Preview of top players at 92nd PGA Championship
By now everyone has got used to surprise winners on golf leader boards. It was against all expectations that Graeme McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach. Then Louis Oosthuizen stole the Claret jug at the Open Championship at St Andrews. It is anyone’s guess who will come win the 92nd PGA Championship, currently taking place at the Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, USA.
For speculation’s sake, a winner can be predicted by looking at recent winning trends. It is simple and precise. The winner will most likely be a player who posted a victory on either the US or the European tour earlier this season. The trend is easily understood by the fact that after a major victory, confidence levels increase and that automatically helps in winning another trophy. The same trend was seen in the USPGA when 11 of the last 12 USPGA winners had a victory earlier that year.
On the basis of this criterion, a couple of prospective winners have been chosen:
Bubba Watson
The top contender is Bubba Watson, the American who is known for his monster hits. Although this skill of his did not work wonders till the starting of this season, as he lacked a strong will to complement it. However, the scenario has changed since his victory at the Traveler's Championship which was held in June. According to analysts, Bubba Watson has gained a tremendous amount of confidence that can actually help him claim another major win this season. Another factor that goes in the favour of the player is his capability of hitting the greens after missing the fairways. As a matter of fact, Bubba Watson is the number one PGA player when it comes to hitting the green in regulation after missing the fairway.
Moreover, Bubba Watson has a record of never hitting a straight ball. His career is all about hitting from the roughs and this is what makes him special. As far as his stats are concerned, Bubba Watson is the 2nd in Driving Distance, 16th in Greens in Regulation, 1st in Birdie Average, 4th in Par 4 Birdie and the leader in Par 5 Birdies. On a course of 7505 yards and a primary feature of four par 5 holes, Bubba Watson will be terrific with his skills of creating synergy with the course.
Not to forget he was the leader of the first round at the Firestone country club last week. Other players who share the same reputation include Lucas Glover the winner of the US Open, 2009, and then Padraig Harrington the winner of two consecutive majors of 2007 and 2008.
Dustin Johnson
The second on the list of top 2 contenders is the runners up of the US Open, 2010 which took place at the Pebbles Beach California. Despite the fact that he performed poorly in the last round, which he started with a lead of 3 strokes and finished with 5 over par.
Later, he finished 14th at the Scottish Open, St Andrews and settled for another top 15 at Firestone Country Club last week. Moreover, this native of South Carolina was known for his strong love affair with Pebble Beach for two consecutive years until Graeme McDowell ended it this season. Dustin Johnson claims to be in his comfort zone as he grew up on courses like this, with water hazards and winds.
This was the betting preview of the first two players, who according to the experts, should be the contenders for first position in the PGA championship. Likely to run from the 12th August, 2010 till the 15th.
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