PGA Championship Predictions: Sergio Garcia, Jason Day Among Bold Claims

The golf gods came through with a British Open for the ages at Royal Troon. So what will they have in store for us at the year’s final major?

The best golfers in the world are in Springfield, N.J., this week for the PGA Championship, which is being played at one of America’s most well-known courses — Baltusrol.

Defending PGA Championship winner Jason Day still is ranked No. 1 in the world, but there’s no doubt Dustin Johnson has been playing the best golf lately. Day and Johnson will grab most of the headlines, but there are plenty of other golfers waiting to step up and make some history of their own.

So let’s take a look at some bold predictions or this week’s PGA Championship.

Jason Dufner Will Make Run At Title
Casual golf fans probably remember Dufner’s triumphant victory at the 2013 PGA Championship. Well, it’s been a bit of a rocky road for him since, but he finally broke through with another win in January at the CareerBuilder Challenge, and he’s quietly been having a solid 2015-16 season. He hasn’t missed a cut since the Masters, and he finished tied for eighth at the U.S. Open. So don’t be surprised to see Dufner’s name climbing up the leaderboard this weekend.

Jason Day Won’t Be A Factor
We won’t go as far as to say Day won’t make the cut, but the chances are growing by the day that he won’t be a factor come Sunday. First, the world No. 1 golfer has never played Baltusrol, and he also is battling an illness that prevented him from practicing Tuesday. That’s not exactly a recipe for success.

A First-Time Major Winner Will Be Crowned
The last four major winners all were first-time victors — Jason Day (PGA Championship), Danny Willett (Masters), Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open) and Henrik Stenson (British Open). So why not make it five in a row? There are plenty of golfers who could make a run at their first major this weekend. Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood and Matt Kuchar are a few of those names to keep an eye on.

Top Five Finishers
Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy

Winner: Sergio Garcia
Hey, we came close with this pick at the British Open, so why not try it again? Garcia has had an incredible career, but one of the “Big Four” titles still eludes him. But if he’s ever going to break his majors curse, this weekend could be the one. Garcia has made the cut in 11 of his 12 PGA Tour events this season, and he has a win and eight top 25s. He also has four top 10s, including finishing in a tie for fifth at both the U.S. Open and British Open. Garcia has the form to win it, and he’s playing excellent golf right now.