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Never one of the most loquacious touring professionals, Ben Hogan still managed to utter some of the most profound nuggets in golf history. One of them came in 1951, after he won the U.S. Open on the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.: “I’m glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees.” The Donald Ross-designed “Monster” at Oakland Hills, on the short list of America’s toughest tracks, will host its 11th professional major beginning Thursday, Aug. 7, when the PGA Championship is held there for the third time. The par-70, 7,395-yard South Course figures to be as treacherous as ever since renovations from architect Rees Jones have brought 15 longer holes, narrower fairways and more penal bunkers. With Tiger Woods still out of the picture, here are 10 players who I think stand the best chance of winning “Glory’s Last Shot,” the final major of the 2008 season. 1. Phil Mickelson Best Finish: Win (2005 at Baltusrol Golf Club) As was the case at the British Open, the absence of Woods means there’s no clear major favorite, so Mickelson is the No. 1 horse by default. Despite only one top-10 major finish since his U.S. Open meltdown at Winged Foot in 2006, the San Diego native is still the most talented competitor in the field. If the world’s No. 2 player can keep big numbers off his card and putt just a little better than he has been this year (he’s outside the PGA Tour’s top 50 in both putts per round and putts per green in regulation), he will be there at the end. 2. Stewart Cink Best Finish: T3 (1999 at Medinah Country Club) He may have only one win on his 2008 résumé, but it could be argued that Cink is having the best year of any golfer in the world. The 35-year-old has five top-three finishes, only two missed cuts (and in each instance he was just one stroke off the cut line), and one of the best scoring averages on Tour. His reputation continues to be tarnished by ugly 3-putt on the 72nd hole of the 2001 U.S. Open, but the Huntsville, Ala. native has a steady demeanor on the course and is in excellent position for major No. 1. 3. Sergio Garcia Best Finish: 2 (1999 at Medinah Country Club) It’s been almost 10 years since El Niño warmed up to the golf world with his antics at Medinah. Garcia’s courageous charge against Woods was a sign that major titles were certainly in his future, but we’re still waiting for the first one. It’s difficult to say whether Woods’ absence at the British put added pressure on him (he finished tied for 51st while being widely regarded as the favorite), but if he goes in with the right attitude at Oakland Hills, his skills will be enough to put him in the hunt. 4. Jim Furyk Best Finish: T6 (1997 at Winged Foot Golf Club) It’s been a steady season for Furyk, who hasn’t won but hasn’t finished outside the top 40 when he’s made the cut (he’s a stellar 17-for-20 in that regard). The 2003 U.S. Open champ is still a tee-to-green machine, finding the fairway almost 70 percent of the time and hitting more than two-thirds of greens in regulation on the PGA Tour in ’08. If the South Course plays fast, Furyk’s shortness off the tee won’t be much of a shortcoming, and his strong putting rep makes his a perennial major contender. 5. Kenny Perry Best Finish: 2 (Playoff loss in 1996 at Valhalla Golf Club) Maybe the key to playing well on the PGA Tour is to not even compete in the majors. Perry hasn’t been in any of the season’s first three, but he’s won three times in ’08 and leads the FedEx Cup standing sans Tiger. Like Cink, Perry is remembered most for a gaffe when it comes to the year’s Big Four: Instead of warming up for a potential playoff after he had the clubhouse lead at the 1996 PGA, he stopped by the CBS Sports booth for an interview as Mark Brooks went on to tie him and win the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. But that was 12 years ago, and Perry would love nothing more than to return to Valhalla for the Ryder Cup this year with a major title. 6. Anthony Kim Best Finish: T50 (2007 at Southern Hills Country Club) Everyone knew the Los Angeles native had lots of game when he debuted on the PGA Tour late in 2006, but his rapid ascent has been one of the circuit’s most impressive stories this year. Kim’s compact, powerful swing is already one of the best in the world, and his 300-plus-yard driving average should suit him quite well at lengthy Oakland Hills. The 23-year-old has become a force each time he tees it up. 7. Henrik Stenson Best Finish: T14 (2006 at Medinah Country Club) The long-hitting Swede is coming off his best major finish – a tie for third at the British Open – and his immense talent suggests the best could be yet to come. Though the 32-year-old Stenson doesn’t have a lot of major experience from which to draw, he can contend at any tournament as long as hits enough fairways and doesn’t let his emotions get the better of him. 8. Sean O’Hair Best Finish: T12 (2006 at Medinah Country Club) With new selection criteria for the United States Ryder Cup team, O’Hair, who is outside the top 10, needs a strong finish to guarantee a berth on the 2008 squad. The 26-year-old only has a trio of top-10 finishes this season, but one was a win at the PODS Championship, and another was a tie for third recently at the RBC Canadian Open. O’Hair’s 2008 stats aren’t mind-boggling, but the youngster has serious game and the potential to shine in big events. 9. K.J. Choi Best Finish: T6 (2004 at Whistling Straits) The 38-year-old native of South Korea ushered in his ’08 campaign with a win at the Sony Open, but he hasn’t been a consistent force since then. While most will remember Greg Norman’s final-round struggles at the British Open, let’s not forget Choi had the 36-hole lead and seemed poised to be there at the end. That disappointment aside, Choi still drives the ball straight and can get hot with the flatstick, two traits that still make him one of the world’s best without a major. 10. Geoff Ogilvy Best Finish: T6 (2005 at Baltusrol Golf Club, 2007 at Southern Hills Country Club) Will the real Geoff Ogilvy please stand up? Is it the man who stopped Tiger with a 17-under winning total at the WGC-CA Championship earlier this year, or is it the man who’s already posted four 77s this season? The Aussie has one of the world’s most fluent swings, but you never know what you’re going to get from him. Notable omissions: Padraig Harrington. Only three men have ever won the British Open and PGA Championship in the same year: Tiger Woods (twice), Nick Price and Walter Hagen. Don’t look for Harrington, who wasn’t lighting up leaderboards heading into Birkdale, to be the fourth. Adam Scott. Still not sure the uber-talented Aussie has the fire to be one of the best ever, a title he is capable of attaining. We’ll see. Vijay Singh. I’m not going to completely rule out a title run from the 45-year-old Fijian, but his best days clearly seem behind him. Keep an eye on: Woody Austin. The flamboyant veteran finished second at last year’s PGA, his best major showing ever, and he could rekindle his hot play a year later. Hunter Mahan. The Orange native, who is 11th on the American Ryder Cup team points list, would love to seal a spot with a strong PGA showing. Robert Allenby. With all the young Australian superstars on the PGA Tour, Allenby often gets overlooked. He hasn’t missed a cut since January and has a very solid all-around game that could net a major. Eli Miller also writes a weekly blog for Southland Golf. Reach him at emiller@churmmedia.com. |
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