13 Australasians lineup for PGA Championship
BY iseekgolf.com | US PGA Tour | 2004 US PGA Championship | General | 11 Aug 2004
The 86th PGA Championship, the final Major of the year, will see 13 Australasian’s take to the course at Whistling Straits this week, all vying for the chance to claim the first ’Major’ title since Steve Elkington’s USPGA Championship win in 1995.
The players, including Australians Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Mark Hensby, Brendan Jones, Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy, Nick O’Hern, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry and Adam Scott, as well as Kiwi Michael Campbell, will all play the difficult Links course in Wisconsin from August 12-15.
Prior to Elkington, Australians have won the USPGA Championship title three times. Wayne Grady in 1990, David Graham in 1979 and Jim Ferrier, the first Australian to win a Major in 1947.
Elkington withdrew from the event yesterday after a re-injuring a groin muscle.
Elkington’s win in 1995 may be the last time an Australian won a major, but the USPGA Championship has been kind to first time winners with 15 of the past 18 champions claiming their first ’Major’ victory at the event. On form, the Australasian contingent are looking healthy, with six USPGA Tour titles this year so far. Most recent was Rod Pampling’s win at THE INTERNATIONAL on Monday, his first ever US Tour victory.
Pampling’s victory was preceded by wins this year to Stuart Appleby, Craig Parry, Adam Scott (2) and Mark Hensby. Twelve of the fourteen Australasian’s lining up are currently ranked in the top 80 in the world, with Pampling jumping 56 places to number 58 after his win. The current rankings have Scott (12), Appleby (15), Allenby (30), Leaney (33), Lonard (45), Parry (57), Pampling (58), Hensby (63), Campbell (66), Ogilvy (75), O’Hern (77) and Jones (78).
In a reflection of how times have changed, the field of 156 players competing for the Wanamaker Trophy will line up for the grand winners prize of over $US1 million, a trip to Hawaii for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and an exemption into the Majors and the USPGA Tour for the next five years. A far cry from the first event in 1916, which featured 31 players, a winners cheque of $500, a diamond medal and the Wanamaker Trophy for the champion Jim Barnes. The trophy was donated by department store owner Rodman Wanamaker and is now one of golf’s most prized possessions.
The Australasian’s will come up against defending champion Shaun Micheel and two of the three Major winners this year, Phil Mickelson, (Masters) & Todd Hamilton (Open Championship). Winner of the US Open, Retief Goosen has withdrawn from the event through injury. In addition world number one Tiger Woods is looking to claim his first Major since the US Open in 2002. Closely following Woods in the rankings is world number two Ernie Els who last won a Major when he took the Open in 2002 and number three Vijay Singh, whose last Major title was The Masters in 2000.
The competition will be made no less cut-throat than when you add the fact that the final major of the year is also the last chance for Americans to earn points toward making the Ryder Cup team.
Source – PGA Tour Australia
