Preview
2021 PGA Championship
The 103rd PGA Championship tees off on Thursday May 20 at the coveted Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina.
The star-studded field of 156 all-professional golfers features 99 of the top 100 players in the current Official World Golf Rankings and includes 70 international golfers from 25 countries. The strongest field this year includes 35 major champions who have won a combined 56 major titles.
Defending Champion Collin Morikawa heads 16 past PGA Champions in the field. He is joined by John Daly (1991), Vijay Singh (1998, 2004), Rich Beem (2002), Shaun Micheel (2003), Phil Mickelson (2005), Padraig Harrington (2008), YE Yang (2009), Martin Kaymer (2010), Keegan Bradley (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012, ’14), Jason Dufner (2013), Jason Day (2015), Jimmy Walker (2016), Justin Thomas (2017) and Brooks Koepka (2018, ’19).
The world’s best golfers are faced with a brutal examination at the second major championship of the year—the Ocean Course at Kiawah is ranked among the toughest layouts in America.
This week, the Pete and Alice Dye-designed course will extend its total yardage to a massive 7,876 yards—making it the longest major venue in history!
The stunning layout is located on a four-kilometer stretch of seaside property and was originally designed and built to stage the 1991 Ryder Cup. With 10 holes running along the ocean, the picturesque and demanding links-style track features more oceanfront holes than any course in the North America.
This year will mark the second occasion the Ocean Course has staged the PGA Championship. In 2012, Rory McIlroy scored a decisive victory by eight shots. He returned to world No. 1 after winning at Kiawah. It was his second major championship title (he previously won the 2011 US Open).
At the PGA Championship in 2012, five of the six hardest holes were on the back nine.
The field is playing for a total prize purse of US$11 million. The winner will collect a handsome US$1.98 million.
Defending Champion
America’s Collin Morikawa collected the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in his debut start at the major tournament. The then 23-year-old scored a two-shot victory over Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey to become the third youngest PGA champion since World War II, behind Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus.
Major Story Line
Jordan Spieth is looking for the career Grand Slam by adding the PGA Championship to his list of major titles. The three-time major winner collected the Masters and US Open in 2015 and The Open in 2017. This will be his fifth crack at earning the career Grand Slam. Spieth is one of three players in history not to have completed the Grand Slam by winning the PGA Championship after holding the other three major titles (he joins Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson).
Aussies In The Field (8)
Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, Jason Scrivener, Jason Day, Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert and Cameron Davis.
Aussie Victories
2015 Jason Day
1995 Steve Elkington
1990 Wayne Grady
1979 David Graham
1947 Jim Ferrier
Event Records
72-HOLE RECORD:
Aggregate - 264, Brooks Koepka (2018 at Bellerive CC).
To Par – 20-under, Jason Day (2015 at Whistling Straits).
MOST WINS (5): Jack Nicklaus & Walter Hagen
Photo credit: Gary Kellner/The PGA of America via Getty Images
