Sam Torrance: Jordan Spieth to rival Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm at US PGA Championship
At any golf major, and especially those held in the United States, the emphasis is on hitting fairways and greens but the latter will be much harder than the former at the US PGA Championship this week.
Southern Hills, which is hosting the year’s second major, has undergone a revamp in recent years that has seen its fairways widened and grass around the greens cut.
It means that an approach that misses by four or five yards could roll away and end up 40 yards from the hole. In other words, it favours the most accurate.
There is no shortage of contenders but my top three are Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, world No2 Jon Rahm and the resurgent Jordan Spieth.
Scheffler was so impressive in winning his first major title at Augusta, his fourth victory of what has been an extraordinary year for the American.
The world No1 has done nothing wrong since, finishing in the top 15 at the Byron Nelson last week, his only start since the Masters.
He has great pedigree at majors, finishing in the top 10 at each of his last four, and on his last two appearances at the US PGA.
Scheffler is also third in the PGA Tour’s ranking of the most accurate players for hitting greens in regulation.
Rahm leads the way in greens in regulation and has the game to take on any course and in any conditions.
The Spaniard is both refreshed and in-form, having had two weeks off since winning the Mexico Open, his only tournament since Augusta.
He loves a major, having won the US Open last year and finished in the top 10 at all of the others.
Spieth, meanwhile, is looking to complete the career grand slam of all four majors, five years on from winning his last at the Open.
Like Rahm, he has won in the last month, at the RBC Heritage, and was second on Sunday at the Byron Nelson.
Back in the top 10 for the first time since 2018, Spieth is rightly confident and his legendary short game could be a big asset at Southern Hills.
Other US PGA contenders
Rory McIlroy says he is feeling ready to win another major and when a player comes out with a comment like that you’ve got to listen.
We know Rory can finish in the top five even if he is only playing his C game. Second at the Masters, he’s a definite contender here.
Tiger Woods proved a lot to himself and everyone else at Augusta, where he got through four rounds just a year after almost losing his leg.
He believed he could win the Masters, so he’ll certainly have similar hopes at Southern Hills, especially as the last man to win the US PGA here in 2007.
The first major of the year was also a landmark occasion for Cameron Smith, who pushed Scheffler for the green jacket before falling away on the final day.
That was a huge disappointment for the Australian, who missed the cut at the RBC Heritage, his only outing since.
But Smith is a great player, can take heart from his third place at the Masters and should be well rested and ready this week.
Xander Schauffele showed his class with a fantastic final round of 61 to share fifth on Sunday at the Byron Nelson.
He is yet to win a major but has finished in the top 10 on nine occasions and is a very straight hitter and great iron player – ideal for this course.
Justin Thomas can’t be discounted either. He has six top-10 finishes in 10 starts this year and is definitely world class.
Viktor Hovland has the ability but hasn’t really challenged at a major yet. Perhaps he has been guilty of trying too hard.
Former world No1 Dustin Johnson hasn’t got going this year and has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015.
Open champion Collin Morikawa was fifth at the Masters but is yet to hit the heights of last year.
Matt Fitzpatrick looks the pick of the English contenders. He is yet to win in the US so a major is a tall order but he is getting closer and is a good driver with a strong short game.
Compatriot Sam Horsfield, meanwhile, heads to the US PGA in great form. The 25-year-old capped his return from three months out with a really good win at the Belgian Open on Sunday, his third already on the DP World Tour.
Sam Torrance OBE is a former Ryder Cup-winning captain and one of Europe’s most successful golfers. Follow him @torrancesam