Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I told you the Celtics weren’t hopeless without Jayson Tatum.
In today’s SI:AM:
Bombs away at Quail Hollow
Men’s golf’s second major of the season is this weekend in Charlotte at Quail Hollow. The PGA Championship is the least prestigious and most overlooked of the four majors, but several factors make it a tournament worth watching.
The course
Golf fans should be quite familiar with Quail Hollow, a course that has hosted a PGA Tour event every year since 2003. It’s one of the most celebrated courses in the country, with PGATour.com calling it “North Carolina’s version of Augusta National.” The course is one of the longest on tour (7,626 yards) and will play even longer this week after rain soaked the course earlier in the week. A course that long will always benefit players who can hit it long, but its tree-lined fairways also pose danger to any players who sacrifice accuracy for power. Players also have to contend with a fair amount of water hazards. Five holes on the back nine are bordered by the large lake that occupies the eastern side of the property.
Here are a few of the most noteworthy holes on the course:
- No. 2: A 452-yard par-4 with a hard dogleg left. Bigger hitters may try to carry the trees and cut the corner, as Bryson DeChambeau (unsuccessfully) attempted to do in his practice round on Tuesday.
- No. 7: At 547 yards, it’s the shortest par-5 on the course, but the fairway is narrow and bounded by a creek on the right side. The water goes right up to the front of the green, which is also protected by a pair of bunkers.
- No. 8: This 346-yard par-4 is a great example of how power players benefit at Quail Hollow. It’s possible to drive the green here, but it requires threading the needle between the two fairway bunkers on the left and the greenside bunker on the right.
- No. 10: The longest hole on the course at 592 yards. A fairway bunker on the left side poses danger off the tee. Another bunker sits about 50 yards short of the green, and the green is flanked by two more bunkers on either side.
- No. 14: Like the eighth, this is a reachable par-4 (344 yards). On one hand, the green is downhill, which makes the distance more manageable than the uphill eighth hole. On the other hand, there’s water lurking behind and to the left, so there’s plenty of risk associated with going for the green.
- No. 18: The closing hole is a tough one. The tee shot must find the fairway between a fairway bunker on the right and a creek on the left, while the green features a false front and two bunkers on the right. That creek runs the entire length of the left side of the hole, too.
The narratives
All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy this week as he seeks to follow up on his career-defining Masters win with another major victory. McIlroy has only played twice since winning at Augusta. He partnered with his good friend Shane Lowry to finish tied for 12th at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans two weeks after the Masters and then finished tied for seventh at the Truist Championship in Pennsylvania last week. A win would be extra poetic for McIlroy because Quail Hollow is where he won his first PGA Tour event 15 years ago.
Jordan Spieth could join McIlroy on the exclusive list of career grand slam winners if he is victorious this week. It’s been eight years since Spieth won his last major (the 2017 British Open), and he has just one top-10 finish at a major since 2023, but he’s playing well of late. He’s finished in the top 20 in four of the last five tournaments he’s played, including a fourth-place finish at the Byron Nelson in Texas two weeks ago.
Bryson DeChambeau, who entered the final round at Augusta in second place behind McIlroy, is the other player garnering lots of attention this week. Though he toils in relative obscurity on the LIV Golf tour, DeChambeau has excelled lately in majors. He’s finished at least as high as tied for sixth in four of his last five majors, including a win at last year’s U.S. Open and a runner-up finish at last year’s PGA. This week is a chance for him to redeem his late collapse at Augusta and win a third career major.
McIlroy and DeChambeau also have some minor beef after Bryson complained that Rory “didn’t talk to me once all day” during their Sunday round together at Augusta.
“I don’t know what he was expecting,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “We’re trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to try to be his best mate out there.”
The favorites
McIlroy and DeChambeau are two of the betting favorites, and for good reason. As two of the most powerful players in the world, Quail Hollow is built to their strengths. Both players have the sort of length off the tee that will make this monster course more manageable than it is for many of their opponents.
The guy with the best odds is, not surprisingly, Scottie Scheffler. He’s unquestionably the best player in the world, having finished in the top 25 of all nine tournaments he’s played this year. He won his last time out, at the Byron Nelson two weeks ago. He doesn’t have as much power as McIlroy and DeChambeau (he ranks 80th on the PGA Tour in average driving distance) but his excellent accuracy off the tee (24th on tour) will help him avoid the trees that line the fairways at Quail Hollow.
The best of Sports Illustrated
• Today’s digital cover is Emma Baccellieri’s cover story from the latest issue of Sports Illustrated on how the Indiana Fever are much more than just Caitlin Clark’s team.
• Clare Brennan has a good profile of Jonquel Jones, the quiet star of the Liberty’s superteam.
• Now that the NFL schedule has been released, Conor Orr listed the 13 most appealing games of the season.
• Albert Breer got the inside scoop from NFL officials on why this year’s schedule features more brand names in primetime.
• Josh Wilson looks at seven MLB hitters who are enjoying success this season thanks to new batting stances.
• Max Schreiber spoke with one of the biggest underdogs playing at this week’s PGA Championship. Rupe Taylor is a club pro who qualified for the tournament 12 years after hitting rock bottom with a drunk driving crash.
• Bryan Fischer’s college football primer series continues with a look at the Big Ten.
• Jaylen Brown dedicated the Celtics’ Game 5 win to injured teammate Jayson Tatum.
• Draymond Green said he’s not worried about the Warriors getting older after they were eliminated by the Timberwolves.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Aaron Judge’s laser beam home run that was gone so quickly Randy Arozarena didn’t bother moving.
4. Luke Kornet’s barrage of blocks against the Knicks.
3. Kasperi Kapanen’s overtime game-winner to clinch the series for the Oilers.
2. The Titans’ schedule release video parodying drug commercials.
1. The wild deflected home run robbery by two Red Sox outfielders. … things I saw last night:
5. Aaron Judge’s laser beam home run that was gone so quickly Randy Arozarena didn’t bother moving.
4. Luke Kornet’s barrage of blocks against the Knicks.
3. Kasperi Kapanen’s overtime game-winner to clinch the series for the Oilers.
2. The Titans’ schedule release video parodying drug commercials.
1. The wild deflected home run robbery by two Red Sox outfielders.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | What You Need to Know About the PGA Championship.
