Horses for Courses: PGA Championship
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Jon Rahm on his confidence level after winning Mexico Open
Southern Hills Country Club just outside of Tulsa hosts the PGA Championship for the fourth time and the eighth major championship in club history.
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Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner were in charge of bringing Southern Hills into the 21st century while maintaining its original test. The renovation/modernization lasted 10 months spanning 2018-19 and involved using old aerial photography to reintroduce Maxwell's original design concepts.
Gone are the days of heavy tree lined fairways with penal rough for inaccurate shots. The forest is now just the trees and the rough reduced to just over two inches to encourage recovery play as the original design suggests.
Closely mown areas surrounding the greens will catch the shots that are unable to hold the greens averaging less than 5,100 square feet. Decisions will have to be made as major championship golf courses do not reward marginal golf shots. The greens no longer have protective edges to prop up shots without spin; down the hill they go just as was the thought in the 1930s.
Maxwell's greens complexes are known for sweeping undulations so missing on the proper side is paramount. Putts riding the crests of waves or navigating down the slopes will need to be weighted perfectly. Throw in the wind in this part of the country and there's nothing easy about it.
The 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship was the first major event after the redesign. Played the last week in May to Par 70 at 6,902 Alex Cejka posted 272 to win by four shots as only seven players broke par. The top 10 were Even or better for the week. This week Par-70 is also the measuring stick but the track can stretch to almost 7,600 yards if Kerry Haigh and the PGA of America need.
As this track hasn't hosted a major or TOUR event since 2007, I'm looking at classic stats when a "new" track is used. Players who find the most GIR won't have to make decisions from closely mown areas. It's easier to find GIR from the fairways than the rough. Lagging putts and saving pars also will be major factors in winning the second major championship of the season.
The deepest field of 156 contains 20 club professionals, the reigning Senior PGA champion and zero amateurs. The top 65 and ties play the final two rounds. The winner will take home the Wannamaker Trophy, 600 FedExCup points and a five year exemption on TOUR on top of the prize pool which has yet to be announced.
Let's find some horses for courses!
Horses for Courses
| Player (Starts/Cuts Made) Top 10 Since 2017 | Most Recent Finish | Top 10 | Top 25 | 2022 BET MGM ODDS (Win, Top 10, Top 20) |
| Brooks Koepka (9/9) | T2 (2021) | 5 | 7 | +4000; +350; +160 |
| Louis Oosthuizen (9/12) | T2 (2021) | 2 | 5 | +8000; +600; +260 |
| Padraig Harrington (11/22) | T4 (2021) | 3 | 6 | +50000; +2800; +1100 |
| Shane Lowry (7/10) | T4 (2021) | 2 | 3 | +3500; +275; +125 |
| Harry Higgs (1/1) | T4 (2021) | 1 | 1 | +35000; +2500; +1100 |
| Justin Rose (13/19) | T8 (2021) | 5 | 10 | +15000; +1100; +450 |
| Collin Morikawa (2/2) | T8 (2021) | 2 | 2 | +2000; +200; -110 |
| Rickie Fowler (10/12) | T8 (2021) | 3 | 5 | +15000 ;+1200; +550 |
| Tony Finau (6/7) | T8 (2021) | 3 | 3 | +5000; +450; +200 |
| Jon Rahm (4/5) | T8 (2021) | 2 | 3 | +1200; +130; -165 |
| Scottie Scheffler (2/2) | T8 (2021) | 2 | 2 | +1200; +130; -165 |
| Kevin Streelman (5/9) | T8 (2021) | 1 | 2 | +25000; +1800; +750 |
| Abraham Ancer (3/3) | T8 (2021) | 1 | 2 | +8000; +700; +333 |
| Will Zalatoris (1/1) | T8 (2021) | 1 | 1 | +3500; +333; +140 |
| Dustin Johnson (9/12) | T2 (2020) | 6 | 7 | +2500; +240; +110 |
| Jason Day (10/12) | T4 (2020) | 6 | 9 | +8000; +600; +260 |
| Bryson DeChambeau (3/5) | T4 (2020) | 1 | 1 | +6600; +650; +300 |
| Matthew Wolff (1/1) | T4 (2020) | 1 | 1 | +15000; +1100; +450 |
| Xander Schauffele (3/5) | T10 (2020) | 1 | 2 | +2500; +225; +100 |
| Joel Dahmen (3/3) | T10 (2020) | 1 | 1 | +25000; +1400; +550 |
| Cameron Champ (2/3) | T10 (2020) | 1 | 1 | +15000; +1000; +450 |
| Patrick Cantlay (5/5) | T3 (2019) | 1 | 2 | +2200; +200; -110 |
| Jordan Spieth (7/9) | T3 (2019) | 2 | 4 | +2000; +190; -125 |
| Luke List (2/4) | 6th (2019) | 1 | 1 | +20000; +1200; +500 |
| Gary Woodland (8/10) | T8 (2019) | 2 | 4 | +10000; +900; +400 |
| Rory McIlroy (12/13) | T8 (2019) | 6 | 8 | +1600; +150; -135 |
| Adam Scott (16/21) | T8 (2019) | 6 | 13 | +8000; +700; +275 |
| Matt Kuchar (6/13) | T8 (2019) | 4 | 6 | +15000; +1000; +400 |
| Erik van Rooyen (2/3) | T8 (2019) | 1 | 1 | +20000; +1000; +450 |
| Tiger Woods (17/21) | 2nd (2018) | 9 | 11 | +6600; +600; +260 |
| Stewart Cink (12/20) | T4 (2018) | 3 | 7 | +30000; +2000; +700 |
| Francesco Molinari (11/11) | T6 (2018) | 3 | 4 | +25000; +1600; +700 |
| Justin Thomas (5/6) | T6 (2018) | 2 | 3 | +1600; +150; -135 |
| Thomas Pieters (3/5) | T6 (2018) | 1 | 2 | +15000; +1100; +500 |
| Tyrrell Hatton (5/7) | T10 (2018) | 2 | 3 | +6600; +500; +225 |
| Patrick Reed (6/8) | T2 (2017) | 1 | 4 | +12500; +1000; +400 |
| Hideki Matsuyama (9/9) | T5 (2017) | 2 | 5 | +2800; +250; +110 |
| Kevin Kisner (4/7) | T7 (2017) | 1 | 4 | +25000; +1600; +650 |
| Select Other Winners | Most Recent | Top 10s | Top 25 | 2022 BET MGM ODDS |
| Jason Dufner (7/13) | Win (2013) | 3 | 3 | +50000; +4000;+2200 |
| Keegan Bradley (9/11) | Win (2011) | 2 | 4 | +8000; +600; +250 |
| Martin Kaymer (6/13) | Win (2010) | 3 | 4 | +40000; +2800; +1200 |
Odds sourced on Tuesday, May 17th at 1 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm.
Notes
- Defending champion Phil Mickelson is not entered.
- 47 of the top 50 OWGR entered.
- Sungjae Im, Paul Casey, Harris English all miss through illness or injury.
- Collin Morikawa (2020) is the last debut winner and first since Keegan Bradley (2011).
- Multiple winners entered include Tiger Woods (4), Brooks Koepka (2) and Rory McIlroy (2).
- Shaun Micheel (2003) is the only player to make his first victory on TOUR the PGA Championship.
- Mickelson is the oldest winner at 50 while the youngest is Gene Sarazen at 20.
- Jordan Spieth will complete the career grand slam with a victory.
- Billy Horschel has cashed eight straight but none better than T23.
- Webb Simpson has cashed seven straight but nothing inside the top 10.
- Russell Henley has a run of six in a row but the last four are T37 or worse.
- USA has won six straight PGA Championships.
- USA has won 16 of the last 21 major championships.
Key stat leaders
Top golfers in each statistic on the 2021-2022 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.
| Strokes Gained: Tee to Green | |
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Jon Rahm |
| 2 | Will Zalatoris |
| 3 | Justin Thomas |
| 4 | Luke List |
| 5 | Rory McIlroy |
| 6 | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 7 | Daniel Berger |
| 8 | Russell Henley |
| 9 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 10 | Joaquin Niemann |
| 10 | Chris Kirk |
| 12 | Jordan Spieth |
| 13 | Xander Schauffele |
| 15 | Keegan Bradley |
| Strokes Gained: Putting | |
| Rank | Player |
| 2 | Tyrrell Hatton |
| 4 | Cameron Smith |
| 5 | Beau Hossler |
| 6 | Lucas Herbert |
| 7 | Billy Horschel |
| 9 | Matt Kuchar |
| 13 | Shane Lowry |
| 15 | Troy Merritt |
| 16 | Mackenzie Hughes |
| 18 | Kevin Kisner |
| 19 | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 20 | Marc Leishman |
| 21 | Adam Scott |
| 22 | Tommy Fleetwood |
| Scrambling | |
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Matt Kuchar |
| 2 | Shane Lowry |
| 3 | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 5 | Justin Thomas |
| 6 | Daniel Berger |
| 7 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout |
| 8 | Tom Hoge |
| 10 | Jordan Spieth |
| 11 | Alex Noren |
| 12 | Patrick Cantlay |
| 14 | Troy Merritt |
| 15 | Mito Pereira |
| 17 | Seamus Power |
| 22 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 22 | Xander Schauffele |
| Multiple Major Champions Entered | Wins (last) |
| Tiger Woods | 15 (2019 Masters) |
| Brooks Koepka | 4 (2019 PGA) |
| Rory McIlroy | 4 (2014 PGA) |
| Jordan Spieth | 3 (2017 Open) |
| Padraig Harrington | 3 (2008 PGA) |
| Collin Morikawa | 2 (2021 Open) |
| Dustin Johnson | 2 (2020 Masters) |
| Zach Johnson | 2 (2015 Open) |
| Bubba Watson | 2 (2014 Masters) |
| Martin Kaymer | 2 (2014 US Open) |
