PGA Championship 2023: Our 13 tips to win at Oak Hill

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 05 May 2023 12:57:56 +0000

The 2023 Masters is in the books and it was a lot of fun. Well, minus all that rain. Good thing the PGA Championship is headed to … wait a minute … Rochester, New York? In May? Yikes. Better pack an umbrella. And your winter coat if you’re headed to Oak Hill. But while we wait and keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature cooperates, here are our top tips to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. Whenver that trophy presentation ends up taking place.

1. Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka. JD Cuban

Reason to back: The major championship machine looked pretty darn healthy at Augusta National. We didn’t have Koepka in our best tips ahead of the Masters, but we’re not making that same mistake again!
Cause for concern: That being said, after piling up majors in quick succession from 2017-2019, he’s racked up a lot of close calls in golf’s four biggest events since. And now he’s got a baby Brooks (or Brook if it’s a girl) on the way to worry about.

2. Tony Finau

Tony Finau. Hector Vivas

Reason to back: In terms of regular PGA Tour wins, the floodgates have opened. A major championship is the logical next step.
Cause for concern: Is HiS fAmIlY a DiStRaCtIoN?! Obviously, that’s a joke around the forced narrative in Netflix’s “Full Swing.” The whole Finau crew seems to be there every time he wins.

3. Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm. Erick W Rasco

Reason to back: The Masters champ could turn a super season into a historic one by picking up a second major in 2023.
Cause for concern: The pressure will be on the shoulders after an epic run of form.

4. Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler. Andrew Redington

Reason to back: The World No. 1B slipped the green jacket on Rahm in April and is obviously still a threat to win anytime anywhere.
Cause for concern: Like Rahm, there’s the pressure to deliver, but he’s still Scottie Scheffler.

5. Viktor Hovland

Viktor Hovland. DP World Tour

Reason to back: One of the great drivers of the golf ball on the planet should love the brawny, penal and revamped Oak Hill.
Cause for concern: Closing tournaments has been problematic. I’m still having nightmares about that 9-iron in the water at Bay Hill — hopefully Viktor isn’t.

6. Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele. Paul Devlin

Reason to back: He’s seventh in strokes gained/total on the PGA Tour this season.
Cause for concern: He ranks that high despite being 100th in strokes gained/off-the-tee. Fix that a bit and look out.

7. Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Cantlay. Sam Greenwood

Reason to back: One of the best players in the world just picked up one of the best caddies in the world. Could Joe LaCava be Cantlay’s Ted Scott?
Cause for concern: How bad will the slow-play heckling be in Rochester? It’s New York, after all.

8. Cameron Young

Cameron Young. Asian Tour

Reason to back: Another great young player with a great old caddie in Paul Tesori, Young always seems in contention, even at major championships.
Cause for concern: Going from the leaderboard to the winner’s circle hasn’t happened yet.

9. Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth. Tom Pennington

Reason to back: Spieth has been on a tear of late and this is the only missing piece for his career Grand Slam.
Cause for concern: Since winning the 2017 Open, Spieth has won just two times. Pretty stunning.

10. Collin Morikawa

Collin Morikawa. Andrew Redington

Reason to back: One of the top iron players on the planet, he just switched back to the saw putting grip he used during his two major victories.
Cause for concern: Switching putting grips mid-(major)season doesn’t exactly scream confidence.

11. Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy. David Cannon

Reason to back: A long, soft PGA Championship set-up? Yes, please!
Cause for concern: The PGA Tour star/CEO/cheerleader admitted to being a bit burnt out — and bummed about that Masters missed cut — following what’s been a hectic 12 months.

12. Jason Day

Jason Day. Jared C Tilton

Reason to back: He’s sixth in strokes gained/total this year.
Cause for concern: Jon Rahm has also won 14 times worldwide since Day last hoisted a trophy. And his vertigo always seems to pop up at the worst time like during the Masters and WGC-Dell Match Play.

13. Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas. Richard Heathcote

Reason to back: It’s been a bit of a struggle, but Thomas is the defending champ and a two-time PGA Championship winner.
Cause for concern: What’s he going to drink out of the Wanamaker Trophy if his strict new diet doesn’t include some bubbles? Maybe another win will earn him a cheat day.

The post PGA Championship 2023: Our 13 tips to win at Oak Hill appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Open Championship 2022: This year’s winners of the men’s majors collectively accomplished this historic first

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 07:26:00 +0000

By Ryan Herrington
The presumption for the longest time was that a certain bit of experience was necessary to win a major. Fresh-faced college kids or golfers just off the amateur circuit were expected to spend their 20s serving an apprenticeship of sorts, learning all about patience and the meaning of the mantra “par is a good score”. In turn, upon reaching their 30s, they had a foundation set to make a run at a Green Jacket or Claret Jug.

Then came Tiger Woods and suddenly everything changed (how many times has that phrase been said?). Woods won 10 of his 15 majors in his 20s and caused those coming after him to believe the theory was flawed. In Woods’ wake, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa all won multiple majors in their 20s as well.

Maybe then this statistic isn’t a surprise, but it shows just how much the paradigm has shifted. With Cameron Smith (age 28) winning the Open Championship at St Andrews, after Matt Fitzpatrick (age 28) won the US Open, after Justin Thomas (age 29) won the PGA, after Scottie Scheffler (age 25) won the Masters, 2022 became the first calendar year ever in which all four men’s professional majors were won by players who had not yet turned 30.

Stretching back to 2021, it’s six straight majors won by twentysomethings when you count Morikawa at the Open at Royal St George’s and Jon Rahm at the US Open at Torrey Pines. Meanwhile, other twentysomethings stood out during the 2022 major season. According to statistical guru Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group, Morikawa, Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young, along with Scheffler, have multiple top-five finishes.

The post Open Championship 2022: This year’s winners of the men’s majors collectively accomplished this historic first appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

PGa Chamionship Archives - Golf Digest Middle East