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PGA Championship 2019: 5 players who could still contend for the title

By Brandon Raper

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Jordan Spieth PGA Championship
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – MAY 17: Jordan Spieth of the United States lines up a putt on the 11th green during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

Jordan Spieth (-5, T-2)

I have to admit, if you had talked to me three days ago, I wouldn’t have seen this one coming. As much as I love his game, Jordan Spieth just hasn’t been playing up to his otherworldly reputation. And that may not have been fair of me (or literally the rest of the golf-viewing world, really), but here he is once again, in contention on a major and playing in the final pairing on Saturday.

That take aged well.

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While Dustin Johnson feels like the more natural challenger to Koepka’s romp, Spieth has gotten back to doing what won him the other three majors already: holing every putt in sight.

Spieth carded a four-under round of 66 on Friday despite two untimely bogeys, and he still gained 4.0 strokes on the field with his putter. The 40-footer he nailed for birdie on the par-3 eighth gave him his first bit of separation from DJ in the same group, and you could almost see it in his eyes: he’s feeling it in a way he hasn’t in a long, long time.

No, Spieth can’t possible match power with Koepka off the tee – almost nobody can – but he has one intangible advantage over the rest of the field this weekend. He’ll be the guy playing with Koepka on Saturday, and possibly Sunday as well. If the two of them start going at it, and maybe Spieth drains a few more of those birdies while Koepka makes par, the momentum swing is there.

In this scenario, Brooks is basically Ivan Drago and Jordan Spieth is Rocky Balboa. Both decorated champions, one with a dominant advantage, and the other with nothing to lose. Birdies are body shots, and while the leader doesn’t seem to be vulnerable to human emotions on the golf course, we’ve seen crazier things happen. Plus side: Apollo Creed doesn’t have to die to make this one exciting!

Next. Brooks Koepka extends dominant lead at PGA Championship. dark

Not much crazier, mind you, but it’s there. And really, a little drama to close this PGA Championship is just what we need right now.

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