Bellerive Country Club plays host to the 100th PGA Championship this week which is the fourth and final major of the year.
With the eagerly anticipated 42nd Ryder Cup edging ever closer - 28-30 September - American players will be keen to shine in Missouri as the eight automatic qualification spots will then be confirmed on Monday in the aftermath of the major tournament. Skipper Jim Furyk will then reveal his four captain’s picks in the opening weeks of September.
Four players have already booked their place in the American Ryder Cup team with the major winning quartet of World No.1 Dustin Johnson, who is favourite for glory this week, double US Open winner Brooks Koepka, the defending PGA Championship champion Justin Thomas, and Masters victor Patrick Reed all now on the flight to France.
At the time of writing Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson hold the prized 4th to 8th spots, however the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, veteran Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele, and Matt Kuchar are hot on their heels, while 14-time major winner Tiger Woods is out in 20th - 2,000 points behind 8th spot - although he is pretty much guaranteed a captain’s pick (scroll down for the rankings table).
Tony Finau has enjoyed a cracking year on the major front, having bagged a very impressive three top-10 finishes this year, including 5th at the US Open. Another positive showing this week will see the in-form golfer jet over to Le Golf National next month.
It’s worth noting that the PGA Championship winner will bag around 4,000 points, which in truth will pretty much be enough for any play player to secure a place on the team, with players ranked in the early 100s still in with an admittedly very outside chance. And with each of the last four American winners of the PGA Championship previously without a major success, it’s anyone’s game in Bellerive.
