-
Jason Day will defend his title at the PGA Championship. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
• COURSE: Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), 7,428 yards, par 70. Just one of four golf properties to be designated a National Historic Landmark, Baltusrol was founded in 1895 on New Jersey farmland once owned by Baltus Roll, who died years earlier in an attempted robbery. The original layout staged five national championships, including the 1915 U.S. Open, but was plowed under as part of A.W. Tillinghast’s ambitious 1922 “Dual Courses” project. The Lower course has been the site of four U.S. Opens – two of which have been won by Jack Nicklaus – along with two U.S. Amateurs, a U.S. Women’s Open and now its second PGA Championship.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 points.
• CHARITY: PGA Reach, formerly the PGA Foundation, has contributed more than $40 million over the past two decades to growth-of-the-game initiatives, ranging from establishment of The First Tee to teaching grants and funding for disabled and special-needs golfers.
• FIELD WATCH: Henrik Stenson, still savoring his British Open triumph, joins world No.1 and defending champion Jason Day to headline the strongest field among the four majors. … All but three of the top 100 in the world rankings are slated to compete, missing only No.69 Jaco Van Zyl (Olympic prep), No.90 Charles Howell (neck) and No.93 Ian Poulter (foot). … One spot remains for the winner of this week’s RBC Canadian Open if not already qualified. … The lineup also includes the top 20 finishers from June’s PGA Professional National Championship.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 265, David Toms (2001 at Atlanta AC).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Bruce Crampton (2nd round, 1975 at Firestone CC), Raymond Floyd (1st round, 1982 at Southern Hills), Gary Player (2nd round, 1984 at Shoal Creek), Michael Bradley (1st round, 1993 at Inverness), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 1993 at Inverness), Brad Faxon (4th round, 1995 at Riviera CC), José María Olazábal (3rd round, 2000 at Valhalla), Mark O’Meara (2nd round, 2001 at Atlanta AC), Thomas Bjorn (3rd round, 2005 at Baltusrol), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2007 at Southern Hills), Steve Stricker (1st round, 2011 at Atlanta AC), Jason Dufner (2nd round, 2013 at Oak Hill), Hiroshi Iwata (2nd round, 2015 at Whistling Straits).
• LAST YEAR: Day not only captured that long-awaited major title but did so in record fashion, blistering Whistling Straits in 20-under par to leave his pursuers well in his wake. The Aussie took a two-shot lead into the final day and never let anyone close the gap, extending his lead to three strokes with a birdie at the par-5 second hole. A long-distance birdie at No.7 padded the cushion to four shots, and no one got closer than three from there. Day finished with a 5-under-par 67, taking down Tiger Woods’ major-championship mark of 19-under at the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews. Jordan Spieth was three shots back in second, falling short in his quest to become just the third man in the modern era to win three majors in a calendar year. The Texan did play the four Grand Slam events in 54-under par, beating Woods’ old mark by four.
• STORYLINES: Stenson begins a quest for a second major title just 11 days after his first, when his masterful 63 at Royal Troon allowed him to match Day’s record for lowest total under par in a major. … U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson also brings momentum to Baltusrol, following his Oakmont triumph with a WGC-Bridgestone win and a top-10 at Royal Troon. … Following last year’s major success, Baltusrol represents the last chance this year for Day and Spieth to come up with an encore.
• SHORT CHIPS: Stenson’s triumph means all four major trophies are currently in the hands of first-time major winners, the first time that’s occurred since July 2012. Justin Rose’s U.S. Open win that year capped a run of nine first-timers in a row, going back to Graeme McDowell at the 2010 U.S. Open. … As Tiger Woods again sits out while recovering back surgery, 2016 will go down as the first time since his amateur days in 1994 that he hasn’t teed it up in a single major. … Played this year in July to make room for the Olympics, it marks the PGA’s first foray outside of August since 1971. Florida’s PGA National was host that year, when it was played in February.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET (TNT). Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT), 2-7 p.m. (CBS).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: None.
• RADIO: Thursday-Sunday, noon-7 p.m. (SiriusXM).
The PGSF tour rolls into New Jersey, for the last major of 2016. This has been a good( great?) golf year and we can only hope the final major of the year lives up to the first 3.
Congratulations to last weeks winners Ed and DFS
DFS still leading the way , heading into the final stretch of the regular season
Good Luck to everyone this week
