Justin Thomas, fresh from his victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, will defend his US PGA Championship title at Bellerive Country Club this week as the year’s final major takes place.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the tournament.
Can Jordan Spieth complete career grand slam?
What next for Tiger Woods?
Will another big name triumph?
2011 – Trailing by five strokes with three holes to play, Keegan Bradley rallied to emerge as the third player in nearly a century to win a major in his first attempt. #PGA100 pic.twitter.com/gWuMYuTm18
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 6, 2018
Francesco Molinari’s victory in the Open means the last 27 majors have all been won by players ranked inside the world’s top 50, with only Ernie Els (2012 Open) and Jimmy Walker (2016 US PGA) outside the top 30 at the time of their win. The US PGA has produced its fair share of unlikely winners in the shape of Shaun Micheel (ranked 169th), YE Yang (110th) and Keegan Bradley (108th), but the odds appear increasingly stacked against another shock winner.
Who will secure a Ryder Cup berth?
The 2018 captains update:
?? Bjørn (Karlsson)?? Furyk (Stricker, Woods)#RyderCup pic.twitter.com/hEZhTmGRMl
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) February 20, 2018
The US PGA is the final qualifying event for the United States Ryder Cup team, with the top eight in the standings on Sunday evening securing a place on the team to defend the trophy at Le Golf National in September. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed have already done enough to qualify, with Thomas, Bubba Watson and Spieth also looking secure. US captain Jim Furyk will announce three of his wild cards after the Dell Technologies Championship and a final selection after the BMW Championship on September 9.
Can Europe make it two in a row?
