With the dust starting to settle on the picturesque Augusta National following another classic renewal of the Masters, the remaining three majors of the golf calendar are going to come thick and fast over the next few months.
The professionals will need to be on top of their game over the summer, with the PGA Championship in May, the US Open in June, and the Open in July. There is no time for the golf odds favourites, like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and co., to rest on their laurels.
With the majority of this season’s narrative still to be written, let’s take a look at the upcoming majors and asses the scintillating stories that could unfold at Quail Hallow, Oakmont Country Club and Royal Portrush.
PGA Championship
Returning to Quail Hallow Club for the first time since Justin Thomas won the tournament here in 2017, the Charlotte-based course is considered one of the best in the United States.
Set to take place 12-18 May, Xander Schauffele will arrive in North Carolina as the defending champion, having held off Bryson DeChambeau by a single stroke 12 months ago.
A regular host of the annual Wells Fargo, players will be more than familiar with the challenges Quail Hallow presents—including ‘The Green Mile,’ which is the testing final three holes (16, 17, and 18).
Interestingly, McIlroy won the Wells Fargo for the fourth time comfortably here last year. That could be massively in the Masters champions favour as he looks to continue his form.
US Open
A regular host of major tournaments, Oakmont Country Club has been the home to nine US Opens—the record for the most in the competition’s history—as well as three PGA Championships.
With the 10th renewal at this course pencilled in to take place 12-15 June, Dustin Justin was crowned the winner last time the US Open was held here in 2016.
Dubbed ‘the ultimate examination of championship golf’, Oakmont is a test from the opening tee box—with the first hole a notoriously difficult 488-yard par 4 that bogeyed 161 times in 2016.
DeChambeau won the US Open for the second time at Pinehurst Resort last year, pegging back McIlroy in a dramatic finish.
The Open
Set to return to Royal Portrush just six years after its long-awaited comeback to Northern Ireland’s scenic north coast in 2019—its first time there since 1951—the Open will take place from July 17-20.
While the home crowd was largely behind local lad McIlroy, they still surely left happy when Ireland’s Shane Lowry was crowned champion on Sunday.
Schauffele also picked up the Claret Jug in a major double last year, reigning victorious at Royal Troon in Scotland when beating Billy Horschel and Justin Rose by two strokes.
The pressure will be on McIlroy to deliver on home soil this time, and now he’s ended his major turmoil before rocking up at Royal Portrush, who knows what could happen?
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From Quail Hallow to Oakmont and onto Royal Portrush, the next few months will see new chapters written in golf’s rich history. Will we see new names in the champion’s locker rooms, or will the same old players stamp their authority?
