Hi, everyone, my name is Brendan Steele
Don’t act too surprised with the names on the leaderboard at the PGA Championship going into Sunday’s final round at Atlanta Athletic Club. In a season where there have been eleven first-time winners on the PGA Tour, we should be used to seeing fresh faces and relatively unknown pros in contention. It’s no longer the usual suspects each week — Tiger, Phil, Ernie or Vijay.
Welcome to the new era in golf where parity is the name of the game.
But this is a major! Well, the last six major champs were all first-time winners — starting with Graeme McDowell at the ’10 US Open to Darren Clarke at the ’11 Open Championship.
At the final and fourth major of the year, Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner share the lead going into Sunday with a 54-hole total of seven-under. Then there’s Keegan Bradley, followed by Scott Verplank and Steve Stricker, both veterans who have had successful careers, though they’ve yet to claim a major. Other names in the top ten: Anders Hansen, D.A. Points, David Toms, Charl Schwartzel, Robert Karlsson, Adam Scott, John Senden. (Just watch, someone who has flown under the radar is going to win, like Hansen.)
Among those 13 players, only two have won majors — Charl Schwartzel captured the Masters in April and David Toms won the ’01 PGA Championship when it was last played at AAC.
When the new faces popped up on the leaderboard on Friday, most figured they’d implode under the immense pressure of leading a major. Nope, they embraced it and hit great golf shots to stay in contention.
Dufner reacts after rolling in a birdie. Don't look too excited!
Dufner has never won on the PGA Tour, while rookies Bradley and Steele, both playing in their first major this week, captured their maiden victories at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Valero Texas Open, respectively. Dufner has the most playing experience among the three, joining the PGA Tour in 2004. He’s played in 10 majors, with his best finish a tie for fifth at the PGA last year.
Yet, they’re handling the spotlight on the grand stage just fine.
Intensity!
Despite starting the day with a double-bogey on the first hole, Bradley, who was playing in the last pairing, managed to regroup and settled down to shoot one-under 69. Dufner plodded along, making six pars, until he birdied the 7th.
From what I saw today, Bradley and Dufner stayed aggressive and aimed at the tucked pins. What’s more impressive is they pulled off the shots. And when they made mistakes, they scrambled to save par or rallied to birdie the next hole.
Dufner three-putted the 14th, but then rolled in consecutive birdies on 15 and 16 on Saturday to retake the lead.
Where's Stricker?
The final four holes have caused players to shudder when they reach the nightmarish, difficult stretch. The field has played them 1.315 strokes over par. The top five have managed to survive what’s been called “Calamity Lane,” avoiding major blow-ups.
54-hole co-leader Dufner has played 15-18 at three-under and Bradley is even par in that stretch. Stricker is one-under and Scott Verplank is even par. Only co-leader Brendan Steele is over par, but only one.
Interestingly enough, the big names and the veterans are the ones making rookie mistakes coming down the stretch — Luke Donald laid up on 18, but still dumped one in the water. Lee Westwood double-bogeyed the 14th. Adam Scott three-putted from three feet on the 15th. Jim Furyk dumped two in the water on 18 and posted a double-bogey. Phil Mickelson made a few silly mistakes and posted bogeys on 15 and 18 (according to his manager, the heat got to Phil, who declined interview with the press after spending his customary 20 minutes in the scoring trailer).
No, not in the drink again!
Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I sense an exciting final round. Can Dufner, Bradley and Steele continue to keep their nerves in check? Same goes for Verplank and Stricker, who wouldn’t mind getting rid of the best-American-without-a-major moniker.
Will one of the favorites, like world No. 1 Luke Donald, world No. 2 Lee Westwood or last week’s champ Adam Scott, catch fire and come from behind to take the Wanamaker Trophy? Masters champ Charl Schwartzel is a potential contender, too — he may just birdie the last four holes to win (again)! Toms could turn back the clock to 2001 and win again at AAC. And finally, seven of the top eight are Americans, which means there’s a great chance to break the U.S. drought at the majors.
Steve Williams hopes to win another major on Sunday...with Adam Scott
It’s all within the realm of possibility.
“It could be a good thing,” Dufner said of his own lack of experience, along with Steele’s and Bradley’s. “Might maybe make me a little more relaxed knowing that everybody is kind of in the same boat, struggling with those emotions and thoughts and the mentality of trying to win a major.”
(Photos by Kyle Auclair/Insidetheropes.com)
“Well, the last seven major winners were all first-time winners…”
The last 6 surely — McDowell, Oosthuizen, Kaymer, Scwartzel, McIroy, Clarke — it was Phil before that at Augusta.
Unless you’re preempting a 7th..?
@Aloha, yes, sorry, I meant 6. My bad. Freudian slip? What do you think the chances are it’ll be 7 tomorrow?
@Stephanie, Firstly, I should be ashamed of my pedantry, not least for spelling two of the 6 wrong (yet I got Oosthuizen correct!).
As for first time winners, as good a chance as any, just a matter of which one! I have Donald and Westwood in a sweeper, so would love to see one of them pull through, but I think one of the PGA rookies will have nerves of ‘Steele’… (sorry!)
I think like most, I would be happy for Stricker to get it done too.
Where’s your money?
It will be an interesting final round. I think anyone within 6 shots of the lead at this golf course can still win the tournament. There are some potential disaster holes out there none the least the 18th hole.
Will not be able to take my eyes of the TV this afternoon. It’s going to be great
Talking about fresh faces and newbies, it was interesting to hear Keegan/Steele crediting Phil for helping them out, taking them under his wing, ect. Last year, we heard much of the same from Oosty and then Swartzel this spring after the Masters, but of course regarding Ernie. With Rory, it is obvious that Westwood et al are mentoring him. Who is missing from this commendable progression of wisdom unto the younger generation ? … Of course, it is Tiger. Where are Tiger’s protogees? Arjun Atwal ? Cookie and OMeara? Not surprising giving his serial narcissism, but interesting to see that his ultimate contribution to the game may be nothing more than a pile of trophies.
Woods is mentoring many many kids through his TW Foundation.
@KC – please, they all do good projects like that. TW Centers have nothing to do with golf, same like Phil’s Exxon stuff and Els’ Autism work. Point is that Tiger has not given back to the game the way the other top guys have.
Well, if you choose to find faults, you can always find them…
Tiger has been sharing himself with women around the world for years! That aughta count for something.
…and let’s not forget all of the blacks in college and pro golf now because of his example. I can remember a day when there were hardly any.
[...] And Bradley’s win at the PGA Championship this past weekend was nothing new. True, it elevated him from an inside-golf personality to a name blasted in headlines, but it follows a trend of golf fans having to learn new names every time a major is played. “The last six major champs were all first-time winners — starting with Graeme McDowell at the ’10 US Open to Darren Clarke at the ’11 Open Championship,” Stephanie Wei, of Wei Under Par, writes. “Welcome to the new era in golf where parity is the name of the game.” [...]