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1. Vijay Singh Last five PGA Championships: 1994-Cut; 1995-Cut; 1996-T5; 1997-T13; 1998-1 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Denny Shute in 1937 was the last player to repeat, but Singh could easily do it on a course which is basically Sahalee plus 600 yards. He is the tour's most consistent player, with seven top-five finishes this year. Since going cross-handed has become a great putter. | Singh is always in the hunt, but he has closed out just one tournament this year. His length will be no advantage on a narrow course, where he could find himself in deep rough and under the oaks given his wild nature off the tee. | |
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2. Jeff Sluman Last five PGA Championships: 1994-T25; 1995-T8; 1996-T41; 1997-Cut; 1998-T27 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| The 1988 champion has found his game again, with a win and two seconds this season. The Chicago resident be playing on his home turf and will have the crowd behind him. He has a great short game and is first in sand saves. | Sluman hasn't been a factor in a major in a long time and nerves could be a problem. He gives up a lot to the longer hitters on the par-5s at Medinah. Being a local guy, Sluman could find himself with more distractions than benefits from being at home. | |
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3. David Duval Last five PGA Championships: 1994-DNP; 1995-Cut; 1996-T41; 1997-T13; 1998-Cut | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| The best player in the world over the past two years, Duval has won 11 times during that span. He is first in birdies, first in greens in regulation, third in putting and seventh in driving distance. He leads the tour in wins (4) and earnings. | Duval may be ranked No. 1 in the world, but he has never won a major. And his efforts on the weekend at the U.S. Open and British Open this year left some big question marks about his skills on difficult courses. His confidence isn't what it was early in the year. | |
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4. Justin Leonard Last five PGA Championships: 1994-DNP; 1995-T8; 1996-T5; 1997-2; 1998-Cut | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Leonard is playing as well as anybody over the past few weeks, losing a playoff at the British Open and finishing third at Hartford. He has five top-five finishes this year and plays well in majors. In four tries, he has three top-10 finishes in the PGA. | Like many of the big names this year, Leonard has been good but not great. He hasn't won a tournament since The Players Championship in 1998. He is 118th in driving distance and, like Sluman, gives up a lot to the big hitters on a 7,400-yard course. | |
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5. Lee Westwood Last five PGA Championships: 1994-DNP; 1995-DNP; 1996-DNP; 1997-T29; 1998-Cut | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Westwood arrives as the hottest player in the world, having won his last two European Tour events. He shot a final-round 63 to win the Dutch Open, then made up seven strokes on Darren Clarke to win the European Open. He was in the hunt on Sunday at Augusta this year. | Westwood plays well at Augusta but not the other majors because he is wild off the tee. Only The Masters allows that. The tight, narrow fairways of Medinah will destroy anyone who can't keep their drive in the short stuff. He track record in this event is short and unimpressive. | |
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6. Davis Love III Last five PGA Championships: 1994-Cut; 1995-Cut; 1996-Cut; 1997-1; 1998-T7 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Nobody loves this tournament more than Love, the 1997 champion. He has been superb this year, with 10 top-10 finishes, including three thirds. He plays well on the big stage. This year, he was second at The Masters, seventh at the British and 12th at the U.S. Open. | Love has been in the hunt so many times in the past 16 months but has not come up with a victory. Before breaking through in 1997 with a victory, Love had missed the cut three consecutive years in this event. His short game can let him down at times. | |
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7. Tiger Woods Last five PGA Championships: 1994-DNP; 1995-DNP; 1996-DNP; 1997-T29; 1998-T10 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Woods has had a great summer, winning once in Europe and twice on the PGA Tour. He hits the ball as long as anybody and has unveiled a terrific short game this year. He shares the tour lead with 11 top-10 finishes, including five straight, and was in the hunt at both the U.S. and British opens. | After being given the title of golf's best at the 1997 Masters, he has gone 10 majors without a second victory. He cannot play four rounds at Medinah without spending some time in the trees. The narrow fairways may force him to leave the driver in the bag too often. | |
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8. Steve Elkington Last five PGA Championships: 1994-T7; 1995-1; 1996-T3; 1997-T45; 1998-3 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Nobody has played the PGA Championship better than Elkington over the past five years. He is straight, a great iron player and a solid putter. He dominated at Doral earlier this year, showing he still has an "A" game. | Another year of medical problems has kept Elkington from putting together a complete season. He ranks 120th in putting average this year, showing an inability to capitalize on birdie opportunities. | |
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9. Hal Sutton Last five PGA Championships: 1994-T55; 1995-Cut; 1996-Cut; 1997-Cut; 1998-T27 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| The 1983 champion is at the top of his game once again, with 11 top-10 finishes this year to share the tour lead. He is among the best iron players in the game and has the perfect demeanor to win another major. Every aspect of his game is strong. | Like Love and Leonard, Sutton has been in contention numerous times this year but hasn't found a way to win. His statistics are solid with one big exception -- putts per round -- where he ranks 105th on the tour. He has to improve on his 29.15 average if he expects to win a major. | |
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10. Steve Stricker Last five PGA Championships: 1994-DNP; 1995-T23; 1996-T26; 1997-Cut; 1998-2 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| The Wisconsin native grew up on courses like Medinah and should feel right at home. He came within one bad bounce of winning the PGA Championship last year and was fifth at this year's U.S. Open. He is 10th in putting average this year. | Medinah will kill players who can't keep the ball in the fairway, and Stricker ranks 157th on tour in driving accuracy. He is also 96th in greens in regulation, and he won't be making any birdies or many pars from off the green at Medinah. | |
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