PGA Championship 2012 Predictions: Golfers to Watch in Iconic Tournament

The 2012 PGA Championship is just around the corner, and it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year.

Sadly, the tournament at Kiawah Island will be the final major championship of the year, so you would be wise to enjoy it before you have to wait until April for the Masters to roll around again.

Play begins on August 9, so there is no more time to waste. Here you will find the top-three players to watch in the last major championship of 2012.

Tiger Woods

I'm sure you aren't surprised that Tiger Woods is on this list, as he is the most polarizing and highly-touted golfer in the field. He's the PGA's biggest draw and many people come to tournaments solely to marvel at his abilities.

What makes Tiger's bid for his first major championship since the 2008 US Open so interesting is the pattern that he has exhibited this year.

In the tournament before the Masters, Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational (the tournament before the Masters), but finished 40th in the first major of the year. Tiger then won the Memorial Tournament before finishing 21st at the US Open. He then missed the cut at the Greenbrier Classic and finished third in the Open Championship.

It seems like whenever Tiger plays well in the tournament before a major, he performs poorly in the major. When he plays poorly in the tournament before a major, he plays well in the major.

We'll have to see which way Tiger goes after finishing in eighth place at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley, who will be out to defend his PGA Championship title, has had a solid year on the PGA Tour. He has four top-10 finishes and is currently eighth on the money list in 2012.

He hadn't been playing all that well lately up until his thrilling win at the Bridgestone Invitational. Bradley was four shots back of leader Jim Furyk after three rounds, but fired a final-round 64 to storm back and win the tournament by one stroke.

Bradley is the defending champion at the PGA Championship, and he won the tournament prior. It is safe to say that nobody in the field has the same type of momentum and confidence that Bradley does heading into Thursday's Round 1.

Jason Dufner

Jason Dufner has been playing like a man possessed this year, posting seven top-10 finishes to shoot up to second on the money list behind Tiger Woods.

He has been playing especially well as of late, finishing in the top 10 in four of the last five tournaments. His only poor effort came at the Open Championship where he finished 31st.

Dufner finished fourth at the US Open Championship, so it will be interesting to see how he fares at Kiawah Island this weekend.

Don't sleep on Dufner, as he has unequivocally been one of the best golfers on tour this year. Expect him to challenge, Tiger, Bradley and the rest of the top contenders in South Carolina.