10 golfers who could be in the mix for Player of the Year with a PGA Championship win

The California native has five top-five finishes this year, highlighted by his win at the Memorial in June. However, he has not fared well in the three majors this season.

DeChambeau's best finish came at the U.S. Open, where he tied for 25th. In his PGA Championship debut last year, he tied for 33rd. A win there this week would certainly boost his chances in terms of Player of the Year points, but he'll also need others ahead of him in the standings to falter before the season ends at the Tour Championship in September.

Webb Simpson

It's been a resurgent season for the 2012 U.S. Open champion, who won the Players and has five other top-10 finishes. More importantly for Simpson's cause, he's been competitive on the major scene in 2017.

He opened with a tie for 20th at the Masters, then tied for 10th at the U.S. Open and 12th at the Open Championship. Simpson has work to do to improve his Player of the Year chances, but a victory at the PGA is a good start.

Jason Day

The PGA Championship is obviously a special tournament for Day, so expect him to be firing on all cylinders. Day was among the top 10 in the Player of the Year standings last month.

He's won twice this season, is fifth in the FedEx Cup standings and sixth in money. His tie for 10th at the Bridgestone over the weekend should boost his confidence, while a victory at Bellerive will put him in the thick of the Player of the Year race.

Bubba Watson

Watson has been a great story this year, returning to relevancy on the PGA Tour. He's won three times and finds himself in the heart of the Player of Year standings, meaning a victory at the PGA likely takes him to the top of the list.

If there's a concern, it's that Watson has missed two of his last three cuts and owns just one top-10 finish in 11 starts at the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka

The two-time defending U.S. Open champion enters the PGA feeling good about himself following a fifth-place finish at the Bridgestone. Koepka's shown he can thrive on the big stage, which bodes well for his chances in suburban St. Louis.

Koepka was hovering in the bottom half of the Player of the Year standings, so a victory this weekend would push him closer toward that feat while continuing a stellar season.

Patrick Reed

Like Koepka, this year's Masters champion will significantly help his Player of the Year cause with a victory at the PGA Championship. Reed, who finished fourth at the U.S. Open, placed in the top five at three straight majors before his tie for 28th at Carnoustie.

That run began with a tie for second at last year's PGA Championship.

Francesco Molinari

Winning the Open Championship last month for his first major crown is the obvious highlight to Molinari's career. The Italian also made noise at the PGA last year at Quail Hollow and finished in a tie for second.

Among the top five in the standings for Player of Year as of last month, Molinari could find himself at the top of the heap with a victory at Bellerive.

Dustin Johnson

The 2016 Player of the Year is also the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Thus, a victory at the PGA Championship will have Johnson sitting pretty in the standings to claim that prize this year. He is also first in FedEx Cup points and top 10s (10).

DJ owned the outright lead or a share of it through the first three rounds of the U.S. Open and finished third. His 64 on Sunday to finish tied for third at the Bridgestone is a nice way to enter the PGA.

Justin Rose

Rose ranks among the leaders in the race for Player of the Year. The problem: He withdrew from the Bridgestone last week because of back spasms.

The Englishman is expected to be part of the PGA Championship field, and a victory should elevate him to the top of the Player of the Year standings. However, it's uncertain just how much said injury will hinder Rose.

Justin Thomas

Thomas is trying to become the first back-to-back PGA Player of the Year since Tiger Woods won three in a row from 2005-07 — also the last golfer to win consecutive PGA Championships. A victory at Bellerive would put Thomas, like Rose, in the driver's seat to do so.

Battling Johnson and Rose for the top spot in the player of the year standings, Thomas built some momentum with his win at the Bridgestone last weekend. That's three victories on the season for the PGA Tour's money leader.