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PGA Championship 2019: Five players who could win their first major

By Brandon Raper

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 15: EDITORS NOTE: A POLARIZING FILTER WAS USED TO CAPTURE THIS IMAGE. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks on the 16th green during a practice round prior to the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 15, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 15: EDITORS NOTE: A POLARIZING FILTER WAS USED TO CAPTURE THIS IMAGE. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks on the 16th green during a practice round prior to the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 15, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /
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PGA Championship five players that can win their first major
PGA Championship 2019: 5 players who could win their first major championship at Bethpage Black. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /

The PGA Championship will see a stacked field competing for the Wanamaker Trophy at Bethpage Black. Who could raise that hefty trophy in their first major victory?

The PGA Championship has, by its very definition, one of the toughest fields out of all four major championships. It’s the only professional major, and while it doesn’t have the history of the U.S. Open or the Open Championship, nor the mystique of the Masters, it more than makes up for it in one clear area.

It boasts some really killer golf. It’s like a PGA Tour event on steroids, and the competitive drive is cranked all the way up to 11. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, and it can keep things exciting from start to finish.

This week at Bethpage Black, we’ve heard a lot about the usual suspects. Brooks Koepka is looking to defend his title from 2018 at Bellerive. Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are right there, both playing some outstanding golf. All three of them could leave New York as the No. 1 player in the world. So could Tiger Woods, “fresh” off his victory at the Masters and hungry for a 16th major.

Don’t get it wrong: all of those guys, and more, could easily add to their well-established major championship credentials this week. And the rowdy New York crowds will eat up every minute of it. But what about the guys who haven’t experienced the sweet taste of a major championship win yet?

As the PGA Championship begins on Thursday morning, those are the guys you should pay a little extra attention to. For some, it could be the defining moment of an already remarkable career. For others, we may just witness the moment we’ll refer to years from now in that “remember when” type of way.

Picking these five players, I went with a handful of stats – driving distance and accuracy, greens in regulation and scrambling most notably. Recent form doesn’t hurt, of course. But when it came time to limit this list to five, a lot of it just comes down to feel. Who’s ready to contend with this monster of a course?

The Wanamaker Trophy awaits one player just four days from now. Will it be one of these guys? Only time will tell. Let’s jump in.

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