers need to compete in, and in the end win.
What’s the US PGA’s promoting level?
Most likely one of many largest points across the US PGA considerations its id, and most definitely compared with the opposite three Majors. The Open has the historical past and custom of being the world’s oldest Championship performed on basic seaside golf programs. It’s the recreation of golf because it was first performed. The Masters is Augusta, and Augusta is The Masters. As the one Main to be staged on the identical venue yearly, the golf world has been in a position to fall in love with this pristine plot of land in Georgia, with its southern appeal, quirks and mannerisms. With out fail, everybody loves The Masters. That love is possibly not shared for the US Open, however the occasion instructions a wholesome respect. The US Open, run by the USGA (United States Golf Affiliation) is extensively seen because the hardest take a look at in golf. The USGA enjoyment of organising their chosen venues to be as troublesome as potential, with stage par decided to be the rating they hope the winner to realize on the finish of 72 holes of strokeplay competitors. And we should not overlook that it stays the nationwide Open of the most important golf-playing nation on the planet.
Amidst all that, the US PGA is making an attempt to battle its personal nook. The match is just not performed on the identical venue yearly. It’s not as previous as the 2 Opens. It’s not the toughest take a look at of the season. However it’s nonetheless a Main, and subsequently it’s definitely price successful.
Calendar shift:
One of many largest points the US PGA has confronted down the years is its place within the {golfing} calendar. When it was initially performed, it was a matchplay occasion, staged at any level between Could and December. Within the Sixties, when it had transformed to strokeplay, it was held 5 instances within the week instantly after The Open, thereby rendering it unimaginable for golfers to compete in each Majors.
From 1969 by way of till 2018, other than in 2016 when it was moved into late July to accommodate golf’s participation within the Olympic Video games, it was held in mid-August because the season’s last Main.
For a lot of of these years, it had the tagline, ‘Glory’s final shot’, because the final likelihood to win a Main for eight lengthy months earlier than having to attend for The Masters once more the next April. Nonetheless, in 2019, the US PGA was shifted within the diary from mid-August to the third Sunday in Could. The thought was that the PGA Tour’s profitable Fed-Ex Cup play-offs wanted to be introduced ahead a number of weeks in the past to keep away from a conflict with the beginning of the NFL American Soccer season within the US. That was agreed, with the US PGA being moved ahead three months within the 12 months to make room for this alteration.
As a substitute of being the fourth and last Main of the 12 months, the US PGA is now the second within the calendar, sitting in between The Masters in April and the US Open in mid-June. However a good query could be which different main sporting occasions would enable their spot of their sporting calendar, and the thoughts of all followers, to be moved so simply?
No amateurs and no open qualifying:
One of many key factors about this match is that it’s purely for professionals – no shock on condition that it’s run by the Skilled Golfers’ Affiliation of America. There may be not the choose group of gamers with an (A) to their identify on this occasion as within the different three occasions. Neither is there any manner for gamers to come back by way of some type of open qualifying occasion to take their place alongside the sport’s largest names. This isn’t an ‘open’. If gamers don’t meet the chosen standards, they don’t get to tee it up.
With that in thoughts, the US PGA has the strongest and deepest subject of any of the 4 Majors. Of the 156-man subject, it’s normal for the entire prime 100 on the planet rankings to be included. Nonetheless, it does imply there’s little likelihood for the kind of Cinderella story extra generally related to the US Open or The Open.
Membership execs:
However one distinction the US PGA does have is its acceptance of membership professionals. Out of a subject of 156, 20 locations are reserved for American membership professionals. In April annually, the PGA Skilled Championship is staged, which is open to membership execs and lecturers who’re members of the PGA of America. From that, the highest 20 qualify to play within the US PGA the next month. The nice Sam Snead was one of many first winners of that occasion, however it got here nicely after the final of his seven Main triumphs. No winner since Snead in 1971 has both been, or gone on to grow to be, a Main Champion.
Given the step up from membership skilled to the requirements of the world’s greatest touring professionals, many of the ‘PGA 20’ wrestle to make it to the weekend. Nonetheless, final 12 months, Michael Block precipitated an enormous stir along with his efficiency. After three rounds of stage par 70, the membership professional from California was in a tie for eighth, the primary to be inside the highest ten after 54 holes since 1988. He finally completed in a tie for 12th, however his final spherical supplied one of many highlights of the week as he aced the par-three 15th while taking part in alongside Rory McIlroy.
Early years:
In 1916 in New York Metropolis, the Skilled Golfers’ Affiliation was created. Later that 12 months, the primary US PGA Championship was held in Bronxville, New York. Jim Barnes gained the 32-man match, performed in matchplay format and was awarded $500 and have become the primary recipient of the Wanamaker Trophy, silverware donated by rich division retailer proprietor Rodman Wanamaker.
For the primary 39 editions of the US PGA, the winner was determined by matchplay with Walter Hagen profitable on a document 5 events with the sector rising from an preliminary 32 to 128 by the tip. However in 1957, the occasion on the Miami Valley course in Dayton, Ohio misplaced cash, whereas tv broadcasters pressured for it to grow to be a strokeplay occasion as the very best gamers had been extra more likely to have an opportunity of being in rivalry to win on the ultimate day. That was determined at a gathering in November 1957 and from the next 12 months, the 72-hole strokeplay format prevalent within the different three Majors was launched.
Unlikely winners:
Between 1986 and 2016, there have been 15 winners of the US PGA for whom victory is or was their sole Main success. A lot of them are Individuals with little Main pedigree behind them who would all have began the week with very lengthy odds, however all of them discovered inspiration when it mattered most over the 4 days.
In 1986, Bob Tway holed out from a bunker to defeat Greg Norman in a play-off. In 2003, Shaun Micheel hit a seven-iron stiff from 174 yards on the final gap at Oak Hill to say what could be his solely victory, PGA Tour or in any other case, having begun the week ranked 169th on the planet. In 2009, South Korea’s Yong-Eun Yang or YE Yang as he’s higher recognized, grew to become the primary Asian male to win a Main along with his success at Hazeltine. Simply as considerably, he additionally grew to become the primary golfer to overtake Tiger Woods after Tiger had held the 54-hole lead in a Main – no imply feat in anyway.
No one would describe this trio as legendary golfers – or comparable for Jeff Sluman, Mark Brooks, David Tom, Jason Dufner – however they are going to all go down within the {golfing} annals as Main Champions.
Massive hitters:
The US PGA might have grow to be related to unlikely winners, however don’t fear, lots of the largest names have prospered, too. 5 of Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Majors had been collected on this one over a 17-year timespan between 1963 and 1980. Subsequent on the checklist is Tiger Woods, with 4 victories between 1999 and 2007, twice going back-to-back.
Arising on their heels is Brooks Koepka, with the Florida golfer changing into a modern-day US PGA specialist. Koepka has collected three titles within the final six years (2018, 2019 and 2023) and was second three years in the past. Nonetheless, it took one thing particular to cease Koepka that week and Phil Mickelson supplied it as ‘Lefty’ grew to become the primary 50+ plus winner of any Main Championship along with his success at Kiawah Island.
Not a cheerful searching floor for Europeans:
With simply six wins within the 105 earlier stagings of this match, there have solely been six gained by Europeans, making it the worst of all of the Majors for the previous continent. Perhaps that comparative lack of success is an enormous purpose why as golf followers in Britain we wrestle to generate the identical enthusiasm for this Main as for the opposite three.
England’s Jim Barnes and Northern Eire’s Rory McIlroy have each gained it twice, with Irishman Padraig Harrington and Martin Kaymer of Germany profitable as soon as every. For these of you who don’t know, Barnes was a Cornishman who moved over to America when he was 20 and gained the primary two editions of the US PGA in 1916 and 1917 when it was a matchplay occasion.
To assume, Europe’s most profitable golfers, Sir Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros, by no means actually got here close to to claiming this one. Faldo’s tie for second, three photographs behind Nick Value in 1992, was the closest. With the occasion all the time performed in August in these days and normally in scorching and sweltering situations, it was by no means as conducive for European success as these magical April days at Augusta.
Harrington in 2008 to McIlroy’s second US PGA in 2014 marked a purple patch of 4 in seven years, however there was nothing since. Maybe a return to Valhalla might be the spark Rory must rediscover his magic as it’s now ten years since his second US PGA and the final of his 4 Main titles.
Future venues
US PGA Championship 2025 – Quail Hole Membership; Charlotte, North Carolina
US PGA Championship 2026 – Aronimink Golf Membership; Newtown Sq., Pennsylvania
US PGA Championship 2027 – PGA Frisco; Frisco, Texas
US PGA Championship 2028 – Olympic Membership; San Francisco, California
US PGA Championship 2029 – Baltusrol Golf Membership; Springfield, New Jersey
US PGA Championship 2030 – Congressional Nation Membership; Bethesda, Maryland
US PGA Championship 2031 – The Ocean Course; Kiawah Island, South Carolina
US PGA Championship 2034 – PGA Frisco; Frisco, Texas
