When it comes to major championships, it’s the one that more individual Australians have won than any other.

The 2019 US PGA Championship at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course at New York is the 101st hosting of what has been traditionally golf’s final major but now returns to the month of May for the first time in 70 years.

Two years earlier Jim Ferrier became the first Australian major champion when he won at Plum Hollow Country Club in Detroit in 1947 when the tournament was still conducted in the matchplay format.

Forty years ago, also in the state of Michigan, David Graham added his name to the Wanamaker Trophy at Oakland Hills Country Club. Wayne Grady (1990) and Steve Elkington (1995) followed by winning in relatively quick succession at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club and Riviera Country Club respectively.

We had to wait 20 years for another Aussie winner of the PGA Championship when Jason Day broke through for his maiden major, then last year we rode the emotional roller-coaster of Adam Scott’s third-place finish.

The venue for the 2019 PGA Championship is one of golf’s most feared, yet Bethpage Black has proven to be a course where Aussies have excelled in the past.

When America’s toughest public course hosted the US Open for the first time in 2002 Robert Allenby was tied for fifth heading into the final round while in 2009 it was Michael Sim, playing the final round with Tiger Woods, who was our best finisher in a tie for 18th.

Day and Adam Scott were both top-five finishers when the PGA TOUR last played a tournament at Bethpage in 2016 with Day tied for 24th in 2012 courtesy of a 5-under 66 in the final round.

Joining PGA TOUR regulars Day, Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith in the field this week are 15-time Japan Golf Tour winner Brendan Jones, world No.94 Lucas Herbert and US-based PGA Professionals Stuart Deane and Craig Hocknull.

The Kiwis have two representatives in the field at Bethpage with Danny Lee and Ryan Fox both seeking to become their country’s third male major champion and first to win the US PGA Championship.

Jason Day
Round 1 (3.38am): Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson
World Ranking: 14
Best finish in 2019: T4 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (PGA TOUR)
Best finish at the PGA Championship: Won at Whistling Straits (2015)
Best finish in a major: 1st, 2015 US PGA Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: T4 The Barclays (2016)
How he qualified: Former PGA champion

Marc Leishman
Round 1 (4am AEST): Corey Conners, Jim Furyk
World Ranking: 23
Best finish in 2019: T3 Sony Open (PGA TOUR)
Best finish at the PGA Championship: T12 at Oak Hill Country Club (2013)
Best finish in a major: T2, 2015 Open Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: MC, 2012 and 2016 Barclays
How he qualified: Top 70 leaders in official money standings from the 2018 Players Championship to the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship

Adam Scott
Round 1 (9.40pm AEST): Sergio Garcia, Kelly Kraft
World Ranking: 27
Best finish in 2019: 2nd at Farmers Insurance Open (PGA TOUR)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: T3 at Medinah Country Club (2006), 3rd at Bellerive Country Club (2018)
Best finish in a major: 1st, 2013 Masters
Best finish at Bethpage Black: T4 The Barclays (2016)
How he qualified: Top 15 and ties in the 2018 PGA Championship

Cameron Smith
Round 1 (3.39am AEST): Satoshi Kodaira, Matt Kuchar
World Ranking: 29
Best finish in 2019: T6 at WGC-Mexico Championship (PGA TOUR)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: T25 at Whistling Straits (2015)
Best finish in a major: T4, 2015 US Open
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: Top 70 leaders in official money standings from the 2018 Players Championship to the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship

Ryan Fox
Round 1 (10.35pm AEST): Aaron Wise, Shugo Imahira
World Ranking: 84
Best finish in 2019: 1st ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth (European Tour)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: T27 at Bellerive Country Club (2018)
Best finish in a major: T27, 2018 PGA Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: PGA of America invitation

Lucas Herbert
Round 1 (10.57pm AEST): Cory Schneider, Sungjae Im
World Ranking: 94
Best finish in 2019: T7 Omega Dubai Desert Classic (European Tour)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: First appearance
Best finish in a major: T51, 2018 Open Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: PGA of America invitation

Brendan Jones
Round 1 (9.51pm AEST): Graeme McDowell, Chez Reavie
World Ranking: 101
Best finish in 2019: 1st Token Homemate Cup (Japan Golf Tour)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: T24 at Hazeltine National (2009)
Best finish in a major: T24, 2009 US PGA
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: PGA of America invitation

Danny Lee
Round 1 (2.10am AEST): Michael Thompson, Shane Bertsch
World Ranking: 119
Best finish in 2019: T7 Valero Texas Open (PGA TOUR)
Best finish in the PGA Championship: T43 at Whistling Straits (2015)
Best finish in a major: T17, 2016 Masters
Best finish at Bethpage Black: MC The Barclays (2016)
How he qualified: Top 70 leaders in official money standings from the 2018 Players Championship to the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship

Stuart Deane
Round 1 (4.11am AEST): Jorge Campillo, Chesson Hadley
World Ranking: 2,057
Best finish in 2019: MC AT&T Byron Nelson
Best finish in the PGA Championship: MC at Valhalla (2014), MC at Quail Hollow (2017)
Best finish in a major: MC, 2014 and 2017 PGA Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: 20 low scorers in the 2019 PGA Professional Championship

Craig Hocknull
Round 1 (4.22am AEST): Mikko Korhonen, Jhonattan Vegas
World Ranking: 2,057
Best finish in 2019: No official starts
Best finish in the PGA Championship: MC at Bellerive (2018)
Best finish in a major, MC, 2018 PGA Championship
Best finish at Bethpage Black: First appearance
How he qualified: 20 low scorers in the 2019 PGA Professional Championship