The US PGA Championship’s Long Drive Competition was held overnight, Australian time, and thanks to constant rain throughout the week, the numbers posted were a far cry from the rockets launched a week ago at Firestone Country Club. Nevertheless, there were still plenty of fireworks at Quail Hollow, and when the smoke cleared, it was Jason Kokrak who stood atop the scoreboard.
Kokrak, perennially one of the US Tour’s leaders in driving, carried his tee shot on the par-5 10th 320 yards. Due to the aforementioned wet conditions, his ball rolled all of … one yard.
We have a new Long Drive leader: @jaykokrak at 321 yards! #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/s3no655dRN
— PGA of America (@PGA) August 8, 2017
Still, the 321-yard (294-metre) shot was good enough, besting Tyrrell Hatton by five yards for the title. Dustin Johnson came in third at 315 yards.
Congratulations to the 2017 Long Drive Champion, @jaykokrak! 💪 #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/0NtnD8rZ2o
— PGA of America (@PGA) August 8, 2017
The event was resurrected in 2014 after a 30-year hiatus, with Louis Oosthuizen, Anirban Lahiri and Byeong Hun An grabbing the crown the past three years. For his efforts, Kokrak received a gold money clip.
