With this season’s first Major set to get underway later today in San Francisco, lets assess some of the storylines to keep an eye on as the action unfolds at TPC Harding Park.
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For the first time since 1971, the US PGA Championship will be the first Major of the season.
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Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka is looking to become the first player since Walter Hagen to win the US PGA Championship three years in a row (Hagen won four in a row from 1924-1927 during the match-play era of the event).
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Jordan Spieth will again try to complete the career grand slam with victory – this is his fourth attempt.
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World No.1 Justin Thomas returns to the US PGA Championship (a title he won in 2017) after not playing last year due to a wrist injury.
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Golfers ranked No. 1 in the world at the time (Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy) won both of the PGA Tour events held at TPC Harding Park.
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Woods and McIlroy both won World Golf Championships at TPC Harding Park in the last 15 years (Woods in 2005 and McIlroy in 2015).
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There hasn’t been a non-American winner of the Wanamaker Trophy since Jason Day in 2015 (below).
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Tiger Woods is looking to clinch his fifth US PGA title, which would tie him for the most of all time alongside Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus.
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Woods will make his return to action after finishing T40 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide last month. That is his only competitive start since February after he sat out last week’s WGC in Memphis.
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Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, and Zach Johnson are the only players in the field who played both the 2009 Presidents Cup and both World Golf Championship events (2005, 2015) contested at TPC Harding Park.
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This week is Adam Scott’s first start since March after he chose to remain in Australia since the PGA Tour initially shut down with the cancellation of The Players. Scott (below) won the Genesis Invitational in California in February for his 14th PGA Tour title.
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Over 90 of the top 100 in the world are expected to tee it up at TPC Harding Park.
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Absentees include 2008 winner Padraig Harrington, 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari and Ryder Cup veteran Lee Westwood, all of whom decided to stay in Europe.
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Only two players have gone on to win Majors when grouped with Tiger Woods in either rounds 1 or 2 that week: Vijay Singh at the 2004 US PGA and Brooks Koepka at last year’s US PGA. Woods is paired with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy for the opening rounds this week.
