Five to watch
(NON-TIGER WOODS DIVISION)
Sergio Garcia
While his belly putter faltered on the 72nd hole at the British Open, the Spaniard perhaps has gained enough confidence to win.
Kenny Perry
Another recent convert to the belly putter, Perry has enjoyed a recent upsurge similar to Garcia’s. In his past six events, he hasn’t finished worse than 15th.
Steve Stricker
Another final round victim at Carnoustie, Stricker is tough enough to bounce back from his disappointing British Open.
Hunter Mahan
Mahan won the Travelers Championship in late June and finished tied for 13th at the U.S. Open, then tied for sixth at the British Open. He has finished in the top 25 in his past seven events.
Anthony Kim
The former Oklahoma star might be a fan favorite. Although he has slumped of late, with a missed cut and ties for 37th and 45th in his past three events, Kim still is on track to become the PGA Tour’s rookie of the year.
By the numbers
4
The number of PGA Championships held at Southern Hills, more than any other venue.
12
Tiger Woods’ finish in the 2001 U.S. Open, also held at Southern Hills. At the time, Woods was the defending champion in all four majors.
14
When Jack Nicklaus won the 1973 PGA at Canterbury (Ohio) Golf Club, he surpassed Bobby Jones in major championships.
50
Years since the PGA moved from match play to stroke play for its championship. In the final match play event, in 1957, Lionel Hebert beat Dow Finsterwald 3 and 1.
98
Of the top 100 players in the world in the field this week.
Great moments in PGA Championship history
The flip
The coin toss before NFL overtime games have nothing on the bizarre finish to the 1941 championship held at Cherry Hills Country Club. Playing versus Vic Ghezzi, defending champion Byron Nelson found himself engaged in an extra-hole match to determine the winner. On the 38th hole, both men pitched shots to within 3 feet of the hole. Unable to determine who was away, the issue was decided with a coin flip. Nelson missed, and Ghezzi made for the victory.
Making history
Wayne Grady won the 1990 championship at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., but the tournament was overshadowed before it began when the PGA instituted rules stating that host sites must have open policies ensuring membership access for women and minorities.
Rainbow connection
In 1997, Davis Love III carried the unfortunate mantle of being the best player without a major championship. That changed at Winged Foot. A final-round 66 put Love at 11-under-par 269, the lowest winning score in 74 years at the venerable course. Love sank his final putt underneath a brilliant rainbow, a sign, some said, from his late father, Davis Love Jr., who died in a plane crash in 1968. Davis Love III and Dave Marr (1965) are the only sons of PGA professionals to win the event.
Faceoff
One of the enduring mysteries of golf is the inability of players to hang with Tiger Woods on the final day of a major championship. In the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla, unheralded Bob May did exactly that. The journeyman almost matched the world’s top-ranked player shot-for-shot, culminating in a three-hole playoff that Woods took to successfully defend his title. It also made Woods the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year.
