All eyes will be on the sizeable Wanamaker Trophy at Valhalla Golf Club this week as the 2014 US PGA Championship tees off and Sky Sports will be in Kentucky to show all four days of the season’s final Major exclusively live.
This will be the fifth major tournament Valhalla has staged and it has been a haunt Americans appear to love, with Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Tiger Woods and Mark Brooks having all tasted victory in major competition here, while the United States also defeated Europe to win the Ryder Cup at this course in 2008.
Jason Dufner arrives in Kentucky as defending champion after the Ohio-born golfer came from behind to see off Jim Furyk by two shots in New York and claim his maiden major title.
Dufner struck a seven-under-par 63 on day two to not only put himself in firm contention for the title but also equal the lowest score for a round in major history.
He held his nerve through Saturday and Sunday to claim victory and banish the dismal memories of 2011, when Dufner had led by five shots with four holes to play on the final day at Atlanta Athletic Club, before his tee shot on the 15th hole found the water.
Bogeys on the 15th, 16th and 17th opened the door for his rivals, an opportunity Keegan Bradley took full advantage of as he eventually defeated Dufner in a play-off.
Dufner will experience a new kind of pressure in Kentucky as he looks to become only the seventh player in US PGA Championship history to successfully retain the title.
One man who will have the famous Wanamaker Trophy firmly in his sights will be 2012 US PGA champion Rory McIlroy, who after a miserable 2013 is back to his imperious best.
McIlroy is riding high after lifting his first Claret Jug having dominating the The Open Championship at Hoylake from start to finish last month, as well as winning the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in the week prior to Valhalla, which propelled him into the coveted world number one spot ahead of 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott.
All the big names are expected to be in attendance at Valhalla this week, though doubts remain over the participation of four-time PGA winner Tiger Woods, who pulled out of the final round WGC event prior to Valhalla due to injury.
Providing Woods is fit to play, the American star will pair up with compatriot Phil Mickelson will play together during the first two rounds, with both having won 19 major titles between them, while 2008 champion Padraig Harrington completes the trio.
In keeping with tradition, the PGA of America has placed the winners of the first three major championships of 2014 in the same group, with Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy all teeing off together on Thursday and Friday.
Despite the potential absence of Woods, as well as the high-profile withdrawal of 2010 runner-up Dustin Johnson from the PGA Tour due to “personal challenges”, 99 of the world’s top 100 are set to compete for the Wanamaker Trophy at Valhalla, which at 7,458 yards is the longest par-71 in the tournament’s history.
With the 2014 Ryder Cup just around the corner, this bumper summer of golf continues in Valhalla as it stages the final Major championship of the season and you can follow all the twists and turns across all four days with Sky Sports.
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Sky Sports will screen exclusively live coverage of the final major of the 2014 season, the US PGA Championship, live from Valhalla Golf Club from August 7-10.
Home to all of the action from start to finish will be Sky Sports 4, starting in the week building up to the tournament with a series of official PGA Championship films looking back at the greatest moments from the event’s illustrious past.
Then on Thursday at 6.00pm, almost 30 hours of live coverage begins as day one gets underway in Valhalla with David Livingstone once again anchoring Sky Sports’ comprehensive coverage from a studio overlooking the course.
Analysis and debate throughout each day’s play comes from legendary American golf coach Butch Harmon and European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, while former PGA Championship runner-up and regular Sky Sports analyst Colin Montgomerie is playing in the tournament itself, though is expected to appear in the commentary box at various times throughout the event.
The usual Sky Sports commentary team of Ewen Murray, Bruce Critchley and Mark Roe will guide viewers through all the shot-by-shot action, while on-course reports and interviews throughout the tournament come from Howard Clark, Tim Barter and Sarah Stirk.
Sky Sports’ live weekend coverage starts at 3.00pm on Saturday and 4.00pm on Sunday, totalling 29 hours of output across the four days, with play concluding each night at around midnight. Sky’s coverage will be using the world feed provided by the tournament’s host broadcasters CBS and TNT.
Golf fans will have plenty of chances to catch up on any of the action with regular highlights shows during the four days, while Sky Sports News have updates from Valhalla with regular reports and interviews from around the course.
All of Sky Sports’ coverage can also be seen on the move via laptop or mobile devices with Sky Go, plus catch-up with highlights via the On-Demand service.
In addition, there will be extra coverage of featured groups during the four days play available via the Red Button on Sky Sports 4 or online.
Viewers can also get all the breaking news, live scores, course guide and additional information about the tournament via Sky’s dedicated US PGA Championship website.
Follow @SkySportsGolf on Twitter for all the latest news and updates from the course.
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Round 1 LIVE: 6.00pm-12.00am Sky Sports 4 . Friday 8th August
Round 2 LIVE: 6.00pm-12.00am Sky Sports 4 . Saturday 9th August
Round 3 LIVE: 3.00pm-12.00am Sky Sports 4 . Sunday 10th August
Round 4 LIVE: 4.00pm-12.00am Sky Sports 4
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Am trying to contact someone regarding Rickie Fowler on the 2nd hole at Valhalla. His ball went into the hazard, the referee told him where to place his ball, just outside the hazard line. Before he hit his shot he grounded his club inside the hazard. He’s leading at the moment and I would hate for him to be disqualified if this came to light after he had signed his card.