US PGA - 6 Players to Watch

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

Picking winners of majors is no easy matter, but here we present six men who should give you a decent run for your money in the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

1 Phil Mickelson

In fantastic form, as proved by his incredible golf in The Open at Troon, when he opened with a 63 and finished with a 65 but still somehow lost by three strokes. He has great memories of Baltusrol, having won the last time the US PGA Championship was played there is 2005. The left-hander may well be 46 years of age, but he is playing some of the best golf of his life this season. Incredibly, he hasn't yet won in 2016 - this could be his moment.

2 Dustin Johnson

US Open champion Johnson hit 71% of fairways and 72% of greens in regulation at Troon, but was undone by two costly double bogeys in round two and a triple bogey in the third. The world number two dropped five shots on the 11th hole alone and still finished inside the top 10 to continue his superbly consistent form in 2016. His power will also be an advantage on the closing stretch which features a 230-yard par three and back-to-back par fives measuring 650 and 553 yards.

3 Patrick Reed

Made a terrific start to The Open with an eagle and three birdies in the first seven holes before eventually signing for an opening 66. Being on the wrong side of the draw contributed to him dropping out of contention with a second round of 74, but the Ryder Cup star battled back to finish in a tie for 12th. It is surely only a matter of time before Reed wins his first major, and what better week to do it? He also needs to tie down his Ryder Cup berth.

4 Henrik Stenson

Played the golf of his life to win The Open, but Stenson has a terrific record in the US PGA Championship. Four of the 40-year-old Swede’s top seven finishes in majors (before Troon) had come in the US PGA, including third places in 2013 and 2014. Stenson is teak-strong, but surely his heroics have to catch up with him. Mind you, if there is one man who can reproduce that sort of form, it is Stenson.

5 Rory McIlroy

The Northern Irishman has had a quiet year and he continues to struggle with the putter. He strikes the ball beautifully and has shown flashes of his very best this season, but, as he said himself at Troon, he turned professional to win titles and the Irish Open is his only success this season. You get the sense that when it all clicks into place again, McIlroy could win everything in sight. If he putts well at Baltusrol, everybody else may as well go home.

6 Kevin Chappell

It is five years since Chappell finished third at the US Open, and the 30-year-old has yet to win a tournament on the PGA Tour, so what on earth is he doing on this list? This season alone, he has finished second on three occasions, one of which was at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He also finished third at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. This man is ready to win - and this tournament has produced some surprising winners, including Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel and YE Yang. Chappell is a better player than all three of those, and he enjoys tough golf courses.