What Lies in Store?

We take a look at the venues and likely contenders at this year’s major championships which, with the exception of Augusta National, have a distinctly links-like feel to proceedings

Hideki Matsuyama has the game to become the first Japanese player to win a major

Bubba Watson in action at Whistling Straits in 2010

US PGA Championship

The US PGA returns to Whistling Straits, a long, potentially windswept course that certainly rewarded the stronger players back in 2010 – the top-five included McIlroy, Johnson, Watson, Jason Dufner and eventual champion Kaymer.

So who do we fancy for “Glory’s Last Shot”?

Adam Scott - this course should be right up the Australian’s alley. Consistently peerless from tee to green - and Whistling Straits demands accurate long-game play - Scott certainly has the tools to finish high up the leaderboard.

Justin Rose - if we accept that ball striking will be at a premium at Whistling Straits, Rose can’t be discounted from adding to his tally of majors. The Englishman was at his finest when challenged by a brutal course setup at Merion in 2013.

Hideki Matsuyama - it’s high time a Japanese player won a major and alongside Spieth, Matsuyama is the best player under the age of 25 in the game. Contested the first majors of his career in 2013, played a starring role in a losing Presidents Cup bid for the Internationals that same year and has been prolific winner in his short professional career. Matsuyama took another step by breaking through in the US last year and a major is the logical progression from here.

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Written by The Editors

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

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