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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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Tommy Fleetwood PGA Championship
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – MAY 15: Tommy Fleetwood of England plays a shot from the 12th tee 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) /

Tommy Fleetwood is far more than just a glorious head of hair. I mean, come on, that’s a mane that makes hockey players jealous. But seriously, over the last season and a half or so, Fleetwood has also made the transition from the European Tour to primarily playing the PGA TOUR just about flawlessly.

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Fleetwood has 22 top-25 finishes in 29 starts. Ten of those have been top-tens, including a runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open. Tommy Fleetwood is the real deal, and I feel like he’s still just starting to scratch his true potential.

As Fleetwood gets more established on the PGA TOUR, he’s no longer “that European Tour guy”. And while the lights are as bright as ever, he’s adapting well. This is going to be Fleetwood’s fifth PGA Championship start, and he continues to improve.

He’s done his best work in the last two U.S. Opens (also the most maligned tournaments possibly in history), but he went from T-61 at Quail Hollow in ’17 to T-35 at Bellerive last year. The setup at Bethpage is quite different than those in Charlotte or Louisville, and I expect it to play to Fleetwood’s strengths.

Tommy Fleetwood is ranked fourth in strokes gained off the tee this year, despite averaging “just” 299.9 yards driving. He’s a middling 74th in greens-in-regulation, but somehow he remains inside the top-20 in adjusted scoring. What’s up with that?

Simply put, Fleetwood has been masterful with a wedge in his hands. He’s second in sand saves (69.39%) and scrambling (69.19%). When you can get up and down from nearly anywhere, it makes the game a lot easier. Birdies are great, but avoiding unnecessary bogeys might be even more important, especially in a major championship.

This PGA Championship is likely to go down to the wire. When that happens, look for the guy who isn’t making many mistakes. That alone will give Tommy Fleetwood a chance.

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