The scene is set for a cracker of a US PGA Championship at Oak Hill in New York.
As ever there are so many subplots in the week of a Major, but this week seems to boast even more than usual.
We have an out-of-sorts defending champion in Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm chasing his second major of 2023, Jordan Spieth in pursuit of a career Grand Slam, Jason Day back in form, we’re all wondering which Rory McIlroy will appear… and then there’s the LIV Golf guys.
And all this happening in a week where Tiger Woods isn’t even playing.
For me, this Major seems to boast the best field of the year.
The Masters is an invitational, the US Open is notoriously tough, and some just don’t fancy making the trip to play in the Open.
But the US PGA Championship is one everyone fancies their chances at and I can remember one year we had 98 of the top 100 in the field. That’s astounding.
It is all taking place on a stunning course, too. I was lucky enough to play there in 2013 and, of course, my uncle Bernard led Europe to Ryder Cup glory there in 1995.
DJ leads the LIV Golf contingent
Dustin Johnson leads the LIV Golf effort following his play-off win at the LIV Golf event at the weekend.
Day has been celebrating his first PGA Tour win in five years on Sunday, too.
That’s important as I always feel as if form matters for this tournament.
Day was a big-time player five years ago. Honestly, you couldn’t find a fault in his game.
But he has been bothered by vertigo, leading to dizzy spells which he claims are worse when under pressure.
It’s a far from ideal situation for a professional golfer, but credit to the man – to fight through that and come back and win the Byron Nelson in Texas, which is a huge event in its own right, is hugely impressive.
Spieth in the spotlight as he chases career Grand Slam
Then there’s Spieth – Rory will know exactly how he is feeling as he chases a career Grand Slam.
Only five men have done it so the pressure which comes with trying to join the most exclusive of groups must be huge.
Rory goes through it every year at Augusta when he plays in the Masters.
Missing out this year forced him to take some time off, and considerable expense, to reset and regroup.
I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them share tips on how they approach their respective events and you can be sure Rory will be asking Spieth how he did it should the Texan complete the career set on Sunday.
Thomas knows how to win the PGA Championship, of course, having lifted the trophy last year.
But it is a very different champion who has arrived this week.
He has spent the last few months trying to work on his game and has been spotted working with Aimpoint as he tried to overhaul his putting.
He is searching for something he feels is missing in his game and it will be fascinating to see if he can pull it all together this week.
One man who doesn’t seem to have any worries at the moment is Masters champion Rahm.
He’s at the top of his game, on top of the world rankings, and in with a great chance of winning again this week.
If he does, you can guarantee the talk of whether he can win all four Majors this year will begin.
Could Luke Donald be captain at Oak Hill, too?
My uncle Bernard is spot-on with his assertion we could be ushering in a return to the era of repeat captains in the Ryder Cup.
Bernard was the last man to do it more than once, leading the European team three times between 1991 and 1995 with Tony Jacklin having the captaincy in the four matches before him.
Since them it has been a different captain for every match, but the mass departures of players for LIV Golf has really left a void.
Luke Donald is captain now and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he is asked to do it again for the 2025 match at Oak Hill.
If I look at the guys I played with at Gleneagles in 2014, six of them have left for LIV Golf.
I don’t doubt for a second Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood would all have been future captains.
That is why I believe we need to replenish the stock.
I expect Justin Rose will be a strong contender to succeed Luke at some point, but he might still fancy qualifying for the team as a player for a good while yet.
We are already building up a bank of experienced players led by Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm, but they will certainly have designs on playing rather than the captaincy for the foreseeable future.
That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke is asked to stay on.
Time to make the most of my second chance
It has been a whirlwind week since I discovered I was still a DP World Tour player after all.
We asked the question back in November of whether I should retain tour privileges on the all-time money list.
I was 41st on the list when a few players has resigned from the tour and was told nothing had changed.
I accepted my fate and went to Q school and had been making plans for the Challenge Tour this year.
But following the meeting of the arbitrational panel and the subsequent resignation of more LIV Golf players from our tour, I asked the question again.
I spoke to Thomas Bjorn and he felt I had a strong case and was justified in at least querying the original decision.
So you can imagine the range of emotions I felt last Wednesday when I was told there had been an error and I should have retained my card.
Stunned, disappointed and elated all come to mind.
I'LL BE BACK….🖐🏼
It's an immediate and dramatic return to @DPWorldTour front line for @stevieggolf 🤺
His category has been elevated on the back of administrative error 🎟
We go again….👊🏽
Full story 👀👇🏽https://t.co/3u8lW5RMUR
⛳️🏌🏼♂️🏴😎
— Bounce (@bouncespmgt) May 10, 2023
It has meant cancelling flights for Challenge Tour events trying to formulate plans for a new schedule for the rest of the season.
It’s still a work in progress at this stage, but I’m relieved and delighted to be back on tour.
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