PGA Championship 2013: Latest News and Updates Heading into Oak Hill

How is the PGA Championship going to play out?

That’s what everyone is going to be talking about in the coming days, as the final major championship is about set to get underway from Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. The course is one of the toughest in golf, and staying under par throughout the week should be considered a big accomplishment.

Rory McIlroy enters the week as the defending champion, and there are many who would love to end his hopes of repeating.

Tiger Woods is coming off a big victory this past week and Phil Mickelson just won The Open Championship a few weeks ago. Will those two be in contention on Sunday? Will an under-the-radar golfer emerge as a major champion at Oak Hill?

Here are the latest updates and storylines to keep an eye on as the week progresses and the best golfers in the world get ready to take the course in Rochester.

Tiger the Heavy Favorite

It should come as a surprise to no one that Tiger Woods is the favorite to win the PGA Championship this week at Oak Hill. As of Monday at 3 p.m. ET, Woods’ odds of winning are 7-2, according to Bovada, which are the highest. Phil Mickelson is the golfer with the second-best shot at finishing atop the leaderboard, but his odds are 14-1.

Woods has won the PGA Championship four times in his historic career, but his last victory at the tournament was in 2007. His 2008 U.S. Open victory is the last major tournament the No. 1 player in the world came out victorious at. He’s struggled to win his 15th career major even though he’s been close several times.

While Woods would likely be the favorite regardless of his recent performance, his week at the Bridgestone Invitational makes him the heavy one. Tiger was spectacular throughout his four rounds in Akron, Ohio, as he won the Bridgestone Invitational by seven strokes. He tied a career best in the second round with a 61.

It will be interesting to see if Woods can finally win No. 15 this week and get that monkey off his back by doing so. It’s been so long since he’s won a major that one would presume it’s taken a toll on his game. He’s been great as of late though, and there’s a strong chance he wins at Oak Hill on Sunday.

How Will Keegan Play?

Keegan Bradley has owned the PGA Championship the last two years. The tournament was the first major he ever played in, and boy did he make a strong first impression. At Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia, Bradley defeated Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff to take home the title.

Bradley has yet to win a major tournament since his victory two Augusts ago, but he came close last season at the PGA Championship. At Kiawah Island, the American shot four under for the tournament to finish tied for third. His two years at the PGA Championship are the only top-10 major finishes of his career.

Bradley played very well at the Bridgestone Invitational this past week, but couldn’t compete with Tiger. Keegan shot eight under for the tournament, which was good for second place (tied with Henrik Stenson). He has 33-1 odds of winning the PGA Championship this week, which is tied for the eighth best.

For Bradley to have a shot at winning this week at Oak Hill, he’s going to have to play better on par threes. Throughout the season, he only makes birdie or better on 8.3 percent of par threes, which is the 186th best on the PGA Tour. If he can’t make birdies on the shorter holes, there’s no way he’s going to win his second major.

Will Donald Get Back on Track?

Luke Donald ended last season as the No. 2 golfer in the world, but hasn’t had a great year and is currently ranked ninth, according to the Official World Golf Rankings. He has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season but has yet to finish better than third place.

Donald’s performances at the three major tournaments this season haven’t been too outstanding. He finished tied for 25th at the Masters, tied for eighth at the U.S. Open and got cut from The Open Championship. He’s yet to win a major championship even though he has eight finishes in the top 10 at them.

Donald did play rather well this past week at the Bridgestone Invitational, shooting four under to finish tied for ninth. He has the potential to carry that success over to Oak Hill, but it won’t be easy. He finished tied for 32nd at the PGA Championship last year, a year after finishing tied for eighth at the tournament.

Birdieing par threes have helped Donald throughout the season, as he makes birdie or better on the holes more often than anyone else on the PGA Tour. If he’s making par or worse on those holes, he’s going to have trouble staying in contention. Donald needs to play well on par threes to stay alive.

All statistics in this article were obtained via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted.