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Forget Rory or Jordan, Whistling Straits is tuned for a first-time major champ

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It’s to the Great Lakes and the American Midwest this weekend as the final golf major of the season plays out at the wonderfully-named Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin.

Unsurprisingly the odds favour the men ranked numbers one and two in the world, with the returning Rory McIlroy (10/1) and the man on his heels Jordan Spieth (7/1) boasting six majors between them despite an average age of just 24.

Indeed there is a real sense in golf that these two men are primed to make an indelible mark on the game, inspiring a generation of young golfers while cementing their respective places in the history books alongside some of the sport’s true greats.

For Spieth, despite being a pro for less than three years, a win in Sheboygan County at the PGA Championship will see him become only the third golfer in history to win three majors in a season – only Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan can say the same. Indeed he was only a couple of putts away at St Andrew’s from heading into this tournament bidding for a season Grand Slam.

For McIlroy, who is back after missing the Open Championship with an ankle injury, a win would see him tied with the great Seve Ballesteros on five majors.

But as ever in golf majors, the real value picks can be found further out in the field, and there is real reason to believe that daring to ignore golf’s headline duo should reap the rewards at Whistling Straits.

For a start, it’s worth noting that the pair have been drawn together for the first two rounds, along with last month’s Open champ Zach Johnson. Given that Spieth could overtake McIlroy in the world rankings, the draw adds intrigue and pressure early on in proceedings. The sub-plot may do neither a favour.

The stats also suggest that they don’t appreciate each other’s company. Spieth has missed only two cuts all season, and one came whilst paired with McIlroy at Sawgrass for the Players’ Championship in April. In all their outings together, the young American is yet to shoot under 70, with an average score of 73. McIlroy fares better, winning five of their eight head-to-heads, with one score drawn.

Unfortunately for Rory, he has more than just his rival to contend with. His return to the course comes only six weeks after rupturing a ligament in his left ankle while playing football, and he has only just confirmed his appearance following a practice session at the tournament course.

While an additional practice session might prove to his advantage, a strapped ankle is not ideal heading into a gruelling four-day tournament.

Instead, it’s worth remembering that the USPGA has been particularly friendly to major virgins in recent years. Since 2009, when the unheralded YE Yang triumphed ahead of Tiger Woods at Hazeltine, there have been four first-time major winners, with only McIlroy’s two victories interrupting the sequence. Along with Yang, Martin Kaymer won in 2010, Keegan Bradley in 2011 and Jason Dufner in 2013.

Interestingly, despite 77 of the 97 PGA Championships being won by Americans, only two US nationals (Dufner and Bradley) have won in the last seven years. Additionally, not since 1982 have Americans swept the board with all four majors in a single year, as they could be poised to do this year with Spieth’s double adding to Johnson’s Open victory.

With all that in mind, Aussie Jason Day ticks all of the boxes to continue the above trends. The popular 27-year-old has been in fine form all season and is tipped by many to break his major duck sooner rather than later.

The world number five boasts nine top-10 finishes from 20 majors, the first coming at Whistling Straits back in 2010, where the course suits his long game.

He has two PGA victories to his name this season, most recently in Canada just last month, and came within one shot of the St Andrew’s play-off. Teeing off alongside fellow in-form pros desperate for their first major Dustin Johnson (14/1) and Rickie Fowler (20/1) can only improve his chances, while they also offer solid each way picks themselves.

On the subject of outsiders, a couple of American youngsters offer some potential each-way success, with golf betting odds for world number 20 Brooks Koepka valued at 40/1.

Koepka shouldn’t be overawed by the course with a top-six finish at the Bridgestone Invitational last week, while 22-year-old Justin Thomas at 100/1 has a mighty drive and is in good nick on the back of two top-five finishes, with a chance this weekend to make a name for himself in only his second major.

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