This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The next group, however, wasn't as clear-cut, nor was the notion that certain golfers were closer than others to joining this elite club. Dustin Johnson was certainly one of those guys that seemed to be on the brink of joining "the big three," but to do so, he'd have to overcome his past failures at the majors, most notably a three-putt on the 72nd hole of last year's U.S. Open. This would be a feat for anyone, let alone Johnson, who never gave the impression that he could keep it together during the tough moments.
All of that speculation went by the wayside last week as not only did DJ prove he had both the mental and physical make-up to win a major, but he also grabbed a spot at the aforementioned "big kids table." It's funny how a huge win can bolster a resume. Now instead of looking back at those close calls as previous majors and lamenting what might have been, we can look back and say, "damn, this guy has been pretty solid at the majors." It's that track record and his recent play that will keep his spot at the
The next group, however, wasn't as clear-cut, nor was the notion that certain golfers were closer than others to joining this elite club. Dustin Johnson was certainly one of those guys that seemed to be on the brink of joining "the big three," but to do so, he'd have to overcome his past failures at the majors, most notably a three-putt on the 72nd hole of last year's U.S. Open. This would be a feat for anyone, let alone Johnson, who never gave the impression that he could keep it together during the tough moments.
All of that speculation went by the wayside last week as not only did DJ prove he had both the mental and physical make-up to win a major, but he also grabbed a spot at the aforementioned "big kids table." It's funny how a huge win can bolster a resume. Now instead of looking back at those close calls as previous majors and lamenting what might have been, we can look back and say, "damn, this guy has been pretty solid at the majors." It's that track record and his recent play that will keep his spot at the table safe for a long time. Now, as for Rory ...
This week: Quicken Loans National - Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Md.
Last Year: Troy Merritt shot a final-round 67 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Rickie Fowler
Maybe the only big name in the field this week, Fowler will look to atone for the disaster that was Oakmont last week. The expectations have always been high for Fowler and he's not quite lived up to them, but a win at an event like this will serve to take some pressure off the young lad.
Marc Leishman
Leishman has always been on the streaky side of the fence, and if his past three starts are any indication, he's heading in the right direction. Leishman comes into this week on a streak of three consecutive top-20s, and he posted a top 10 the last time he played at Congressional.
Scott Piercy Byeong-Hun An
An takes this spot from Scott Piercy, who withdrew. An has kicked tail on the European Tour for a couple years now, but only recently has that success translated to the PGA Tour. He finished T2 at the Zurich Classic and backed that up with a T11 at the Memorial. An certainly could take advantage of the weak field this week.
Bryson DeChambeau
After a blistering start to his PGA Tour career, DeChambeau came back to earth, but after missing a handful of cuts, he appears to be heading back in the right direction. This event is not littered with golfers that have tremendous track records here, so it might be wise to look at the first-timers.
Kevin Streelman
Streelman doesn't have an impressive history on this course or even at this event, but he does have a game that's trending in the right way. After a rough patch from March through May, Streelman has carded top-15s in his past two starts -- a T8 at The Memorial and a T13 at the U.S. Open last week.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Charles Howell III
Howell III has two top-15s here over the past five years. Unfortunately, neither of those were at Congressional. The three times he's played Congressional the last five years have been less than productive with a T46, MC and a T68.
K.J. Choi
Choi won this event at Congressional in 2007, but hasn't fared too well since. The three most recent starts at Congressional have been awful as his best result was a T64 in 2014.
Ernie Els
Els won a major on this course in 1997, but a lot of things have changed since then; most notably -- his game. Els enters this week on a streak of four consecutive missed cuts and he hasn't cracked the top 50 in more than a couple months.
Chris Kirk
Kirk is one of the up-and-coming golfers on the PGA Tour, but he's still working on his consistency. As evidence, he has eight top-25s, but six missed cuts. Two of those missed cuts have come in his two most recent starts. Also working against Kirk this week is his track record at this event where he's missed both cuts on this course.
Aaron Baddeley
Baddeley has a lot working against him this week. For starters, he hasn't cracked the top 50 in his six most recent starts and he hasn't made a cut at this event, on this course, since 2009.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Adam Scott (T18) - $120,978; Season - $7,611,385
This week: Marc Leishman - A few choices this week, but none look great. It came down to Leishman, DeChambeau and Byeong-Hun An. Leishman gets the nod because of both his recent play and his track record at this event.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 3287
Rank: 22,167
This Week:
Group A: Rickie Fowler, Kevin Streelman
Group B: Charley Hoffman, Patrick Reed, Jim Furyk, Jon Curran
Group C: Marc Leishman, Bryson DeChambeau
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Jason Day (T8); Streak - 4
This week: Byeong-Hun An - I've already used Leishman as a survivor pick, so I have to look elsewhere. I'll go back to one of the guys I considered for my one-and-done -- Byeong-Hun An. An is starting to get accustomed to the PGA Tour and should easily make the cut this week.
