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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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Jon Rahm PGA Championship
BETHPAGE, NEW YORK – MAY 14: Jon Rahm of Spain looks on during a practice round prior to the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 14, 2019 in Bethpage, New York. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

If we’re measuring PGA Championship contenders on nothing but pure talent, Jon Rahm would be at the top of a ton of lists. As it stands, I still love him in the field of players who are looking for a first major victory, but there’s always something that makes me stop and think for a minute.

Let’s address that part first. We all know that Rahm has a well-earned reputation for being a fiery competitor. Perhaps it’s been a bit too fiery at times, and you have to wonder if it’s that intensity and emotion that has kept him from truly reaching the elite class in golf. That hasn’t been a big issue recently, but it’s fair to wonder when it may pop up again.

Rahm tends to be an all-or-nothing type of guy. Last year in majors, Rahm finished fourth at both the Masters and PGA Championship. At the U.S. Open and the Open, he missed the cuts. He can win just about anywhere in the world, but he needs to be playing the weekends to do it.

When you look at this season, that’s even less of a concern. Rahm is 12-for-12 this year with eight top-ten finishes. In his last start at the Zurich Classic, he partnered with Ryan Palmer for the win. Two weeks before, he had a strong run at the Masters, with a Sunday 68 bringing him into the top ten at Augusta for the second straight year.

Rahm is an impressive second on TOUR in strokes gained off the tee, and he’s averaging just under 306 yards driving. The only somewhat obvious issue he has in his game this year is struggles getting up and down from bunkers (100th in sand saves), but if he avoids the beaches of Bethpage, he should be just fine.

One more impressive stat: Rahm is inside the top-20 in par-3, par-4, AND par-5 scoring, under par in all three categories. He must be taking that new TOUR marketing slogan to heart. If he keeps that kind of performance up this week, the PGA Championship could easily be within his reach.

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