10 golfers who could be in the mix for Player of the Year with a PGA Championship win
The PGA Championship, golf's final major of the year — at least for one more season — usually brings with it plenty of intrigue and ramifications for the final stretch run of the season.
Results this week from the tournament's 100th installment at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis will help determine roster spots for next month's Ryder Cup and will continue to have an impact on the FedEx Cup standings. It also could go a long way in determining the PGA Player of the Year.
The Player of the Year is awarded by the PGA of America and determined through a points system based on victories, official money standings and scoring averages. Defending PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas took the honors in 2017 and is very much in the hunt to repeat.
Let's take a look at 10 golfers who could put themselves in prime position for the PGA Player of the Year Award with a win at Bellerive (in ascending order):
Bryson DeChambeau
The California native has five top-five finishes this year, highlighted by his win at the Memorial in June. However, he has not fared well in the three majors this season.
DeChambeau's best finish came at the U.S. Open, where he tied for 25th. In his PGA Championship debut last year, he tied for 33rd. A win there this week would certainly boost his chances in terms of Player of the Year points, but he'll also need others ahead of him in the standings to falter before the season ends at the Tour Championship in September.
It's been a resurgent season for the 2012 U.S. Open champion, who won the Players and has five other top-10 finishes. More importantly for Simpson's cause, he's been competitive on the major scene in 2017.
He opened with a tie for 20th at the Masters, then tied for 10th at the U.S. Open and 12th at the Open Championship. Simpson has work to do to improve his Player of the Year chances, but a victory at the PGA is a good start.
The PGA Championship is obviously a special tournament for Day, so expect him to be firing on all cylinders. Day was among the top 10 in the Player of the Year standings last month.
He's won twice this season, is fifth in the FedEx Cup standings and sixth in money. His tie for 10th at the Bridgestone over the weekend should boost his confidence, while a victory at Bellerive will put him in the thick of the Player of the Year race.
Watson has been a great story this year, returning to relevancy on the PGA Tour. He's won three times and finds himself in the heart of the Player of Year standings, meaning a victory at the PGA likely takes him to the top of the list.
If there's a concern, it's that Watson has missed two of his last three cuts and owns just one top-10 finish in 11 starts at the PGA Championship.
The two-time defending U.S. Open champion enters the PGA feeling good about himself following a fifth-place finish at the Bridgestone. Koepka's shown he can thrive on the big stage, which bodes well for his chances in suburban St. Louis.
Koepka was hovering in the bottom half of the Player of the Year standings, so a victory this weekend would push him closer toward that feat while continuing a stellar season.
Like Koepka, this year's Masters champion will significantly help his Player of the Year cause with a victory at the PGA Championship. Reed, who finished fourth at the U.S. Open, placed in the top five at three straight majors before his tie for 28th at Carnoustie.
That run began with a tie for second at last year's PGA Championship.
Winning the Open Championship last month for his first major crown is the obvious highlight to Molinari's career. The Italian also made noise at the PGA last year at Quail Hollow and finished in a tie for second.
Among the top five in the standings for Player of Year as of last month, Molinari could find himself at the top of the heap with a victory at Bellerive.
Dustin Johnson
The 2016 Player of the Year is also the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Thus, a victory at the PGA Championship will have Johnson sitting pretty in the standings to claim that prize this year. He is also first in FedEx Cup points and top 10s (10).
DJ owned the outright lead or a share of it through the first three rounds of the U.S. Open and finished third. His 64 on Sunday to finish tied for third at the Bridgestone is a nice way to enter the PGA.
Justin Rose
Rose ranks among the leaders in the race for Player of the Year. The problem: He withdrew from the Bridgestone last week because of back spasms.
The Englishman is expected to be part of the PGA Championship field, and a victory should elevate him to the top of the Player of the Year standings. However, it's uncertain just how much said injury will hinder Rose.
Justin Thomas
Thomas is trying to become the first back-to-back PGA Player of the Year since Tiger Woods won three in a row from 2005-07 — also the last golfer to win consecutive PGA Championships. A victory at Bellerive would put Thomas, like Rose, in the driver's seat to do so.
Battling Johnson and Rose for the top spot in the player of the year standings, Thomas built some momentum with his win at the Bridgestone last weekend. That's three victories on the season for the PGA Tour's money leader.
More must-reads: