It never hurts to get off to a fast start at a major championship, but it really matters at Southern Hills in Tulsa, site of the 104th PGA Championship, if history teaches us anything.
In a Q&A for the golf newsletter The Quadrilateral, Southern Hills club historian Clyde Chrisman noted that in all seven of the major championships the club has hosted as well as its two Tour Championships and last year’s Senior PGA Championship, the 36-hole leader has gone on to hoist the winner’s trophy.
“In fact, the only two who didn’t lead or share the lead after the first round are Dave Stockton and Tiger Woods,” Chrisman told Geoff Shackelford. “It’s not a course where someone has gotten hot in the last round or two and made a late charge to win.”
