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PGA Championship storylines: Tiger returns, defending champ Mickelson not in field
Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship last time it was held at Southern Hills in 2007 and will be aiming to win his 16th major championship this week. (Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

PGA Championship storylines: Tiger returns, defending champ Mickelson not in field

TULSA, Okla. (BVM) – For the first time since 2007, the PGA Championship is returning to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’ll be the fifth time the club has hosted the event, and another of many prestigious tournaments held at Southern Hills over the years.

In 2007, Tiger Woods claimed victory in Tulsa, winning his fourth PGA Championship and 13th major overall.

Back in the field in 2022 following a remarkable comeback at the Masters, Woods will be gunning for his 16th major championship win. However, he is not the only thing people are talking about this week in Oklahoma. Let’s take a look at the top five storylines surrounding this week’s championship.

5. Will world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler duplicate his Masters’ performance?

It’s still hard to imagine that Scheffler had not won an official PGA tournament before 2022. Breaking through for his first win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, Scheffler followed that up with wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, and most significantly of all, the Masters, where he dominated most of the field, winning by three strokes at -10. 

Scheffler finished fourth in his first PGA Championship at Harding Park in 2020, and also placed eighth in last year’s event at Kiawah Island. In his first action since winning the Masters, the big hitter from Texas scored a 15th-place finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament last week while shooting -19, showing he is primed and ready for this week.

“I think I’ve just gotten comfortable with the golf courses,” Scheffler said during a press conference on Tuesday. “I was comfortable around Harding Park, I was comfortable around Kiawah last year and played some decent golf. And then this year, this is a place I’m comfortable around as well. I think it’s going to be a good challenge this week.”

While playing in college at Texas, Scheffler won an individual Big 12 championship at Southern Hills, so he knows the course well. The familiarity combined with what has been truly elite play so far this year make him one of the favorites this week.

4. Can Rory McIlroy or Justin Thomas finally break through for another major?

McIlroy and Thomas are two of the most talented golfers in the world, but each enter this week with a monkey on their back. It starts with Thomas, who won the PGA Championship in 2017, but hasn’t done much in majors since. He also shot a 63 in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills that year, and will be looking to recapture that magic once again. 

In over two dozen major starts, Thomas has just five top-five finishes, and admitted himself he has not gotten the results he is looking for in major championships prior to this year’s Masters. However, he did finish in a tie for eighth at Augusta in April, and his game is one that could take off any week.

“I’d sure as hell rather have one than zero,” Thomas said during a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s a lot harder to get the second than I thought it would be, internally. Not as much pressure externally, but just on me, it’s like obviously when you win one, to get to where you want to go, you have to win the next one. When you get on a little bit of a drought, it can be frustrating, but I’m just trying to stay patient.”

Meanwhile, McIlroy is suffering from a longer major-championship drought, and it is one that has surprised many. After winning his first major championship in 2011 in dominant fashion at the U.S. Open at Congressional, it seemed like McIlroy may be destined for double-digit major wins. He went on to win the PGA Championship in 2012 and again in 2014, as well as The Open Championship in the same year.

However, since 2014, McIlroy hasn’t found himself at the top. Yet, maybe this is the week where things finally change for the Northern Ireland native. He has had a strong 2022 overall, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Masters in which he shot a -8 round of 64 on Sunday, the lowest round of the tournament.

“Over the past few years, the things that have stopped me from getting in contention or being able to win these majors are big numbers and shooting myself out of it kind of early,” McIlroy said in a press conference on Tuesday. “It doesn’t take much in major championships, it’s tiny margins.”

McIlroy also finished top five in the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can avoid some of those mistakes from previous majors and ride his recent momentum at Southern Hills.

3. Can Jordan Spieth finally capture the career grand slam?

If it weren’t for two of golf’s most-polarizing figures, this may have been the top storyline of the week. Like Thomas, Spieth also has not won a major since 2017, but his game seems to be at a much better place currently than it has been over the past couple of years. After winning the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, Spieth claimed a victory at The Open Championship in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, meaning the PGA Championship is the only hole to fill on his major resume.

That last major win in 2017 was in fact Spieth’s last victory until finally breaking through to win the Valero Texas Open in April of 2021. He also won the RBC Heritage this past April and has been in contention in many events including last week’s AT&T Bryon Nelson tournament where he finished second. 

Although he missed the cut in this year’s Players Championship and Masters, Spieth finished 19th in last year’s U.S. Open and second at The Open Championship. The Texas native seems to have his game in a good spot this week, but finally achieving the career grand slam is not an easy feat.

2. Phil Mickelson not in the field as Saudi golf tour controversy continues

Unfortunately, one of the more controversial stories is making some of the biggest headlines this week, and fan-favorite Mickelson will not be playing at the PGA Championship in part because of it. Last year at this time, Mickelson thrilled the golf world with an improbable, out-of-nowhere victory to become the oldest player to ever win a major at age 50.

Since, he has hit rock bottom. He wasn’t competitive in either of last year’s final two majors, and missed the cut at a couple of the only notable events he played in this year including The American Express and the Farmers Insurance Open. 

But of course, it’s not the play that is the storyline, rather the comments he made back in February about the new Saudi-backed Super Golf League. The comments not only damaged his reputation, but have also led him to lose sponsors, and ultimately not play in golf’s last two major championships.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series continues to create controversy in the world of golf, and has created a divide between some players and their standing with the PGA Tour. Greg Norman had been the leader of the new tour, but recent comments may have that status in jeopardy as well. It was also revealed recently that Jack Nicklaus turned down an offer upwards of $100 million to become the head of LIV Golf.

While some players like Sergio Garcia have hinted their frustrations with the PGA Tour as others have remained loyal, it is clear the new league has created plenty of controversy, and Mickelson has remained at the forefront. Sadly, he will not be defending his PGA Championship title this week, and who knows when we might finally see the golfer back in action after this swift fall from grace. 

“Unfortunate, sad,” McIlroy said when asked about Mickelson not being at the tournament. “This should be a celebration. He won a major championship at 50 years old, it was possibly his last big, big moment in the game of golf. I think he should be here this week and celebrating the monumental achievement he achieved last year.”

1. Tiger Woods feels stronger and is back for his second major of the season

A year ago, there weren’t many updates on Woods, and many were left wondering if he would ever play competitive golf, let alone even walk again. However, many got their answer after Tiger posted this video clip to social media last year.

Still, a return to competitive golf seemed potentially far off, but Woods made a triumphant return at the PNC Championship in December alongside son, Charlie. Speculation continued as to if and when Tiger would play in a major championship, but feeling good after walking the grounds of Augusta National, the 15-time major winner decided to give the Masters a go.

He started the tournament as well as anyone could have imagined, shooting a -1, 71 in the opening round. While he would fall out of contention over the final three rounds finishing at +13, Tiger still made it all 72 holes in an emotional return to the sport he has meant so much to.

After the Masters, Tiger hinted that he may play in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and here we are. Although there are a lot of things going on in golf right now, anytime Tiger plays in a major, it’s the top storyline. 

While Southern Hills is not an easy walk, Tiger has already mentioned that he feels stronger than he did back in April, and seems prepared for the moment. 

“It’s better than last time I played a tournament, which is good,” Tiger said about his body during a press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve been working hard and again, I have days when it’s tough and days where I can push through it. We keep working at it.”

If his game can be as sharp as it was early on at the Masters, Tiger may have a chance this week. The event’s winner last time it was held at Southern Hills in 2007, Tiger contending this year would be a truly remarkable storyline. If he somehow musters up a win for his 16th major, it will be a comeback story for the ages.

“I feel like I can, yeah, definitely,” Tiger said when asked if he can win. “I just got to go out there and do it, I got to do my work. It starts on Thursday and I’ll be ready.”