Veteran would be seventh straight first-time major champion
With the sizzling opening-round of Steve Stricker (7-under 63), is the PGA Championship destined to produce another first-time major champion? A deserved victory by the overdue Stricker, who has 11 PGA Tour victories and nine top-10s in majors, would end the streak of non-U.S. winners in majors at six. But it also would establish history’s longest string of first-time major winners at seven.
Only three times in history have all four majors have produced first-time major champions:
2003 — Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel
1969 – George Archer, Orville Moody, Tony Jacklin, Ray Floyd
1959 – Art Wall, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Bob Rosburg
Player (nine), Floyd (four), Casper (three), and Jacklin (two) went on to capture more majors. Of the 2003 foursome, none is likely to repeat his major success. But the same can’t be said of two of this year’s first-timers – Charl Schwartzel, 26, and Rory McIlroy, 22 — and two of last year’s first-timers – Graeme McDowell, 32, and Martin Kaymer, 26.
