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5 things we learned Saturday at the PGA Championship
We were sooooooo close to a Bryson-Brooks pairing on Sunday, but we can’t have it all. Through three days in San Francisco, we have a host of long putts, hole outs, terrific vistas, and William Watson-designed golf holes. It can’t get much better, but just wait. One round remains, and it promises to be memorable.
Current and former major title holders populate the top dozen, where only three strokes separate golfer one from golfer twelve. We learned a few new things on Saturday, and are delighted to share five things we learned with you.
1. This 360 degree, slo-mo driver thing earned its 15 minutes on Twitter
Raise a glass to @PGA for an attempt at something novel, something ingenious. The tweet of a first 360 degree I saw was Cameron Champ. That was also the last one I needed to see. The first time I saw wire-fu animation in The Matrix, I was blown to bits. Now, unless DJ and Rory do a Smith v. Anderson thing, a golf swing is a golf swing. No doubt having zero fans allowed producers to properly position cameras to make this happen. I’ll hang up and listen now.
2. It has been a while, Dustin Johnson
17 top-ten finishes in major championships, with one win. Yes, it is quite unbalanced. Simply put, Dustin Johnson should have more major titles than the 2016 US Open. After his win at Oakmont, DJ nearly won the Open championship the following month. Then came stairgate at Augusta, and the rise of Koepka, and Johnson became a bit of an afterthought. What will he need to do on Sunday to win? Drive the ball well. His game into, and on, the green is predicated on solid opportunities in the fairway. There’s no one who can drive it longer and straighter, so the ball and the tournament are in his pocket. If playing partner Scottie Scheffler has a rough go of it, in his first, final-pairing appearance in a major, Johnson will have an unwanted distraction.
3. Haotong’s demise may have been expected, but Fleetwood’s was not
Total transparency: I wrote that sub-heading before Fleetwood made birdie at the last, to squeak within three strokes of the leader. The English golfer has never finished inside the top 30 of a PGA Championship, so he has little positive experience there to draw on. However, his body of work in Ryder Cups and US Opens is quite good, so perhaps it will carry the day on Sunday at Harding Park. As for Haotong Li, he almost extended his run, until the final six holes did him in. Haotong was one under on the day, when he played holes 13 through 16 in plus four. His last birdie of the day came at ten, and Li finished the day at plus three. He heads into the final round at minus-five. He’s not out of it, but his odds got much longer on day three.
4. Scottie Scheffler makes a LOT of birdies
Eight birdies on day three, four on day two, and six on day one, add up to an average of 6 per day. Unfortunately for the former Texas Longhorn, he has made ten bogeys over that same span. He’s learning on the go, and if he can get to ten or eleven under, he might have a chance at the Wannamaker trophy. Statistically speaking, Scheffler is tied for second in shots gained, and is putting brilliantly. Who’s to say that he won’t pull out the miracle victory? He might be the Shaun Micheel of 2020.
5. Why each of these 12 guys might win
Johnson: the tall drink of palmetto water simply cannot have one major championship win in his career. Way too much talent.
Scheffler: exactly the type of guy who wins the PGA. The Jeff Sluman/Y.E.Yang/David Toms/Mark Brooks/Rich Beem of this era.
Champ: this era’s John Daly, minus the mullet and other backstories, but yes to the filthy-long driver who harnesses his talent for a week.
Morikawa: what better way to separate from Wolff, Hovland, Mitchell and the other young winners, than a major title?
Casey: few remember that he excommunicated himself from the European Ryder Cup team for a time. He’s past that rough patch and deserves a major.
Koepka: really? You need me to mansplain?
DeChambeau: no matter what, he’s super-smart and super-talented. He can’t be discounted and is a worthy candidate.
Finau: needs to validate being selected for the 2018 Ryder Cup team. Golf talent~yes; Grit? Jury still out.
Rose: US Open-check. Olympic Golf-check. Needs more after his ill-fated decision to take the equipment money and run.
Day: injury took a lot out of him. Two PGA titles reads better than one.
Berger: No one has made more birdies than this guy, this season. If he lights it up with 63, he wins.
Fleetwood: his stumble has to be out of the way, if he is to win. Needs a lot of birdies on Sunday but, man, is he good!
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Morning 9: Rory: I’m not joining LIV | Masters ratings | Nelly: We just need a stage
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludvig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Sam Burns – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Stephen Jaeger – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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Morning 9: Aberg: I want to be No. 1 | Rory’s management blasts ‘fake news’ reports
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