PGA Championship 2015: Tee Times Schedule and Predictions for Top Pairings
While hard to believe it's already here, PGA's biggest storylines barrel toward the 2015 iteration of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Among many things, Rory McIlroy makes his return just in time at a tournament he's won two of the last three years. Jordan Spieth's shot at a season Grand Slam is gone, but still making history isn't. Old guards such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will attend and put on strong performances.
With much at stake and the Wanamaker Trophy up for grabs, there's no doubt this is a tournament not to miss. Before things kick off Thursday, here's a look at some of the notable tee times and what to expect.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Notable Tee Times
| 9:05 a.m. | 2:20 p.m. | Jason Day | Dustin Johnson | Rickie Fowler |
| 9:15 a.m. | 2:30 p.m. | Tiger Woods | Martin Kaymer | Keegan Bradley |
| 2:10 p.m. | 8:55 a.m. | Adam Scott | Henrik Stenson | Brooks Koepka |
| 2:20 p.m. | 9:05 a.m. | Rory McIlroy | Jordan Spieth | Zach Johnson |
| 2:30 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Jason Dufner | Phil Mickelson | Padraig Harrington |
Complete list of tournament tee times available at PGA Tour's official site.
Top Opening-Round Pairings
Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer, Keegan Bradley
Look, any pairing featuring Woods is still one to watch.
The globe loves a comeback story, and he's capable of one if he can return to form by fixing his swing and better handling pressure. Granted, this season hasn't been so encouraging either, not with cuts at the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.
In fact, Woods just told the media he has a new swing, is out of rehab and wants to use this event as a building block, not an immediate turnaround, per Ron Borges of the Boston Herald:
"But I’m here now in this position, and as far as my tournament future, if I play well, I play well and I’ll play in more events. If I don’t, then I have more time to practice and get ready for the following events, for, obviously, the next season and obviously some of the things I do on a global level.
"
Woods is the big name, but it's the other two who make this pairing a must-see event.
Keegan Bradley isn't the biggest name, but it's easy to forget that in four appearances at this tournament, he has one win and a tie for third. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open, sure, but looks back to form somewhat after a tie for 17th at the Bridgestone Invitational.
Bradley ranks 16th on the Tour in total strokes gained, per PGATour.com, for good reason, so he's an underrated threat to make some noise.
Ditto for Martin Kaymer, also a bit of an underrated name. Try not to forget he's the man who won this tournament the last time it went down at Whistling Straits. He just tied for 12th at the Open Championship, so the form is there.
Given the above, it's easy to see Woods stumble out of the gates while he gets his swing in tune. Kaymer and Bradley don't need a tune-up round, so look for them to make a few "surprise" lists after Round 1.
Round 1 Predictions: Woods 71, Kaymer 67, Bradley 68
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson
Say hello to the heavyweights.
Folks will gravitate toward McIlroy and Spieth, but make sure to keep a close eye on Zach Johnson. Remember, it wasn't too long ago he raised the trophy at the Open Championship after a pair of bookended 66s to best the strong leaderboard.
Johnson made a point to tell the media he's more comfortable this time around after winning his second major, per Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press (via PGA.com):
"The shock and awe of Augusta was pretty intense and I would say this year it's more just extreme awe. The shock isn't quite as significant. Like anything, you get a taste for one or two and you still want more.
"
Johnson gets it done many ways, ranking top 10 in driving accuracy and scoring average, so there's no reason to doubt he can't put on another strong performance.
The same goes for Spieth, who hasn't fallen off in form by any means just because he's not in contention for the season Grand Slam. He tied for fourth at his last major, but try to keep in mind he ranks in the top 10 in tee-to-green strokes gained, putting strokes gained, total strokes gained, birdie average and scoring average.
If Spieth and his mind-numbing numbers classify as the overwhelming favorite, consider McIlroy the biggest wild card. He's coming back from an ankle injury, but as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, he does well in the head-to-head department:
The winner in two of the last three at this tournament, McIlroy tends to hold such an advantage over everyone, per the European Tour:
But again, there's the injury to consider. Even if he's 100 percent, McIlroy hasn't been playing at a consistent clip, which means he might be in for a bit of a warmup round.
It's not true for the other two in his pairing, so look for McIlroy to lag just behind Thursday as things get underway.
Round 1 Predictions: McIlroy 70, Spieth 66, Johnson 68
Stats and info courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
