US PGA Championship Preview, Picks & Analysis

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

WITH memories of a classic Open Championship still fresh in everybody's minds, the world's best golfers head to Baltusrol in New Jersey for the US PGA Championship. The season's final major is normally held in August, but has been brought forward to accommodate the Olympic Games golf tournament.

The ultimate irony, of course, is that none of the world's top four will be playing in Rio, with Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy all giving the Olympics a miss, citing fears over the Zika virus. And they are not the only ones - Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Vijay Singh and several others decided not to go.

So, for them, this really is Glory's Last Shot as far as 2016 is concerned. Day is the defending champion but two men who will head here in high spirits are Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson, who produced that breathtaking, unforgettable final-round shootout at Royal Troon. Mickelson said that he would have accepted any score under 70 on that amazing day and expect to win the Claret Jug - in the end, he shot a 65 and lost by three shots, with the 40-year-old Swede shattering all sorts of records as he tore up the course to finish with a 63 and a record 20-under-par score to become the first Scandinavian to win a major.

It would be no surprise to see these two in contention again, but Day, Spieth, Johnson and McIlroy will all feel they have a point to prove. And the same applies to Rickie Fowler, who is desperate to put a disappointing Open behind him.

McIlroy has had a particularly frustrating year. At times he has looked brilliant, at others he has looked ordinary. He continues to struggle on the greens - he finished The Open with a round of 67 but missed several short putts and could quite easily have been five or six shots better. He will not be happy with his season to date, but he has still won the Irish Open, a tournament he hosted and that featured an incredibly strong field. He missed the cut at the US Open, but finished tied for 10th at The Masters and tied fifth at The Open. That tells you that his game is not in bad shape, but, as McIlroy told us at Troon, he turned professional to win golf tournaments, not to finish in the top 10.

He is a proud young man and will have worked hard on his short game since Troon. Baltusrol will suit his game and I fancy that he will win his first major since taking this tournament two years ago. He also won it in 2012 so he is going for a famous hat-trick. Germany's Martin Kaymer won in 2010 and is another whose chances cannot be ruled out here - that was the year when Dustin Johnson famously grounded his club in a bunker at Whistling Straits on the final hole. Keegan Bradley was the winner in 2011, McIlroy took the title in 2012 and 2014, and Jason Dufner produced a short-iron masterclass to win his only major in 2013.

Day is undoubtedly still the world's best player, but in recent weeks his game has been some way short of its very best and he was frustrated with his game during his unsuccessful defence of the Canadian Open, when he hit a lot of wayward iron shots.

When he won this tournament in 2015 he played brilliant golf to beat Spieth and is bound to be inspired at the thought of defending the giant Wanamaker Trophy, but I believe Spieth could be a better bet. He had a disappointing week in Scotland but there were a few encouraging signs - his swing looks in better shape than it has for much of the year.

Gary Player says he could sort out Spieth's faults in half an hour, which begs a rather obvious question: why doesn't Player get in touch with the young American and make good on his offer? It seems pretty obvious that Spieth would be only too happy to take on board the advice of a figure such as Player. As usual, Spieth holed more than his share of long putts at The Open, even though the greens were much slower than he is used to. As long as he retains that magical putting stroke, Spieth can win anywhere, anytime.

Every major needs a good outsider and the man who fits the bill for this one is Kevin Chappell. He is the archetypal journeyman but this season has seen a dramatic improvement in his play. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour but has played some outstanding golf this season and it would come as no surprise to this particular correspondent to see the 30-year-old American in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

The romance is provided by Andrew Johnston, now universally known throughout the game as Beef. The Spanish Open champion is living the dream and probably still has to pinch himself at the start of every day of his life, just to confirm that it is not a dream. A good week in America would catapult Johnston up the Ryder Cup rankings and make it very difficult for Darren Clarke not to pick him.In truth, he will do well to make the cut. No matter what, you can be sure he will have fun, as will those fortunate enough to be following him. Come on Beef!

US PGA Championship Picks

To Win:

Rory McIlroy. So close to his best

Each Way:

Jordan Spieth. How can you ignore him?

Each Way:

Kevin Chappell. A fantastic each-way bet

US PGA Championship Fantasy Picks

Rory McIlroy. Desperate to win his fifth major

Jordan Spieth. Ready for another big week

Kevin Chappell. Hugely underrated golfer

Dustin Johnson. Riding a wave of confidence

Jason Day. Struggling to find his best

Patrick Berger. With his first win under his belt, Berger is full of self-belief

Scott Piercy. Has been in sensational form of late

Phil Mickelson. Enjoying his best season in years

Henrik Stenson. Has won one major, so why not two?

Patrick Reed. Major is the only thing missing from his CV