In the 32 days between Rory McIlroy holding off Scottie Scheffler to win another Masters and the start of the PGA Championship, golf no longer seems to be a two-man show.
Scheffler and McIlroy are still Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, no debate. They remain the betting favorites at every tournament they play, particularly the majors.
But they have more company now.
Cameron Young earned his signature win at The Players Championship, played in final group at the Masters and played three rounds with Scheffler in a signature event at Doral, beating him by six shots. Matt Fitzpatrick beat Scheffler in another signature event, the RBC Heritage, and then teamed with brother Alex to win in New Orleans. Fitzpatrick has three wins since March.
Chris Gotterup has won three times since the last PGA Championship.
They all are part of the strongest field in golf — everyone from the top 100 in the world - who gather at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia for the 108th edition of the PGA Championship that starts May 14.
Young was at No. 62 in the world going into the PGA Championship last year, a talented American known as the ultimate bridesmaid - six runner-up finishes without having won, nearly all of them because someone simply played better.
And then he won big last August for his first title. He was the best player for the Americans at the Ryder Cup in September. He won The Players, contended at the Masters, won again at Doral. And it didn’t feel like he was doing anything extraordinary, even if his name at No. 3 in the world ranking might suggest otherwise.
“I always thought I might be more comfortable having myself up there in the world rankings,” Young said. “I thought it might mean something in terms of how I thought I was going to play or my level of belief. But I feel like those things, I’ve built before I’ve gotten to this place.
This comes from the no-nonsense New Yorker who once said in a PGA Tour commercial, “This is a hard game. And there’s a lot of people who are really good at it. My goal is to be in contention as much as possible.”
Scheffler is just as daunting even with only one win at the start of the year. He is coming off three consecutive runner-up finishes, by one shot at the Masters after trailing by 14 going into the weekend. As for McIlroy? That second green jacket brought more bounce in his step. He no longer wonders what will go wrong in the majors, only what can go right.
“I’m excited for the road ahead,” McIlroy said. “I’m excited for Aronimink, Shinnecock (U.S. Open), Birkdale (British Open). I feel like if anything, I’m more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I’ve ever been.”
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