RIATH AL-SAMARRAI picks out his Oak Hill pointers: Jon Rahm could be set for another shootout with Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood can tame the demanding course… and beware the LIV rebels at US PGA Championship
- Rahm is top of the world rankings after four wins from 11 events in 2023
- World No 2 Scheffler won the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass
- LIV rebels Johnson, Koepka and Smith will fancy their chances this week
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are vying for favouritism ahead of the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
Rahm is top of the world rankings after four wins from 11 events in 2023, including succeeding Scheffler as the Masters champion after claiming his second major title at Augusta National.
Scheffler made a successful title defence in the WM Phoenix Open and also won the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass, leaving him just behind Rahm in the rankings but a full two points clear of Rory McIlroy in third.
But LIV rebels Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith will fancy their chances after enjoying a return to form.
Mail Sport’s RIATH AL-SAMARRAI picks out his Oak Hill pointers.
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are vying for favouritism ahead of the US PGA Championship
The favourite
Jon Rahm. The Masters champion has four wins this year, but will need to drive like he did at Augusta to avoid the penal rough. Easy to foresee another shootout with Scottie Scheffler, who has finished no lower than 12th in 12 starts since November.
Each-way punt
Tommy Fleetwood. A top five last week at Quail Hollow and his tee-to-green game is excellent, which is essential on such a tight, demanding course.
Rory factor
You would never write him off, but his form has nosedived in recent months and he has been conspicuously subdued this week.
The rebel alliance
Dustin Johnson is coming in hot after winning in Tulsa at the weekend. As are Cameron Smith, the Open champion, and Brooks Koepka, who came so close at the Masters.
The monster
The hardest hole on the East Course at Oak Hill is the 503-yard par-four sixth
The East Course at Oak Hill has the potential to be a brutal challenge, with thick rough and narrow fairways, which have so far this week been a devilish combination in tandem with the windy and cold conditions.
Robert MacIntyre described it as a ‘monster’ and the hardest course he has played.
The hardest hole on the course is the 503-yard par-four sixth. It has a slight dogleg with fairway bunkers on the left and Allen Creek running down the right, meandering across the fairway and then left of the green.
A controversial in-course out of bounds to the right discourages any cutting of the corner.
