Fore the Dawgs - PGA Championship preview
The PGA’s fourth and final major is this week and it heads to the northeast. The 98th version of the PGA Championship is in Springfield, New Jersey at the Baltursol Golf Club. The PGA Championship was played at this course only one previous time when in 2005 Phil Mickelson won his second of his five career majors. Seven U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Opens have been played there as well. The PGA Championship is earlier this year due to golf being part of the Summer Olympics. Actually this is the first time since 1968 that two majors have been played in the same month.
Five former Georgia golfers will try to win close to two million dollars and the Wannamaker Trophy. Harris English, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner and Bubba Watson will tee off on Thursday and try to tame the par 70 Lower Course.
Before you watch the coverage on TNT and CBS Sports this week, here is a little more information on your favorite golfing Bulldogs.
No former Georgia golfer has ever won the PGA Championship, but some have come close. Here are the top ten finishes by former Dawgs.
Finish | Year | Course | |
---|---|---|---|
Bubba Watson |
2nd |
2010 |
Whistling Straits |
Tommy Tolles |
T-3rd |
1996 |
Valhalla |
Chip Beck |
T-5th |
1990 |
Shoal Creek |
Franklin Langham |
7th |
2000 |
Valhalla |
Tim Simpson |
T-8th |
1990 |
Shoal Creek |
Terry Diehl |
T-10th |
1980 |
Oak Hill |
Bubba Watson |
T-11th |
2012 |
Kiawah Island |
Billy Kratzert |
T-12th |
1978 |
Oakmont |
Russell Henley |
T-12th |
2015 |
Whistling Straits |
Tommy Tolles |
T-13th |
1997 |
Winged Foot |
Here is how the five participating Bulldogs have fared this season in the three previous majors of 2016.
Masters | U.S. Open | Open Championship | |
---|---|---|---|
Harris English |
T-42nd |
T-37th |
T-46th |
Russell Henley |
Did Not Play |
Did Not Play |
Missed Cut |
Chris Kirk |
Missed Cut |
Missed Cut |
Missed Cut |
Kevin Kisner |
T-37th |
T-49th |
76th |
Bubba Watson |
T-37th |
T-51st |
T-39th |
Here is how the five participating Bulldogs have fared in previous PGA Championships.
Course | Finish | Score | |
---|---|---|---|
2013 |
Oak Hill |
T-61st |
+8 |
2014 |
Valhalla |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2015 |
Whistling Straits |
T-48th |
-1 |
Course | Finish | Score | |
---|---|---|---|
2013 |
Oak Hill |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2014 |
Valhalla |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2015 |
Whistling Straits |
T-12th |
-10 |
Course | Finish | Score | |
---|---|---|---|
2011 |
Atlanta Athletic Club |
T-34th |
+2 |
2013 |
Oak Hill |
T-57th |
+7 |
2014 |
Valhalla |
Missed Cut |
--- |
Course | Finish | Score | |
---|---|---|---|
2015 |
Whistling Straits |
Missed Cut |
--- |
Course | Finish | Score | |
---|---|---|---|
2007 |
Southern Hills |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2008 |
Oakland Hills |
70th |
+21 |
2009 |
Hazeltine |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2010 |
Whistling Straits |
2nd |
-11 |
2011 |
Atlantla Athletic Club |
T-26th |
+1 |
2012 |
Kiawah Island |
T-11th |
-2 |
2013 |
Oak Hill |
Missed Cut |
--- |
2014 |
Valhalla |
T-64th |
+3 |
2015 |
Whistling Straits |
T-21st |
-7 |
Finally here is when they tee off on Thursday so you can catch them on TV.
Time | Hole | Group | |
---|---|---|---|
Harris English |
7:30 am |
10 |
Matt Dobyns and Tyrrell Hatton |
Russell Henley |
12:35 pm |
10 |
Thorbjorn Olesen and Fabian Gomez |
Chris Kirk |
7:00 am |
10 |
Wyatt Worthington II and Freddie Jacobson |
Kevin Kisner |
7:40 am |
1 |
Aaron Baddeley and Emiliano Grillo |
Bubba Watson |
1:25 pm |
1 |
Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth |