The PGA Championship hasn’t even started yet and already there’s been a major upset.
On Tuesday, the field took their turns at the long drive competition on the 593-yard par five second hole. Just like the contest at your local charity event, it was long drive with the important stipulation: In The Fairway!
One by one the big hitters took their turns.
Dustin Johnson missed the fairway, took a mulligan and hit one 328 yards. Sorry DJ, no mullies.
Rory McIlroy launched one and missed the fairway. Ditto for Jason Day. No luck for Tony Finau, longest hitter on the tour behind Dustin Johnson. And so it went.
By day’s end, there was an upset winner — Anirban Lahiri — India’s newest star on the European Tour. His drive of 327 yards won it, sent $25,000 to his favorite charity and earned him a replica of the money clip given to Jack Nicklaus when he won the long drive contest in 1963, his rookie year on tour.
Club pro Mat Dobyns, current PGA Club Pro champion, hit one 324. J.B. Holmes got on the board with a 314-yard effort that tied him with Jimmy Walker. Another surprise — Jordan Spieth had the fifth best, a 313-yard effort.
Remember, it was longest in the fairway. And fairways are what the field will be seeking come Thursday.
