The two main men looked unfazed, if the truth be told. Both were doing their own thing close by the elegant Oak Hill clubhouse, neither with a golf club in hand. Scottie Scheffler, in a casual round neck T-shirt, scribbled his signature on to one flag after another presented by young fans, while Jon Rahm walked by, mobile phone close to his ear and quietly if earnestly talking to whoever was on the other end.
For this 105th edition of the US PGA Championship, the men who occupy the top two places in the world rankings are comfortable in their own skins and, it would seem, also in the environment they find themselves in this week at an old-school golf course where the examination is all in front of the player. Find the fairways (avoid the rough), find the greens (avoid the greenside rough), and make the putts.
As Scheffler put it, “it’ll be the usual challenges: thick rough, deep bunkers. Just try and stay patient out there.”
He’s right, for sure.
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Yet, as always happens, someone will come up with the answers to the examination set by a layout that features just two par fives – both of them over 600 yards – and with a weather forecast that is set to start with a frosty morning and perhaps bring some rain, especially come Saturday. Oak Hill was originally given the staging of the championship in its old August date, which was then moved to the PGA’s new slot in May in the calendar. It condensed the Major season into an April-July timeline but has ensured cooler weather than originally envisaged.
[ US PGA: Shane Lowry warming to the task ahead at much-changed Oak HillOpens in new window ]
“I always liked [the PGA)] in August, that this was glory’s last shot and there was a real identity there,” said Rory McIlroy. “Not saying that it’s lost any of that identity in terms of its still a Major championship, but I feel like having it be the last Major of the year maybe just gave it a little bit of something that it doesn’t quite have right now.”
Still, as he knows as much as anyone, with two Wanamaker Trophy wins to his name, the PGA is a coveted piece of silverware to dominate any cabinet. And where once he was the main man heading into each and every Major, that aura has dissipated – he hasn’t won a Major since his PGA success in 2014 – and it is Rahm who carries that sense of purpose and expectation into the biggest championships.
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Rahm, the Masters champion, has become the Major force these days; Scheffler his primary rival. “I wouldn’t say Jon doesn’t motivate me. I think any time you see guys playing really good golf, you want to be doing the same thing,” observed Scheffler of nature of their evolving competitive rivalry, which has seen them move clear, for now, of McIlroy, the world number three.
As good as Rahm (with four wins) and Scheffler (two wins) have been this year, this latest edition of the old championship is far from a two-man race. Jason Day’s welcome return to relevancy was again shown with a win in the Byron Nelson only last week, while defending champion Justin Thomas – a two-time winner of the PGA – seems to step up a gear for this particular event, even when seemingly out of form.
And, don’t forget, Jordan Spieth – who has been troubled by injury, to the extent that he missed the Byron Nelson – only needs this final piece of the jigsaw puzzle to complete the career Grand Slam.
Then, there is the spice of the LIV guys coming in from the cold for another Major. Brooks Koepka contended all the way in the Masters, while Dustin Johnson – now free of a back injury that hampered his early season – has also shown improved form. “I’ve proven myself out here for a long enough time where I don’t need to keep proving myself,” responded Johnson when asked if was any further incentive to make a point from those who moved to the start-up circuit.
McIlroy, for his part, has quietened down on being the unofficial spokesman on behalf of players on that particular subject. “Now that the wheels have been set in motion, it’s time to just focus on me and focus on playing great golf and getting back to trying to get back to winning ways,” he admitted.
His experience at the Masters, where he missed the cut, acted like a true wake-up call for McIlroy to focus more on his own self and game, even if he ruled out any return to that old ruthless being that last won a Major at Valhalla in 2014: “I find being that way pretty exhausting in life in general, to be that ruthless. It’s not as if I can’t get back into that mode, but I don’t feel like I need to be that way to be successful on the golf course,” said McIlroy.
Of aiming to bounce back from that Masters disappointment, McIlroy observed: “I’ve had tons of slumps and lulls in my career and I’ve been able to figure out ways to get out of them and play great golf again. It’s golf, it happens. Everyone’s got their ups and downs. I don’t need to be so myopic in my own view of everything and just see the bigger picture and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
McIlroy had his coach Michael Bannon with him in Florida last week and again at the tournament this week, while also taking on board some observations from none other than Tiger Woods, and will hope that his clubs do the talking.
Yet, on any formline, the reasoning is that Rahm is the man to beat and Scheffler is the main protagonist. For McIlroy and indeed all others, it is a case of changing that narrative.
