PGA Championship 2015: Leaderboard Results and Takeaways from Whistling Straits
Jason Day put on an epic performance in the face of pressure from all angles over four days at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, before winning a thrilling iteration of the 2015 PGA Championship.
The Australian star had to deal with a tricky course, a second round ruined by Mother Nature and shoved into Saturday and extreme pushes by some of golf's best, chief among them one Jordan Spieth.
Yet the Australian star held firm and posted an eye-popping scorecard by the end of Sunday's final round, a riveting performance befitting of the season's final major.
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Here's a look at the results and some of the top takeaways.
Full list of results available at PGA.com.
Top Takeaways
Dustin Johnson Still Has Consistency Issues to Iron Out
Dustin Johnson is consistent in the worst possible way at majors this year—he collapses as soon as the weekend hits despite top-flight performances in the days prior at the same course.
Case in point, this week in Wisconsin. Johnson came out blazing with a 66 in the first round, then fell flat in Round 2 with a 73. Granted, a weather delay sliced up the round, but in reality, it probably helped more than hurt because it got him off the course while he was struggling.
To be fair, Johnson somewhat recovered with a 68 and 69 finish to his weekend, avoiding a complete collapse. But just look at his final-round scorecard provided by ESPN.com's Jason Sobel:
It's a sobering tale of Johnson's struggles. He lost the U.S. Open on the final hole and shot consecutive 75s after leading the first two rounds of the British Open.
Instead of turning things around and securing his first major championship, Johnson will head to the offseason searching for answers. He's going to be one of the most dangerous players in majors next season once again, but he has a serious proverbial hump to get over before winning.
Tiger Woods' Outlook
One word: Bleak.
Tiger Woods showed glimpses of his old self for a moment at the Quicken Loans National in early August but wound up tying for 18th after a 74 in the third round.
The event in Wisconsin proved much worse as Woods missed the cut, adding to his year of majors disappointments after a tie for 17th at the Masters and cuts at the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.
Woods never had it going, posting a 75 Thursday and improving by just two strokes for a 73 in Round 2. Despite going to the clubhouse early, he continued to show support for the weekend's top performers on social media:
What's next for Woods? This year, he posted a career-worst mark at majors with a 22-over par final tally. The first step would be improving on the numbers.
In theory, Woods will hit next season healthier than he was this time out. If he can mesh health with lessons from this season, he might be better off in 2016. This weekend, though, showed one of golf's biggest names still has a ways to go on his comeback trail.
Top-Heavy Tour Just Getting Started
Golf's best put on a show in Wisconsin over four days, further reinforcing the notion there are years and years of competitive action ahead.
Look at Spieth. Were it not for an opening-round 71, he might have stolen the trophy and secured his third major triumph of the season instead of finishing three strokes behind Day. Even though he lost, Spieth really won, too, securing the No. 1 rank in the world from Rory McIlroy.
Speaking of McIlroy, his finish at nine-under par wasn't horrendous when one considers he was working his way back from a rather serious ankle injury. His scorecard improved as he shook off the rust, finishing 71, 71, 68, 69.
McIlory also took to social media, which helped to illustrate the key takeaway from the tournament:
Plenty deserve mentions alongside McIlroy and Spieth but none more than Day.
Day didn't allow a wild ride to deter his strong form. Perhaps most impressive was Round 4, where he shot seven birdies despite Spieth breathing down his neck and the weight of no major championships to his name since his debut in 2010 the main storyline chasing him around the course.
Call Day's breakout performance just the latest example of golf's impressive depth right now. With him, Spieth and others looking red hot for years to come, the countdown to the 2016 majors can begin in earnest.
Stats and info courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise specified.
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