Ex-UNLV golfer Charley Hoffman aims for elusive 1st major title

About two years ago, I had a conversation with former UNLV All-American Charley Hoffman at the back end of the TPC Las Vegas driving range. At that time, a confident Hoffman said his best golf was ahead of him and he was totally focused on winning his first major championship.

Flash forward to the present and Hoffman is arguably the hottest golfer on the planet not named Jordan Spieth and a legitimate threat to win this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hoffman has made the cut in 15 of his last 16 tournaments and finished in the top five four times, including runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago and a third-place finish at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational last week.

He has also finished in the top 25 in each of the first three majors, including an eighth-place showing at the U.S Open. His torrid play has moved him into solid contention to win the FedEx Cup playoffs and also to make the United States Presidents Cup team for the first time. He currently ranks 11^th in the FedEx Cup and 8^th in the Presidents Cup standings.

Hoffman has won four PGA Tour titles during his career and about the only thing he hasn’t done this season is add to that total. That fact isn’t lost on him.

“As I tell everybody, I play this game not to finish second, I play it to win,” Hoffman said after the Bridgestone. “Seconds are great, don’t get me wrong, but when you look back on the end of your career, you don’t look at how many second place finishes you have.

“I think I’m starting to realize my potential and what I can do. I mean if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. I’m starting to believe in myself and what I can do.”

Hoffman’s hot putter and accuracy off the tee might be the deciding factors this week.

“I’ve been putting great and I’ve been hitting the ball in the fairway a good percentage of the time for me and giving myself opportunities,” Hoffman said. “I’ve always said if I have opportunities, I’ve got a chance. And the putter’s rolling good from 15- to 25-foot range, which in major championships and hard golf courses, you need that to happen.”

Other players with strong Las Vegas ties playing in the PGA Championship are former UNLV golfers Ryan Moore and Adam Scott, and resident and 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open champion Kevin Na.

Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider on Twitter.