PGA Tour Brunch | PGA Championship | R-1
PGA Tour Brunch's First Round Preview of the 2023 PGA Championship
PGA Championship | First Round Preview
ROCHESTER, NY - The 2015 PGA Championship winner - Jason Day - is coming off a win at last week's AT&T Byron Nelson, his 13th career PGA Tour title and first since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship (5 years, 8 days prior). Day has won in back-to- back starts twice in his Tour career: 2015 PGA Championship-2015 FedEx St. Jude Championship (then The Barclays) and 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard-2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
The last player to win on Tour and win a major the following week was Rory McIlroy, who won the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational followed by the PGA Championship.
Two PGA Tour members are making their major championship debuts: Tour rookies Nico Echavarria and Ben Griffin. Echavarria, who won the Puerto Rico Open, is the only rookie to win on Tour this season, while Griffin played in the final group on Saturday at THE PLAYERS Championship with eventual champion Scottie Scheffler (finished T35). Among the other 14 players making their major debuts is David Micheluzzi, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 2023 who made his PGA Tour debut on a sponsor exemption at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson (T-67).
At No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Patrick Cantlay is the highest-ranked player that has not won a major championship. Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup Champion, has seven wins over the last five seasons, the third-most of any player in that span and most of any player that has not won a major (McIlroy/9, Rahm/9). Cantlay has three Top-10s in 24 prior starts in majors (T-3/2019 PGA Championship, T-8/2022 Open Championship, T9/2019 Masters Tournament).
Wyndham Clark is making his first start since winning the Wells Fargo Championship, his first career PGA Tour title. Clark is one of eight first-time winners on the tour this season and enters the week No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking (first start as a top-50 player in the OWGR). He is making his sixth career major start.
Rickie Fowler has five consecutive Top-20 finishes on Tour and following a T-14 at the Wells Fargo Championship in his most recent start, Fowler moved into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since the ranking published November 29, 2020.
Full Leaderboard: (link)
PGA Championship | Tournament Facts
COURSE: Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY
YARDS/PAR: 7,394/70
ARCHITECT: Donald Ross
PRIZE Money/Winner’s Share: (TBA) - 2022 was $15m/$2.700,000
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Justin Thomas
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 600
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup
PGA of AMERICA CHAMPIONSHIP SITE: (link)
PGA Championship | The Basics
Tee Times: 7:00am to 2:37pm (ET) - (link)
Weather/Extended forecast for the Weekend: Widespread frost will be likely Thursday morning before temperatures begin to moderate during the afternoon with highs reaching the mid-60s. Much warmer temperatures can be expected Friday ahead of an approaching cold front and upper-level low pressure system that will move through the region Saturday. This will bring the chance for showers Friday night through the day on Saturday before shifting east late in the day. Sunday will be mild with partly cloudy skies with highs in the 70s.
Tournament Site: PGA Championship (link)
FEDEx CUP Standings: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will publish at 7:00am on Friday
How to Watch: (link)
PGA Championship | Field, Updates and Tee Times
Field: (link)
Updates:
Thursday, May 11
Davis Love III WD; Alex Smalley in
Vijay Singh WD; Lee Hodges in
Sunday, May 14
Eric Cole in
Monday, May 15
John Daly WD; Stephan Jaeger in
Tuesday, May 16
Paul Casey WD; Sam Stevens in
Tee Times: Thursday: 7:00am to 2:37pm (ET) - (link)
Leaderboard: (link)
PGA Championship | How to Watch
Thursday, May 18, 2023 - (All Times Eastern Daylight Time)
7:00am - 1:00pm - Streaming on ESPN+
1:00pm - 7:00pm - TV - ESPN
1:00pm - 8:00pm - PGA Championship Radio / Westwood / Sirius/XM 92
How to Watch 2023 PGA Championship (Golf Week/USA Today)
PGA Championship | What They’re Saying
PGA Championship: Five Things to Know (PGATour.com)
CBS Sports’ Special Section - (CBSSports.com)
Can Justin Thomas Defend PGA Championship (ESPN.com)
How to Watch 2023 PGA Championship (Golf Week/USA Today)
PGA Championship | Gambling, Daily Fantasy Picks
PGA Tour Championship - Expert Picks (PGATour.com)
PGA Tour Championship - Sleeper Picks (PGATour.com)
On This Day in Golf History
May 18, 1947 - Ben Hogan won the second-ever staging of the Colonial National Invitational, repeating as tournament champion after shooting a final round (69) to beat Tony Penny by one shot. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Next Week: Charles Schwab
Parting Putt
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