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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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Rickie Fowler PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 05: Rickie Fowler plays his shot from the 16th tee during the final round of the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club on May 05, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Is it just me, or is Rickie Fowler going way under the radar these days? I get it, we’re all caught up in Tiger-mania like it’s 2000 all over again, but come on. Ever since his dramatic finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and his, err, “demonstrative” public thoughts on the new drop rules, it’s like he’s disappeared from golf fans’ minds completely.

That, of course, would be a very bad trap for his fellow competitors to fall into this week at the PGA Championship. Fowler is actually playing some remarkably solid golf this year – evidenced by his win in Phoenix and seventh-place ranking in the FedEx Cup race. And if he’s ever going to break through for his first major, it seems like this could be the place.

Let’s look back at Fowler’s history at Bethpage Black. He’s been around for three of the four events here, and he was just 13 for the 2002 U.S. Open, so we’ll give him a pass there. Rickie missed the cut in the 2009 U.S. Open as an amateur, and returned in the Barclays in 2012, finishing tied for 24th. In 2016, he was even better, making his way inside the top ten and finishing tied for seventh.

Statistically, Fowler is plenty long to handle the challenges of a soft, damp Bethpage. He’s averaging 304.2 yards driving (30th), and despite middling accuracy – common among today’s bombers – he’s still 51st on Tour in strokes gained off the tee. No real losses here.

Where Fowler has absolutely shined this year is with his putting. He’s hitting a decent number of greens in regulation, but once he’s there, he’s been deadly. Fowler is ranked seventh on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained putting, as well as averaging just over 1.7 putts per green in regulation. He’s converting on birdies and avoiding the dreaded three-putt.

Those stats are the kind that brought Jordan Spieth his three majors prior to his recent semi-slump. This is no joke, and Rickie Fowler should only take you by surprise this week if you’ve been sleeping all year.

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