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Golf: Brooks Koepka looks to defend his title as PGA Championship starts tomorrow

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Golf set for another major PGA-LIV face-off as Koepka looks to defend his title and Scheffler aims to continue winning form when PGA Championship begins on Thursday.

A still ball. Some steadfast tradition. And a sport in the throes of a disruptive market. The PGA Championship, starting Thursday, is another opportunity for golf to navigate the enduring tension between elite skill and profound skullduggery. It is fitting perhaps that the defending champion Brooks Koepka carries the flag for LIV Golf, which has poured an unimaginable stash, soaking the game in confusion and controversy.

The field is stacked -- 16 former champions and 33 major champions, besides 98 of the top 100 in the rankings. Clearly, the stage is set for another round of this bruising bout between the incumbent powers of the traditional circuits of golf and an irreverent, disruptive new circuit.


Rory McIlroy collected his last major, his fourth, when the event found its climax in the dark hues, late on a Sunday evening in Louisville, Kentucky. Since that day in 2014, McIlroy has been hunting for new layers to an already impressive career. Unfortunately, for the passionate man from Northern Ireland steeped in the colours of success, any more major glory has remained elusive. The world No. 2 will hope that memories of the past, and current form will add up this week. But even by McIlroy’s high standards it will take an enormous effort to match the rousing finish last Sunday, when he rode to victory at Quail Hollow.

The realm, it might seem, does not matter to Scottie Scheffler. The king of everything he surveys in golf right now, will expect to continue ruling the roost. He is coming off an insanely consistent run of results. Scheffler won four of his last five starts -- a second Masters title and three other signature events, including the RBC Heritage in the week after the Masters. He arrived at Valhalla on Monday, wearing the freshly minted delight of parenthood on his sleeve. Scheffler is striking the ball with unerring accuracy. According to Data Golf, he is sailing clear of competition with 3.42 true strokes gained per round over the last six months. Naturally, he is the odds-on favourite at 3-1.

There are also 21 club professionals in the field this week, if you need a hail Mary bet!

There are several other storylines, pregnant with meaning. Jordan Spieth needs the PGA Championship to complete his grand collection of major titles. The full set is a unique achievement, accomplished only by Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. But Spieth has missed the cut in four of his last five events, with T29 in the Wells Fargo last week his best return.

Woods is also in the field this week, and after a miserable outing in Augusta, expectations remain uncharacteristically low for the 15-time major champion.

For Koepka, three of his five major titles have come at this event. Even though he endured disappointment in the 2023 Open and the Masters in April, victory in Singapore gave him a much-needed fillip ahead of the defense this week.

Ludvig Aberg gave a rousing account of his golf, in his major debut at the Masters. Despite pulling out of Quail Hollow with a knee injury, expectations will remain high for the Swede. Xander Schauffele has been knocking on the door. He was eighth in the Masters, and inside the top 20 in eight straight majors. Count on a good show this week from the world No. 3.

But at the moment, no golf story has as much potential as its reconfiguration. The PGA of America has opened the door to a softer model of integration, extending invitations to several LIV Golfers. The 2024 individual champion Talor Gooch, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, and the man in form Joaquin Niemann, who won twice this year on LIV. A total of 16 LIV golfers are in the field this week, marking a major thaw that could turn the page on one of the most acrimonious chapters in golf history.

The PGA of America, an umbrella body for club professionals, is not new to acrimony. Amidst increasing television revenues and growing purses, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus worked to create a separate entity for professional golfers in 1968. The PGA TOUR, a result of that chasm, is at the heart of a heated battle for primacy against a formidable attack by LIV. As they continue to negotiate a new road for golf, a more representative global calendar, avenues for team golf, and space for matchplay remain some of the bones of contention. It is just as well that the PGA Championship lays down some stones for this path of peaceful co-existence. From 1916, when Rodman Wanamaker facilitated the creation of the PGA, the event was contested in matchplay form through 1957.

By adapting a softer stance toward LIV, and taking an inclusive approach with the field, the PGA has shown that the majors can play an important role in healing wounds. As the PGA TOUR and LIV continue their negotiations, it will be interesting to see if the PGA Championship might be open for another transformation. At the very least, a reconfiguration of the event could offer an added layer of intrigue to the rich heritage of major competition in golf.

Valhalla, the warrior’s heaven, will host its fourth major championship week (after 1996, 2000, 2014). Mark Brooks won the first in a playoff, as did Woods in 2000. In 2014, McIlroy edged ahead of Phil Mickelson with a birdie on the 72nd hole in near darkness. The drama this year is unlikely to feature fading light, but it promises to produce another thrilling epic with more than just the Wanamaker trophy on the line.

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