– There are 72 players participating in the Truist Championship, a designated tournament of the PGA Tour that began at the Wissahickon Creek of the Philadelphia Cricket Club this Thursday and is the successor of the Wells Fargo. Well, out of those 72, only five have played over par and the highest scorecard is 72 strokes. The century-old course is a par 70. The first conclusion is that tons of birdies have been made.
– The course is accessible. The first reason is that it is not long. There are only three shorter courses on the PGA Tour so far this year (Pebble Beach, Waialae, and PGA National). The rough is indeed lush and dense, but it does not penalise too much, especially because players almost always have a wedge and a very short iron in their hands. It is riddled with bunkers, but the sand traps, except on very rare occasions, are never a big problem for these players. There have been 24 scorecards of 65 strokes or less. This is exactly one-third of the field.
– Rory McIlroy (-4) and Justin Thomas (-4), the two big favourites on paper, have started well, have delivered, and have even done more than just save the day, but as we have mentioned, here in Philadelphia, if you don’t run, you fly. They will need to shift up two gears in the next three days to fight for the win on Sunday. They have more than enough margin. They played well, but today was about making more putts and not making any mistakes. Rory’s two bogeys, for example, weigh heavily.
– It cannot be said that they have lost the tournament, far from it, but they have made life very complicated for themselves. They are five strokes behind Keith Mitchell (-9), the sole leader. And ahead of them, players like Collin Morikawa (-7), Sepp Straka (-7), Shane Lowry (-6), Hideki Matsuyama (-5), and Patrick Cantlay (-5) have already gained a certain advantage.
– Denny McCarthy (-8) is another fierce rival this week. On courses where many birdies are made, or in other words, where many putts have to be made, McCarthy always needs to be on the radar. Of course, he was the best on the greens on the first day.
– Rickie Fowler (-7) has greatly benefited from the invitation to the PGA Championship. He is the PGA Tour golfer with the worst world ranking to have been given a wildcard. The decision has caused some controversy. Fowler has mitigated the criticism with birdies. He made a six-under-par on the first seven holes of the day.
– Who has indeed definitively said goodbye to his chances of victory is Jordan Spieth (PAR). The Texan has not been able to continue his great finish last week at the Byron Nelson. He will have time to think about the PGA Championship and seek the best possible feelings. Let’s remember that he is the only one who can win the Grand Slam next week, although right now this matter seems little less than a chimera.
