PGA Championship first timers that could shock the world at Oak Hill

Thirty-one golfers are playing in their first PGA Championship this week, and among those first-timers, there are two that could contend at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Majors are hard to win regardless of how many times a person has competed in them, but these guys have already shown they can hang with the big dogs on tour.

Any given week, a golfer can put together the best four rounds, but the mental aspect is heightened when it comes to the majors. There is a 20 percent chance one of these 31 players could hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Saturday. Among the players, 16 are from the states and the other 15 are international.

Several players got here by winning on the PGA Tour or even the PGA Tour Champions. Steven Alker never made a PGA Championship while he was on tour, but he won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which put him in this week’s field. Nick Hardy won the Zurich Classic with his playing partner, Davis Riley. Adam Svensson won the RSM Classic back in November, Nico Echavarria won the Puerto Rico Open, and Taylor Moore won the Valspar Championship.

Even though these guys have come out on top this season, there are other players in this group that have played much more consistently.

Players like Brandon Wu and Davis Thompson are two young players that have gotten better the longer they’ve played. Both have runner up finishes on tour this season and a couple of top-10 finishes. Ben Taylor has four Top-10’s, but has missed the cut in five of his last six starts. It’s hard to predict whose game will continue to carry on into a major week.

This group of 31 earned their spots into the field this week, but the two players that have the best shot at winning or being on that first page are Hayden Buckley and Sahith Theegala.

Buckley didn’t play at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but has made the cut in his last four events including a T10 finish at the Valero Texas Open. He has three top fives this season and on courses that he had to be accurate on. That confidence in his game could carry over into his first PGA Championship. Buckley has fought ups and downs this season, but since the Players Championship, something changed in his game and he has really shown confidence on the course.

Theegala probably has the best shot among this group of first timers. As part of the Netflix series, “Full Swing,” the world got a look into the 25-year-old’s life and how he has fought his way to being No. 25 in the world. He contended in events last year, but in this current season, Theegala flipped a switch. The former Pepperdine golfer has made 17-of-18 cuts, has one runner up finish at the RSM Classic and has placed inside the top 25 in all 17 of those events.

Seven of those tournaments resulted in top-10’s, including a T4 at the Players and a solo ninth finish at the Masters. If he can keep it on the fairway this week, Theegala will have a legitimate shot at winning his first major.

Theegala is inside the top 50 in strokes gained total, and while he may not be the most accurate off the tee, his length off the tee and his ability around the green should help him. When he is confident in his game, there is no doubt Theegala is one of the top-10 players in the world, but that confidence has to be there. If it is, watch out because he is overdue for a win.