How Aaron Rai And Justin Rose Can End This 100+ Year Curse At The PGA Championship

Some very fine English players have competed in the PGA Championship over the years, but no Englishman has won this tournament since Jim Barnes took the first two titles in 1916 and 1919.

Aaron Rai and Justin Rose head into the final round just two and four shots back, respectively, so could this finally be the year the drought ends?

"It's actually the first that I heard of that statistic a few minutes ago. I didn't realize that that was the case," said Rai, when asked about the 'England drought'.

Some very big names have come close. England's greatest golfer, Nick Faldo, won six Major Championships (three Masters and three Open Championships).

However, the PGA Championship eluded him. Despite coming close on several occasions, the nine-time PGA Tour winner couldn't land the Wanamaker Trophy.

His best result came in 1992 at Bellerive, when he finished three shots back in a tie for second behind Nick Price.

The following year, at Inverness Club in Ohio, he finished one shot outside the playoff, as Paul Azinger took the title.

And he came fourth at Southern Hills in 1994, although this time no one got near Price, who finished six shots clear of second place.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

What about some of the other England greats? How have the likes of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, and Rose, all former world number ones, fared in the PGA Championship?

Westwood's best effort came at Hazeltine National in 2009, the year Y.E. Yang famously upstaged Tiger Woods.

The man from Worksop had been in the mix throughout the week, but finished third alongside a young Rory McIlroy.

Luke Donald's best chance of lifting the Wanamaker Trophy came in 2006, when he was tied for the lead with 18 holes to play, only to finish third, six shots behind Woods.

David Lynn can count himself unlucky. In 2012, he came up against an inspired McIlroy on the final day at Kiawah Island, with the Northern Irishman surging clear to win by eight shots.

Ian Poulter and Rose, meanwhile, both finished tied third.

Lynn has clearly been watching the action from Aronimink this week, for he posted this on X.

"USPGA week, always reminds me of 2012 Kiawah Island, RU on my own, a very fond memory.

"What’s mad though is I’m the highest placed Englishman in that tournament in 107 yrs, get your head round that, a quiz question no one would ever get right haha, play well boys."

Paul Casey, a three-time PGA Tour winner, has also gone close. Despite shooting 66 in the final round at TPC Harding Park in 2020, he couldn't catch Collin Morikawa.

It wasn't his only near-miss. The following year, he finished just four shots adrift of the evergreen Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island.

Tony Jacklin, of course, did taste Major Championship glory in the States. However, the 1970 US Open champion's best finish at the PGA Championship was T25th.

Matt Fitzpatrick, another US Open winner, of course, had his chance to claim a second Major Championship.

However, a final-round 73 at Southern Hills four years ago saw the Sheffield man slip back down to fifth.

So, the wait goes on. Over to you, Rai and Rose...