SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Rory McIlroy took stock of his game and the shots required at Baltusrol and reached a most logical conclusion Tuesday. He believes the PGA Championship will be his best chance this year to win a major.He overlooked the obvious. It now is his only chance this year to win a major.McIlroy is not alone.Except for the three players who have achieved the ultimate in golf this year by winning majors -- Danny Willett at the Masters, Dustin Johnson at the U.S. Open and Henrik Stenson at the British Open -- the PGA Championship is all they have left.The focus starts with McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. They began the year as the modern version of the Big Three because they had captured five of the previous six majors and took turns at No. 1 in the world ranking.But they have come up empty in the majors -- so far.Spieth is feeling it as much as anyone, mainly because he nearly won them all a year ago with a major performance that ranked among the best ever. So when a question was posed to him Tuesday that expecting 20 more years like that would probably be a tough benchmark, Spieth leaned toward the microphone and interrupted.Probably? he said.Even with two victories and a chance at the Masters that he threw away with one bad swing at the wrong time, he has been noticeable in the last two majors by his absence from the leaderboard. Spieth, who turns 23 on Wednesday, had contended in five straight majors. He finished 13 shots behind in the U.S. Open and 22 shots behind at the British Open.I set my own expectations so high, Spieth said. So have I met them this year? Not yet.He still can.So can Day, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour this year. Stensons victory at Royal Troon surely gave hope to players who have yet to win a major, from Sergio Garcia to Lee Westwood, from Rickie Fowler to Matt Kuchar.Baltusrol was soaked with nearly 2 inches of rain overnight, though the Lower Course was in remarkably good shape for a full day of practice on Tuesday in sweltering conditions that only add to the pressure of players trying to break through.McIlroy was especially optimistic given the length of Baltusrol, exceptionally long (7,462 yards) for a par 70 that doesnt have a par 5 until the final two holes. He is among the top power players in the game, and his driving is aesthetically beautiful because of his balance.That wasnt lost on McIlroy as he blasted a 345-yard drive off the first tee in the Long Drive Competition and made his way around the course. He looks ready to go, and he will find out Thursday what kind of traction he has.McIlroy was asked to describe his season in one word, and after some thought, settled on neutral.Thats another way of saying he has been spinning his wheels.I feel theres been times where I got a little bit of momentum, and then sort of got set back a little bit, he said. Its been a little stop-start in a way. But its hard. Im trying to stay as positive as I can. I feel like I am positive because my game is in good shape. But I guess just maybe running out of patience a little bit and trying to make it happen.I dont know if theres one word to describe this year, he said. But I think you get a sense of how Ive felt about the year and trying to get better and trying to get my name in the mix, and hopefully I can do that this week.His record in the PGA Championship is in his favor. McIlroy has won the Wanamaker Trophy twice in the last four years, and he has three other finishes in the top 10. Even though he grew up in Northern Ireland, the American brand of golf suits him best. Baltusrol is big, and likely will be soft with the overnight rain, the steamy heat and the threat of thunderstorms.McIlroy won the Irish Open before a home crowd this year. That was a big deal. He still has the FedEx Cup playoffs, which he has never won, and the Race to Dubai to complete the European Tour season. He struggled again when asked for a grade to his season, settling on better than a B.I could change that into an A-plus on Sunday, he said. Theres a lot of golf left, last major of the year. I want to give it my all to get in the mix and try to win another one of these things before I have to wait another eight months.Discount Fake NBA Jerseys . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Fake Nike NBA Jerseys .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. http://www.fakenbajerseys.com/ . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Fake NBA Jerseys Sale . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Fake NBA Jerseys China . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury.COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina coach Will Muschamp isnt surprised by the early success of freshman quarterback Jake Bentley.I dont think the moment is too big for him, Muschamp said.It hasnt been so far, anyway.Bentley improved to 3-0 as a starter, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns as South Carolina handed Missouri its 11th straight SEC loss 31-21 on Saturday. Bentley showed poise, strength and accuracy in the pocket, completing 22 of 28 passes to lead the Gamecocks (5-4, 3-4 SEC) to their third straight victory and keep them in contention in the SEC East.The Gamecocks are in the midst of a rebuilding project with 78 percent of their roster consisting of underclassmen, but they appear to be on the right track. Freshman running back Rico Dowdle ran for 149 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and also hauled in a 17-yard TD strike from Bentley.Jake is bringing a lot of energy to the offense and when we have a man-to-man matchup we like were going to take it, said wide receiver Deebo Samuel, another young star for the Gamecocks.Samuel, a sophomore, had 125 yards receiving on nine catches and also ran for a score.He muscled us around a little bit, said Missouri coach Barry Odom.Bentley was off limits after the game because of a team rule instituted by Muschump preventing freshman from talking to the media.Hes very level headed and a very humble young man, Muschamp said. He handles the moment very well.Drew Lock threw for 302 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for Missouri (2-7, 0-5).South Carolina didnt let down after pulling a 24-21 upset of 18th-ranked Tennessee last week. One of South Carolinas assistant coaches set mousetraps around the locker room earlier in the week to remind players it was a trap game.Everyone is patting you on the back, but I told our players `Dont take the cheese, Muschamp said.With the game tied at 21 late in the third quarter, Rashad Fenton intercepted Lock near the goal line on a deep ball along the right sideline. Bentley led a 98-yard drive, culminating in a go-ahead 20-yard TD run by Dowdle .Bentley showed poise beyond his years in his third start.Late in the first half, he took a sack on a second-and-goal at the 1 rather than throw the ball away. Rather than dwelling on the loss, Bentley tossed a 6-yard TD pass to tight end K.C. Crosby onn the next play to give the Gamecocks a 21-14 lead at half.dddddddddddd.When Jake is in there we feel like we can score from anywhere on the field, said Gamecocks tight end Hayden Hurst.THE TAKEAWAYMISSOURI: Odom said it hurts on a lot of different levels that he wasnt able to get this group of seniors into a bowl game. They entrusted me in putting them in position to have a great senior (season) and that one is going to bother me, Odom said. ... Im frustrated in myself that we havent played a complete game yet.SOUTH CAROLINA: Bentley looks like the real deal for the Gamecocks, which makes you wonder why they waited so long to play the true freshman. The defense, which hasnt allowed an opponent to score 30 points all season, can hang with anyone.TARGETING THE QB: Missouri linebacker Cale Garrett was ejected less than five minutes into the game for targeting Bentley. Garrett became the fourth Missouri player ejected for targeting this season, joining Ronnell Perkins, Marcell Frazier and Brandon Lee.South Carolinas Chris Lammons was ejected from the game in the second quarter for a similar hit on Lock.JUST FOR KICKS: Senior kicker Elliott Fry became South Carolinas all-time leading scorer when he converted an extra point in the second quarter to give him 331 for his career. Fry called it a special honor to be at the top, even if someone knocks him off that pinnacle soon.STREAK CONTINUES: The Tigers havent won an SEC game since Oct. 3, 2015 when they won at home against South Carolina.SCORING OUTBURST: South Carolina isnt used to playing high-scoring games, at least in conference play. The Gamecocks 31 points were their most in an SEC game since a 45-42 overtime loss to Vanderbilt in 2014.MISSED CHANCES: Missouris Tucker McCann missed a pair of fourth quarter field goals, including one with 4:49 left in the game that would have cut the South Carolina lead to seven.UP NEXTMISSOURI: The Tigers return home to host Vanderbilt next Saturday.SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks travel to Florida on Saturday to face the Gators, who have they have beaten in four of the last six meetings.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '