If we rewind to a time when Brexit was
not a thing, Donald Trump was not a
president and clapping on your door-
step was probably a misprint, golf was
very different too. Fans flocked to see
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth in a
duel for the decade. They had shared
four successive majors over two years
and were heading towards co-rule and
career grand slams. The rest is a
mystery.
There will be no fans at the US PGA
Championship, the first major for more
than a year, but stories will still be
unfurled at Harding Park in San Fran-
cisco. Matt Fitzpatrick, 25, and Tommy
Fleetwood, 29, are attempting to end a
101-year wait for an English winner.
Bryson DeChambeau, 26, says he is at-
tempting to live until he is 130. Brooks
Koepka, 30, is attempting to win the
Wanamaker Trophy for the third year
running, something not achieved since
the days when Walter Hagen left it in a
Chicago cab after a night on the town.
This year’s event is infused with the
perspective of bigger themes, but the
long wait has heightened anticipation
of more shiny fare. The tournament
also gives Spieth, 27, his fourth chance
to become the sixth man to achieve the
modern grand slam. McIlroy, 31, will get
his sixth opportunity at the Masters in
November. Form suggests neither will
do it. McIlroy is still a star turn and until
the lockdown a consistent contender
on the PGA Tour, but it has been a
mixed bag since. Meanwhile, Spieth has
fallen off a cliff.
From world No 1 status to his subter-
ranean berth at No 62, it is worth
reminding ourselves that he was only 21
when he won the Masters and the US
Open in 2015, following on from
McIlroy’s Open and US PGA double in
- However, Spieth’s 2017 win at the
Open remains the solitary major the
pair have won in the past 18. Only
Koepka has won more than once in that
period with four. Predictions have
become guesses. Comparing himself to
his 2015 version, when he won the
WGC-Cadillac Match Play at Harding
Park, McIlroy said: “Golf was every-
thing to me.” He caught himself. “It stillis... but there are other things in my life.
Maybe I’ve got more balance.”
That was interesting in light of Koep-
ka talking about his desire to regain the
No 1 status. “The goal is to be the best
player,” he said. “If you’re not doing that
then I don’t know what you’re doing.” It
may be that McIlroy is just too roundedHow DeChambeau’s
weight-gain gives
him extra length
The world No 7 added 45lb of
mostly muscle, main image, to
improve his impressive game, insetSport
McIlroy and Spieth bid
to recapture past glories
a person to win what his talent suggests
he should. Six years without a major? “I
don’t think about it every day,” he said.
“But when I play major championships,
it’s something I’m reminded of. I would
have liked to have won a couple more
and I’ve had a couple of decent chances
and just haven’t got the job done.”
He was one stroke behind Patrick
Reed early on the Sunday at the 2018
Masters but finished six shots adrift. He
had a share of the Sunday lead at the
Open that same year. His stats from last
year compare favourably with 2014 and
suggested 2020 may be his year, but
after putting together a run of six top-
five finishes, sport shut down.
When Koepka addressed those vying
for the No 1 spot this week, he omitted
McIlroy’s name. It was reminiscent of
last year when Koepka dismissed the
notion of a new duel. “Rory hasn’t won
a major since I’ve been on the PGA
Tour so I just don’t view it as a rivalry,”
he said. As for Spieth, if his driving and
approach play have slumped to sub-or-
dinary, there have also been glimpses of
his past. Last year, he was joint third at
this major. The year before, he led the
Masters after the opening round and
finished with a 64.
What would he feel if somebody had
told him in 2017 that he would not have
won another major by now? “I’d prob-
ably say that guy is a jerk,” he said. “But
they don’t come easily. Majors aren’t to-
tally about form. They’re about experi-
ence and being able to grind it out.”
More perspective came yesterday
when the European Tour kicked John
Catlin out of the English Champion-
ship after he breached its bio-bubble
and went to a restaurant. Branden
Grace has withdrawn from the US PGA
after a positive Covid-19 test. Perhaps
the last major winner put things best. “It
was difficult saying goodbye to your
wife and your three-year-old,” Shane
Lowry said. “But like I said to them, ‘I’m
not going to war.’ ”US PGA Championship
Rick Broadbent
First and second-round tee-off times
US unless stated.
Groups to watch in blue
*Start at 10th tee
3pm (Today)-8.25pm*
(Tomorrow) B Harman,
J Hart, CT Pan (Tpe)
3.05*-8.30 S Scheffler,
D Balin, T Hoge
3.11-8.36* A Landry,
R Perry, N Lashley
3.16*-8.41 M Auterson,
R Sabbatini (Slovakia),
N Taylor (Can)
3.22-8.47* Sung Kang
(S Kor), J O’Leary, D Frittelli
(SA)
3.27*-8.52 T Finau,
D Willett (Eng), P Cantlay
3.33-8.58* E van Rooyen (SA),
R Henley, C Ortiz (Mex)
3.38*-9.03 M Kaymer (Ger),
J Dufner, J Day (Aus)
3.44-9.09* R Palmer,
K Kisner, M Thompson
3.49*-9.14 D Berger,
X Schauffele, S Stricker
3.55-9.20* B Cauley,
L Glover, T Hatton (Eng)
4.00*-9.25 H Stenson (Swe),
C Morikawa, Z Johnson
4.06-9.31* A Beach,
R Beem, S Micheel
4.11*-9.36 B Koepka,
G Woodland, S Lowry (Ire)
4.17-9.42* R Cabrera Bello
(Sp), R Ishikawa (Japan),
J Kokrak
4.22*-9.47 J Spieth,
D Johnson, J Rose (Eng)
4.28-9.53* B Wiesberger
(Aut), D Lee (NZ), V Taylor
4.33*-9.58 T Woods,
R McIlroy (N Ire), J Thomas
4.39-10.04* K Mitchell,M Schwab (Aut), B Steele
4.44*-10.09 L Oosthuizen
(SA), M Homa, M Fitzpatrick
(Eng)
4.50-10.15* J Dahmen,
L List, V Perez (Sp)
4.55*-10.20 A Ancer (Mex),
C Schwartzel (SA), Joohyung
Kim (S Kor)
5.01-10.26* M Lorenzo-Vera
(Fr), M Jertson, T Lewis (Eng)
5.06*-10.31 C Conners (Can),
Z Johnson, C Reavie
5.12-10.37* D Muttitt,
M Hughes (Can), H English
5.17*- 10.42 S Piercy,
A Knoll, A Putnam
8.25*-3.0 B Sowards,
K Kitayama, R Werenski
8.30-3.05* T Duncan, JR Roth,
C Bezuidenhout (SA)
8.36*-3.11 Li Haotong (China),
B Cook, J Campillo (Sp)
8.41-3.16* L Griffin,
R Berberian, J Luiten (Neth)
8.47*-3.22 Byeong Hun An
(S Kor), T Gooch, Sungjae Im
(S Kor)
8.52-3.27* J Herman,R Labritz, S Norris (SA)
8.58*-3.33 JT Poston,
J Niemann (Chile), H Varner III
9.03-3.38* A Hadwin (Can),
B Snedeker, Zhang Xinjun
(China)
9.09*-3.44 K Tanigawa,
E Grillo (Arg), C Tringale
9.14-3.49* K Na, P Reed,
R MacIntyre (Scot)
9.20*-3.55 B Stuard,
J Furyk, B Horschel
9.25-4.0* M Wolff, B Watson,
G McDowell (N Ire)
9.31*-4.06 M Jones (Aus),
J Janewattananond (Tha),
K Streelman
9.36-4.11* T Fleetwood (Eng),
V Hovland (Nor),
H Matsuyama (Japan)
9.42*-4.17 J Walker,
D Love III, K Bradley
9.47-4.22* R Fowler,
B DeChambeau, A Scott (Aus)
9.53*-4.28 C Smith (Aus), D
McCarthy, C Champ
9.58 -4.33* J Rahm (Sp),
P Mickelson, S Garcia (Sp)
10.04*-4.39 T Merritt,
W Clark, C Kim
10.09-4.44* P Casey (Eng),
I Poulter (Eng), W Simpson
10.15*-4.50 D Redman,
J Caron, B Todd
10.20-4.55* M Wallace (Eng),
M Kuchar, M Leishman (Aus)
10.26*-5.01 J Gibb, L Herbert
(Aus), M Hubbard
10.31-5.06* S Straka (Aut),
R Vermeer, Si Woo Kim
(S Kor)
10.37*-5.12 S Warren,
M Kinhult (Swe), A Long
10.42-5.17* S Munoz (Col),
J Bertsch, B Hebert (Fra)US PGA
Championship
TPC Harding Park,
San Francisco
First round, today
TV: Live on Sky Sports
Golf from 6pm585 1GM Thursday August 6 2020 | the times