PGA major course suits big-hitting Johnson

World No.1 Dustin Johnston appears equipped to go the distance in the PGA Championship and add a second major title to his growing list of achievements.

Golfer Dustin Johnson

The Bellerive Country Club's layout seems tailor made for big-hitting world No.1 Dustin Johnson. (AAP)

Dustin Johnson is the favourite to win the PGA Championship this week at Bellerive Country Club where the long hitters will be at home in the final major of the year.

A course stretching to 7547 yards, wide fairways and soft greens will give the big bombers the advantage they did not always enjoy at last month's Open Championship on the parched fairways at Carnoustie.

Johnson, fellow Americans Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, Englishmen Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and Australian Jason Day loom as the main contenders.

Less likely to triumph but sure to attract plenty of attention all the same, are Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, who can achieve the 'Career Grand Slam'.

Woods did not play well in Akron last week and Bellerive is not really up his alley.

A decade removed from his 14th, and most recent, major victory, he is better suited these days to courses that demand subtlety and shot making.

Spieth also played poorly in Akron and he too does not appear to be a good match for Bellerive.

Johnson is not No.1 in the world by accident but he is not quite the closer in majors that he is in regular tournaments.

Another near-miss at the US Open in June, where he finished third after a pedestrian final round, resurrected nagging doubts about his ability to seal the deal.

The 2016 US Open remains his only major victory.

McIlroy, meanwhile, needs to win a major on a firm and difficult track to shed the tag of being a flat track bully.

His four major titles have all come on rain-softened courses where he could bomb away his driver and attack with his irons.

He should be at home this week.

Apart from the usual suspects, another player worth keeping tabs on is American Tony Finau, who has finished in the top 10 in all three majors this year and is statistically the third longest driver on the PGA Tour in 2018.


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Source: AAP



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