The PGA Championship takes center stage at Bellerive Country Club this weekend as several notable stars look to claim victory.
The 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club is upon us. The fourth and final major of the PGA TOUR season has a lot of hype coming into it, just like every major championship should.
The top players in the world are looking to conquer the 100th PGA Championship on this perilous golf course in St. Louis Missouri. Some hope to add another major championship to their resume. Others hope to hoist a major championship trophy for the first time. But one man is looking to complete the career grand slam of golf.
And that man is golden boy himself, Jordan Spieth.
The Texas Longhorn is looking to join an exclusive club, making him the sixth man in the history of the game to win all four major championships in their career. The recently turned 25-year-old hopes to accomplish this historic milestone in 2018.
Jordan, however, has a little company when it comes to accomplishing a career grand slam in 2018. And interesting enough, it’s not a golfer.
The last three major champions include Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, and Francesco Molinari, all of whom rock a Nike sponsorship.
Many think Justin Thomas will repeat, Rickie Fowler will get his first major, Jordan Spieth will complete the career grand slam, or even seasoned veteran Justin Rose will win at Bellerive. But you might not want to bet your bottom dollar on them because a Nike athlete will win if the trend continues into the PGA Championship.
So, with that being said, all eyes should be focused on a handful of guys coming into golf’s final major. Aside from the three major champions already, let’s see what Nike athletes out there have a chance to hoist the Wanamaker trophy.
Tiger Woods: When talking about a major championship, it’s almost rude to not throw in Tiger’s name when talking about a potential winner. With four top tens on the year, including a T6 at The Open, Tiger looks to add a fifteenth major to his resume and bounce back after a horrible weekend at Firestone.
Rory McIlroy: This year, Rory has been knocking on the door in two of the three majors. With a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a T5 at the Masters and T2 at The Open, Rory is more than confident coming into the final major of the year and looks to add a third PGA Championship to his resume.
Jason Day: The 2015 PGA Champion looks to add another major this year in St. Louis. The two-time winner on tour in 2018 has not lived up to his superstar status in majors this year, but with his solid play at the WGC Invitational and the fact that he’s won a PGA Championship before gives him a clear shot to win at Bellerive.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this.
The past three major champions have more in common than we think. Yes, they all wear the noticeable “swoosh” on their hats and shirts week in and week out, but that’s not the only thing they have in common.
Taking a look into Reed’s, Koepka’s, and Molinari’s bag we see a similarity. None of these guys have an equipment contract.
By the looks of it, it seems these guys just did what many of us do when picking out golf clubs. Choose the ones that look the coolest.
Now the champion of the 2018 PGA Championship is narrowed down even further.
After doing some research, I found a very confident choice in who the fourth major champion will be, based on this ongoing trend.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the Englishman himself, Mr. Tommy Fleetwood.
Since Nike stopped making clubs in 2016, Tommy went off on his own and is swinging a variety of clubs in which, he feels most comfortable swinging. And it certainly has been working in 2018.
With a Nike apparel contract and no equipment contract, Tommy fits in perfectly with this group of 2018 major champions.
Aside from that, Tommy Fleetwood is playing outstanding golf coming into the PGA. With a win over on the European Tour, a solo 2nd finish at the U.S. Open, T12 at The Open, and a T14 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, Fleetwood looks too break through on American soil and capture his first win on the PGA TOUR and his first major championship.
If the trend continues, Nike is looking to capture the 2018 grand slam of golf. If this prediction and research prove true, don’t be surprised to see players transfer over to Nike and ditching their equipment contracts in 2019.
