CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For all the talk about Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, a few under-the-radar golfers always sneak their way into contention come Sunday at a major. Who might fall into that category this week in the 99th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow? Our experts share their thoughts.
On Thursday at 8:45 a.m. ET, a group of past PGA champions will tee off at No. 10, and it would be a smart idea to keep an eye on one in particular ... Keegan Bradley. Talk about a guy who's having a solid yet under-the-radar year! Bradley stands 42nd in the FedEx Cup rankings, and while he hasn't had a top-three finish this year, he has five top-10s and 10 top-25s. -- Michael Collins
Tony Finau is under the radar -- but maybe he shouldn't be. Finau has finished in the top-40 in each of his past eight starts and 12 of his past 13. That includes a fifth-place and a seventh-place in his past three starts, all of which makes him an intriguing option at Quail Hollow. Then there's the fact that he ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee and sixth in strokes gained tee to green. On what will be a soggy, sloppy course, his driving prowess should serve him well. Don't be surprised to see his name on the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon. -- Jason Sobel
Rickie Fowler. It might seem strange to think the 10th-ranked player in the world is under the radar, but Fowler is not getting much attention. He didn't do a pretournament interview in the media center, yet he's on most lists as the next first-time winner of a major. Fowler has won at Quail Hollow and contended last year at the Wells Fargo Championship. He's coming off a strong weekend at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. And he's been in the top 10 in five of his past seven events. -- Bob Harig
Thomas times two -- I'll throw two names out there, mainly because they are both such big hitters: Thomas Pieters, who finished fourth last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and Justin Thomas, who owns three PGA Tour titles this season. Thomas averages 308.8 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour, and Pieters, who mainly plays the European Tour, is slightly shorter at 307 yards per drive. On a course that is listed on the scorecard as a 7,600-yard par-71, the field will need every inch off the tee. While both these players are inside the top 25 in the world rankings, they've played only 14 majors combined, each earning one top-10 finish. So they are showing signs of strong play in golf's biggest events, but haven't quite gotten over the hump and into serious contention at a major on a Sunday afternoon. -- Kevin Maguire