The PGA Championship is back, but at a new time and a new venue. This year, it will be held in May instead of August. Perhaps ratings were down, or the golfers wanted time off for the summer holidays. Whatever the reason, it’s now in the middle of the season when golfers are in full swing.
It will be held at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, beginning May 16. The Championship has been here before, but not since 2014, when Rory McIlroy triumphed to win the Wannamaker Trophy. That’s also the last time McIlroy won a major title. Ten years is a long time to wait for anything. Hopefully, the wait is worth it.
Thirty-three major champions will join sixteen previous winners of the tournament. Two spots will also be held for the winners of the Wells Fargo Championship and Myrtle Beach Classic.
Can McIlroy Outshine Scheffler?
It doesn’t seem possible that McIlroy could be on the same level as Shuffler, but he seems to be drawing the crowds. The ratings for the Masters and RBC Heritage were down – both Scheffler wins. Two weeks ago, the ratings for the Zurich Classic were up quite a bit – won by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. Scheffler might be the top golfer in the world, but the fans are drawn to McIlroy, which means that betting fans might send their money toward McIlroy, so keep your limits in.
Scheffler has 11 worldwide wins since 2022; next behind him is McIlroy with seven. They rank No. 1 or No. 2 in the following categories:
- Top 5s, top 10s, top 25s
- Strokes gained: overall, ball striking, tee to green off the tee
- At majors: Top 5s, top 10s
- Strokes gained at majors: Overall, tee to green
Here are the current standings for the top PGA Championship golfers:
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1,200 |
| Jon Rahm | +1,200 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1,400 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +1,600 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1,800 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1,800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +2,000 |
| Cameron Smith | +2,500 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +2,500 |
| Max Homa | +2,500 |
Jon Rahm
While Scheffler stands out in the crowd of top golfers, he can be boring, which might account for the drop in ratings. He has won four of his last five starts and will be at or near the top of this one. McIlroy has not won a major championship in a decade, yet somehow has the bigger following and the next shortest odds (next to Scheffler). Then there’s Jon Rahm. He moved to the LIV Tour last year and has played well but has not stood out. He finished at least eight strokes under par in the five tournaments he’s played, but his best showing was a third-place finish – tied with someone else.
Rahm and the other 12 LIV golfers have played 54-hole tournaments, while the PGA Championship is 72 holes. This could be an uphill climb for Rahm and the other 12, but I’m sure most will be ready for the changes.
Brooks Koepka
Rounding out the tightly packed group chasing Scheffler is PGA defending champion Brooks Koepka. He’s already won the PGA Championship three times and wants to be the second person to win two back-to-back Wannamaker Trophies. The only other person to do it was Tiger Woods, who did it in 1999-2000 and 2006-2007.
Brooks Koepka had a disappointing T-45 finish in the Masters, but that must have shocked him into focus as he won the LIV Golf tournament in Singapore last weekend. He looks in fine form now and has moved ahead of rookie Ludvig Aberg in the odds list to win.
Aberg is another impressive player to keep an eye on whose odds to win seem a lot shorter than they should be. This is his first time playing in the PGA Championship, but I don’t think it will be his last.
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The PGA Championship is another tournament that is Scheffler’s to lose. If he stumbles, who will overtake him? It’s a crowded group of talented golfers and an up-and-comer who could produce excitement on the back nine.
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