Day 3 at the 2014 PGA Championship

The Saturday round of the 2014 PGA Championship has concluded and Rory McIlroy remains the leader after shooting another 67 today, putting him at 13-under (-13) with a one shot lead over Austrian/European Tour player Bernd Wiesberger.

Saturday is informally known as "moving day" in most of professional golf and today's round showed us just why it's given that name. After another rainstorm this morning, resulting in a flag relocation on the 18th hole, Valhalla was yet again left in a vulnerable state with soft and wet conditions. Many players capitalized on this, and at one point this afternoon just under 15 players were within two shots of the lead, including Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Palmer, etc. Rory McIlroy was amidst this mix as well, but a birdie on his finishing hole was enough to make him the sole leader.

Rory once again played spectacularly and is no doubt playing the best golf of his life right now, as he showed us on the 16th hole, the 500-odd yard par 4. McIlroy hit a driver 340 yards, then a nine iron to within two feet. Right now, he's looking like the outright favourite, at least in our books, to win. What a story it would be if Rory is able to win back-to-back majors.

Bernd Wiesberger's story is a unique one. The 2014 PGA Championship is just Bernd's sixth major appearance and the second time he's made the cut at one (the other was the 2013 Open Championship where he finished T64). He's a relative unknown here in North America, but has played on the European Tour since 2009 and has earned himself two wins during that time. Today, he shot a 6-under 65 in a round that included a near hole-out for eagle, and six birdies, which left even his playing partner Phil Mickelson surprised. Tomorrow he'll be in the final group with McIlory.

As for our picks, here is how they stand as of now:

1) Rory McIlroy: 1st at 13-under (-13)
2) Rickie Fowler: 3rd at 11-under (-11)
3) Ian Poulter: T50 at 1-under (-1)

1) Graeme McDowell: T63 at 1-over (+1)

I would like to see Rickie Fowler win tomorrow, like McIlroy he's playing really good golf at the moment as well. And, as of lately, he seems to play well when McIlroy is playing well.

There's no doubt though that tomorrow will be one of the most exciting Sundays of the season. Stay tuned tomorrow to hear who won it,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Rory pull off another major win? (Photo: Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports)

Day 2 at the 2014 PGA Championship

Round 2 of the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla is now complete and the leader going into the weekend is Rory Mcilroy (again), who shot a 4-under 67 today. He has a one shot lead over Jason Day and Jim Furyk. The cut has also been set at +1.

Today's round was a little different from the first. To start, the tee times were pushed back by 40 minutes due to some morning rains. This made the course a little longer and softer; conditions that many players took advantage of. The low round of the day was an impressive 6-under 65 shot by Jason Day. However, wind was a constant factor during the entire round today, probably an after-effect of the morning storm.

Rory McIlroy shot a 67 today, which put him in the lead this afternoon. His round included an eagle, three birdies, and two bogeys, which gives him a good chance at winning his fourth major title this weekend. I think what surprised me most about Rory over these past couple of rounds is how well he's rebounded from his mistakes. Take yesterday's round for example, he went double bogey, bogey on the 10th and 11th hole, then went on to shoot four straight birdies to nullify his mistakes. It's stuff like this that really shows how good he is at the game.

As for our picks, here is how they finished their weekday rounds:

1) Rory McIlroy: 1st at 9-under (-9)
2) Rickie Fowler: T4 at 4-under (-7)
3) Ian Poulter: T38 at 1-under (-1)

1) Graeme McDowell: T69 at 1-over (+1)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: CUT

Good rounds from Fowler today as well. Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship tomorrow,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Day 1 at the 2014 PGA Championship

The first round of the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club has concluded and there is a three-way tie for the lead between Lee Westwood, Kevin Chappell, and Ryan Palmer, who all shot 65's to lead at 6-under.

The first round saw benign and soft weather conditions; perfect for low scoring, which did occur. Over a third of the field is under par at the moment, however thunderstorms are forecasted for tomorrow's round. It seems though that tough flag locations are compensating for these good conditions.

As for our picks, here is how their first rounds turned out:

1) Rory McIlroy: T4 at 5-under (-2)
2) Rickie Fowler: T20 at 2-under (-2)
3) Ian Poulter: T11 at 3-under (-3)

1) Graeme McDowell: T93 at 2-over (+2)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T79 at 1-over (+1)

As it seems to be the norm lately, Rory McIlroy is playing amazing golf, which has led some golf experts to say that we are at the start of the "McIlroy Era" of golf. Only time will tell this however. McIlroy is paired with his fellow major championship winners Bubba Watson (Masters) and Martin Kaymer (US Open) for his first two rounds, as is accustomed at the PGA Championship.

In other news, last year's winner Jason Dufner had to withdraw halfway through his round today, due to an ailing injury. Tiger Woods, who last week withdrew to due an injury also, is T109 at 3-over (+3). His round included four bogeys and just one birdie.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our recap of Friday's round,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Will Lee Westwood win his first major this week?

2014 PGA Championship Picks

The first round of the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky is set to start in just a few hours. While there is sure to be much excitement of these next few days, only one can be the winner. Here are our picks on who we think that winner could be:

1) Rory McIlroy: He said in his press conference earlier this week that the PGA Championship is the major that he's done best in. He's also won twice in his last two starts (one which was a major) and is playing hot golf at the moment.

2) Rickie Fowler: Also playing great golf at the moment and had good finishes in his last tournaments including a top-5 finish at the Open Championship.

3) Ian Poulter: We haven't heard too much of him lately, but were hoping he can break through this week and win his first major.

We'll also be keeping an eye out on our favourites Graeme McDowell and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who are also in the field this week.

Stay tuned for our Day 1 recap of the PGA Championship later on today,

-Nick
 Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 PGA Championship Preview

Golf's last major of the year is set to start in just a couple of days. The iconic PGA Championship will be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky this year, a course with just as much notoriety as the PGA Championship itself.

The PGA Championship is hosted by the PGA of America and to the everyday person, might not seem as prestigious as the Masters, or the US Open, or the Open Championship. And that's because it's not like any other major, in fact to some, it's considered the hardest major to win and to me,  I think the most underrated major.

To find out what makes the PGA Championship so different from the other majors we asked, via Twitter (@RickSCOREGolf), Rick Young of SCOREGolf, what he thought made it so different:

As Rick said, the PGA Championship attracts the toughest set of players behind the Players. This, coupled with tough course set-ups by Kerry Haigh (Chief Championships Officer of The PGA of America) results in a tough field for any competitor. Ernie Els even calls it a “PGA Tour event on steroids.”

Valhalla is known for hosting several PGA Championships, Senior PGA Championships, and the 2008 Ryder Cup. It's last PGA Championship was won by none other that Tiger Woods in 2000. Since then, the Jack-Nicklaus designed and PGA of America-owned course has been remodeled twice. As it stands today, it is a par 71/7,458 yards long. A hole of note is the 10th hole, a 590 yard par 5 double-dogleg (right to-left; then left to right), where today hosted a long-drive competition during the practice rounds. For a hole-by-hole look, check out Coast Reporter's article about it.

As with any other major, we'll be having daily coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship starting tomorrow with our picks of win and raise the Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening. Stay tuned for those posts!

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews