Opportunity 99Th PGA Championship Country: United States Aug
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Website: centerfornewsanddesign.com PLAYERS 2017 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP • QUAIL HOLLOW TO WATCH A grand FACTS JORDAN SPIETH & FIGURES Age: 24 opportunity 99th PGA Championship Country: United States Aug. 10-13 World ranking: 2 Quail Hollow Club, Worldwide victories: 14 Charlotte, NC 2017 victories: AT&T Jordan Spieth has one chance Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Length: 7,600 yards Travelers Championship, to become the youngest golfer in history British Open Par: 35-36 — 71 Majors: Masters (2015), to complete the career grand slam U.S. Open (2015), British Field: 156 players (136 Open (2017) tour pros, 20 club 2017 Majors: Masters-T11, GRAND SLAM GOLFERS pros) US Open-T35, British Open-1 Only five golfers have won all four major championships during their careers. A look at Prize money: TBA ($10 the golfers and their ages when they million in 2016) accomplished the feat: Winner’s share: TBA ($1.8 million in 2016) Defending champion: Jimmy Walker Last year: Walker held RORY MCILROY on for par on the Age: 28 18th hole at Baltus- Country: Northern Ireland rol for a 3-under 67 World ranking: 4 and a one-shot Worldwide victories: 21 victory over Jason 2017 victories: None Day. It was one of Majors: U.S. Open (2011), the longest final British Open (2014), PGA days in 64 years at Championship (2012, the PGA Champion- 2014) WITH VICTORY AT ship because of rain, 2017 Majors: Masters-T7, US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: with Walker playing Open-Cut, British Open-T4 Jordan Spieth 36 holes on Sunday. 24 years Day was trying to 0 months join Tiger Woods as 17 days the only players to win back-to-back in Ben Hogan Gene Sarazen Gary Player Jack Nicklaus Tiger Woods the PGA in stroke 40 years 33 years 29 years 26 years 24 years play. He hit 2-iron to 15 feet and made 10 months 1 month 7 months 5 months 6 months eagle on the 18th. 27 days 12 days 20 days 18 days 23 days Familiar territory: Quail Hollow has HIDEKI MATSUYAMA hosted a PGA Tour Age: 25 hree majors down, one more "It's incredible," he said. "It's a life Mile" _ the par-4 16th at 506 yards event every year since Country: Japan to go for Jordan Spieth. goal of mine. It's a career goal. with a green that sits next to a lake; 2003. World ranking: 3 If only it were that easy. Growing up playing golf, I just wanted the 223-yard 17th to a peninsula Worldwide victories: 13 T Not since Tiger Woods in 2000 has a to be able to play in major champion- green; and the 494-yard closing hole Tough at the top: It has Majors: None player won the third leg of the ships and compete with the best in with a creek that winds along the left been 10 years since 2017 Majors: Masters-T11, career Grand Slam, and the world. And things have side of the fairway. the No. 1 player in the US Open-T2, British then went straight to the happened very quickly." world won the PGA Open-T14 Major next major with a The question is whether MCILROY’S MOMENT Championship. chance to be part of Championships he can finish it off quickly, Rory McIlroy was considered a the most elite of Men’s Golf or whether McIlroy, favorite at this major the day Quail Key statistic: The last company in golf The Masters Dustin Johnson or Hollow was awarded the PGA three PGA Champion- history. U.S. Open anyone else can stop Championship. He won his first PGA ship winners shot 68 Only five men have British Open him. Tour event at Quail Hollow in 2010 or better all four captured all four PGA Championship Johnson still has a firm when he closed with a 62. He won two rounds. majors in their grasp on No. 1 in the years ago by seven shots. careers. Spieth, coming world, though he sure hasn't But the pressure is building. It has Noteworthy: Tiger off his spectacular closing looked like it since that spill been three years since McIlroy won a Woods is the only stretch to win the British Open, down the stairs on the eve of the major, and he goes into this one player to win the PGA DUSTIN JOHNSON lacks only the PGA Championship to Masters and the resulting back injury. having parted ways with his caddie. Championship in Age: 33 join them. McIlroy had a rib injury at the start of And there is part of McIlroy that back-to-back years Country: United States Still fresh are the images of Spieth the year and is still looking for his first would like to get to the career Grand since it moved to World ranking: 1 going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie at victory. Slam before Spieth. McIlroy's next stroke play in 1958. Worldwide victories: 15 Royal Birkdale for his third victory of Spieth, meanwhile, has a sense of opportunity is still seven months Woods has done it 2017 victories: Genesis the year. That's one reason he is a occasion. Even when he took a away at the Masters. twice. Open, WGC-Mexico co-favorite with Rory McIlroy to win four-shot lead into the final round of Championship, WGC-Dell the 99th edition of the PGA Champion- the Masters that he won in 2015, he LOW SCORING Quoteworthy: “It’s Technologies Match Play ship, which starts Aug. 10 at Quail knew it was critical to not let opportu- Johnny Miller was the first to shoot hard to win them. It’s Majors: U.S. Open (2016) Hollow Club in North Carolina. nity slip away. "The longer you go 63 in a major. It took 44 years for very hard. It's the 2017 Majors: Masters-DNP, A broader view of history suggests without is making each one harder," someone to finally break the record reason, especially in US Open-Cut, British the Texan would be wise to get it done he said, referring to winning that first with Branden Grace posting a 62 at this generation, Open-T54 quickly. major. Royal Birkdale in the British Open last excluding Tiger, no Arnold Palmer won the 1961 British month. And how long will that record one has got above Open — also at Royal Birkdale — and And now he is going for No. 4. last? five.” _ Four-time played the PGA Championship 34 No other major has allowed for such major champion Rory more times without ever getting his QUAIL HOLLOW low scoring than the PGA Champion- McIlroy, who has gone name on that Wanamaker Trophy. The private club in Charlotte ship, primarily because it is played in three years since Tom Watson went through the same returned to the PGA Tour schedule in August when the greens must be winning a major. ordeal. He picked up the third leg at 2003 and became an instant hit with watered _ and thus are softer _ to Pebble Beach in the 1982 U.S. Open, the best players. Woods, Vijay Singh, avoid dying in the summer heat. and then played 24 more times in the David Toms, Jim Furyk and Rory Not only have the last three PGA PGA Championship without ever McIlroy were among major champi- champions posted all four rounds in JON RAHM Television winning the one major that eluded ons who won at Quail Hollow. the 60s, none shot worse than a 68 all Age: 22 (all times EDT): him. The course has gone through some week. Country: Spain Thursday and Friday Also at stake for the 24-year-old significant changes and will play 7,600 The last player to win the PGA World ranking: 6 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., TNT Spieth is a chance to become the yards as a par 71. What hasn't Championship with a 72-hole score Worldwide victories: 2 Saturday youngest to win the career Grand changed is the daunting nature of the over par was Dave Stockton at 2017 victories: Farmers 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., TNT; Slam. finishing stretch known as the "Green Congressional in 1976. Insurance Open, Dubai 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. CBS Duty Free Irish Open Sunday Majors: None 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., TNT; 2017 Majors: Masters-T27, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., CBS US Open-Cut, British Content by The Associated Press; page designed by GateHouse Media’s Center for News & Design. Open-T44 COMPILED BY DOUG FERGUSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS.