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Hometown hopes: Ten First Coast, Golden Isles players are entered in PGA Championship

Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
Zach Johnson is the only area resident in this week's PGA Championship field who has recorded a top-10 finish in the season's second major. He tied for third in 2010 and tied for eighth in 2013.
Zach Johnson is the only area resident in this week's PGA Championship field who has recorded a top-10 finish in the season's second major. He tied for third in 2010 and tied for eighth in 2013.

There are 10 players from the First Coast and Georgia’s Golden Isles in the field for the PGA Championship, beginning on Thursday at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

But it’s not a group that has had much success in the season’s second major championship.

With the withdrawals last week of past PGA champions Vijay Singh of Ponte Vedra Beach and Davis Love III of St. Simons Island, Ga., none of the area contingent has a PGA title to show for their careers.

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The closest any of them came was Zach Johnson of St. Simons, who tied for third with Rory McIlroy in the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits, one shot out of the playoff won by Martin Kaymer over Bubba Watson.

No other area player in the PGA this week has ever recorded a top-10 finish in the tournament and three are playing for the first time.

Johnson tied for eighth in the 2013 PGA, the last time it was held at Oak Hill, seven shots behind winner Jason Dufner. Three other players from the area who are in this week's field also played at Oak Hill that year: Harris English tied for 61st and David Lingmerth and Billy Horschell missed the cut.

Area players in the PGA

  • Harris English, St. Simons Island: Best finish, T19 in 2020; five of six cuts made.

  • Brian Harman, St. Simons Island: Best finish, T13, 2017; five of eight cuts made.

  • Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach: Best finish, T23, 2019 and 2021; nine of 10 cuts made.

  • Zach Johnson, St. Simons Island: Best finish, T3, 2010; 12 of 19 cuts made.

  • David Lingmerth, Ponte Vedra Beach: Best finish, T12, 2015; three of four cuts made.

  • Keith Mitchell, St. Simons Island: Best finish, T34, 2022; two of three cuts made.

  • Trey Mullinax, St. Simons Island: First appearance.

  • J.T. Poston, St. Simons Island: Best finish, T60, 2019; two of three cuts made.

  • Sam Ryder, Jacksonville Beach: First appearance.

  • Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island: First appearance.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson lead area hopefuls in this week's PGA