BACK TO WIN

Justin Thomas

I successfully tipped Thomas at last week’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where he fired a final-round 65 to come from behind and win by three shots.

The American is now world No. 1 and the joint-favourite to win at Harding Park this week, and although is shorter than I’d usually go at a major championship, his form is just too good to resist.

Thomas has been the best player in the world in 2020, winning twice on the PGA Tour and narrowly missing out on a third win in a playoff at last month’s Workday Charity Open.

The 27-year-old won the PGA Championship in 2017 and has been solid in majors since then, finishing 12^th or better in three of his last four major starts.

Thomas tends to win in clusters, so it’s no concern that he’s bidding to go back-to-back this week, and it would be a huge surprise if he isn’t among the leaders once again on Sunday.

EACH-WAY SHOUTS

Xander Schauffele

Schauffele is among the best players yet to have won a major, but the 26-year-old has gone close on several occasions.

He finished second at the Open in 2018 and the Masters in 2019, and has placed inside the top six in all three of his appearances at the US Open.

Schauffele is yet to contend at the PGA Championship but finished T16 at this event last year and has proven on several occasions that he can mix it with the best in the biggest events on the calendar.

The American’s form is solid and improving – he’s finished inside the top 20 in four consecutive events, culminating in a T6 in Memphis last week.

Currently ranked sixth in shots gained off the tee on the PGA Tour this year, Schauffele suits the bomber’s paradise that is Harding Park perfectly and looks poised to triumph at an event that has seen several first-time major winners in recent years.

Jason Day

After months of poor form and dealing with back pain, Day finally looks close to his best just in time for the event he won back in 2015.

The Australian finished T6 at TPC Southwind last week, meaning he has now finished seventh or better in three consecutive starts on the PGA Tour.

That is Day’s best three-tournament stretch since 2016, a time when he was probably the best player in the world.

On top form, Day is a proven winner of golf’s biggest events. Along with the 2015 PGA Championship, he has won the Players Championship, two WGC Match Plays and two FedEx Cup playoff events.

If his recent form extends into this week he’ll be a major contender at Harding Park, and he looks a great each-way bet.

OUTSIDE SHOT

Chez Reavie

He isn’t a huge name, but Reavie has quietly put together a strong run of results in major championships.

The 38-year-old placed T3 at last year’s US Open and has gone T22-T12-T14 in his last three starts at the PGA Championship.

Reavie’s also in good form, with a run of three straight T22 finishes – including a T6 at the WGC-FedEx last week – taking him to 36th in the world rankings.

The American may lack the length off the tee to dominate this course but does rank inside the top 30 on the PGA Tour from tee to green this season and is sixth in driving accuracy.

On the back of last week’s strong performance, he looks an intriguing outsider at an event that has seen surprise winners like Y.E. Yang, Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner in the past 11 years.

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