PGA Championship 2010 Leaderboard: Five Dark Horse Contenders
It’s that time of year again, the fourth and final major of the year, the PGA Championship field is set and the fans wait for the 2010 winner to be crowned.
There are 5 darkhorse candidates that are not likely to win, but have a very good shot.
Y.E. Yang
1 of 5
How can you count out last year’s champion? The reigning champion looks to defend his hard fought title over Tiger Woods from a year ago at Whistling Straits.
Yang has had two top 10 finishes this season, with his best performance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open placing 3rd. He was also very competitive at the Masters this season, placing 8th.
Final Standing: Top 40
Luke Donald
2 of 5
Donald is having himself a very good 2010 season placing in the top 10 five different times. He finished tied for 11th at the US Open.
He is one of the better young players on tour that has never won a major championship. His best finish at the PGA came in 2006 at Medinah where he finished 3rd overall.
Final Standing: Top 30
Rickie Fowler
3 of 5
One of the new, young and exciting players to watch on Tour, Fowler has identified himself as a threat and should not be overlooked at Whistling Straits.
He has finished in the top 10 five times this season, with his best finish of second place at the Phoenix Open and the Memorial Tournament. His best major this season was the British Open, where he finished tied for 14th.
Final Standing: Top 20
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Ernie Els
4 of 5
The PGA Championship is a major that Ernie Els has never won. That to me means that there is extra motivation for him to win one. Along with his consistent and competitive play this season, I expect Els to be amongst the leaders at Whistling Straits. He has had six top 10 finishes this season, also finishing 3rd at the US Open. He is also leading the FedEx Cup Standings.
He has not won a major championship since 2002 and it appears that the public doubts him as he gets older. Ernie still has what it takes to win and this year would be special for him to win his first PGA Championship.
Final Standing: Top 10
Tiger Woods
5 of 5
How could Tiger Woods not be included on this list? He has become a forgotten player amongst the field ever since his car accident last November. Although he has not played up to his own standards this season, Woods has been a fierce competitor, especially during the 3 Majors. In his first tournament of the season, he finished tied for 4th at the Masters. He tied for 4th at the US Open and finished tied for 23rd at the British Open.
The main reason that he is a darkhorse, especially for this PGA Championship, is because of his poor play last weekend. It seems like people are not expecting him to recover one week later and be a contender for the Championship.
I think that Tiger Woods is as motivated as anybody to prove that he still has what it takes to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Major Championships, and this year’s PGA Championship is the perfect time for him to sneak up on the leaderboard and capture the trophy.
Final Standing: Top 5
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
