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Mark SchlabachMay 12, 2025, 09:08 AM ET
- Senior assemblage shot writer
- Author of 7 books connected assemblage football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The strongest tract successful men's nonrecreational play is headed to Quail Hollow Club, 1 of the longest play courses connected the PGA Tour, for this week's PGA Championship, the 2nd large of the season.
Rory McIlroy, who yet achieved golfing immortality by becoming the sixth golfer to complete the vocation Grand Slam astatine past month's Masters, mightiness beryllium the golfer to bushed astatine Quail Hollow, wherever helium has won 4 times. He volition effort to go the archetypal subordinate to triumph the Masters and PGA Championship successful the aforesaid twelvemonth since Jack Nicklaus successful 1975.
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is coming disconnected his first triumph of the season, arsenic is LIV Golf League prima Bryson DeChambeau, who would astir apt similar to erase his Sunday slice astatine the Masters by capturing his 3rd large championship.
Defending PGA Championship victor Xander Schauffele was slowed by a rib wounded aft claiming 2 majors successful 2024. According to ESPN Research, helium is the lone golfer who finished successful the apical 10 successful each of the past 5 majors, and he'll look to go the lone subordinate successful the past 60 years to triumph his archetypal 3 majors successful a five-start stretch.
Here's a look astatine the 156-player field, from the favorites and guys who tin triumph to the erstwhile champions and 20 PGA of America nine professionals:
Jump to a section:
The wide favorites | Guys who tin win | If everything goes right
Miracles happen | Happy to marque the cut | Past champions | PGA professionals
Tier I: The wide favorites
The champion golfers successful the satellite don't look to beryllium chasing Scottie Scheffler anymore -- adjacent though he's a slight betting favourite implicit Rory McIlroy heading into the week. The biggest people mightiness beryllium connected McIlroy's backmost aft helium won an elusive greenish overgarment astatine the Masters and heads to Quail Hollow Club, 1 of his favourite play courses successful the world. In the past 70 years, lone 5 golfers person won the archetypal 2 majors of the season: Ben Hogan (1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015).
Rory McIlroy
The newest subordinate of nonrecreational golf's astir exclusive nine is returning to what has been his blessed place. He is the lone four-time victor of the Wells Fargo Championship (now the Truist Championship) astatine Quail Hollow Club. He won by 5 strokes successful 2024, 1 successful 2021, 7 successful 2015 and 4 successful 2010. He acceptable the people grounds with a 10-under 61 successful 2015. Did I notation the people favors large hitters disconnected the tee? McIlroy was averaging 317.5 yards heading into past week, 3rd successful the field.
Scottie Scheffler
You didn't deliberation the satellite No. 1 golfer would spell an full play without a victory, did you? After winning 9 times astir the satellite successful 2024, Scheffler picked up his archetypal triumph astatine the CJ Cup Byron Nelson connected May 4, winning by a whopping 8 shots and tying the PGA Tour 72-hole scoring grounds astatine 31-under 253. Scheffler's lone erstwhile contention astatine Quail Hollow was the 2022 Presidents Cup; helium went 0-3-1 successful the U.S. team's 17 ½-12 ½ victory.
Tier II: The guys who tin win
Here are the different morganatic contenders to triumph the Wanamaker Trophy connected Sunday. They person the games, guts and nerves to grip 4 pressure-packed rounds.
Xander Schauffele
The defending PGA Championship victor was runner-up successful his past 2 starts astatine Quail Hollow, losing to Wyndham Clark by 4 strokes successful 2023 and McIlroy by 5 past season. Schauffele is dilatory moving his mode backmost into signifier since being sidelined due to the fact that of a rib injury. His caller results person been encouraging -- helium tied for 12th astatine the Valspar Championship, eighth astatine the Masters and 18th astatine the RBC Heritage and for 11th astatine the Truist Championship. The two-time large title victor hits it acold capable disconnected the tee and is 1 of the amended players connected circuit with a agelong robust successful his hands.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau had a beauteous bully way grounds successful the Wells Fargo Championship, finishing solo 4th successful 2018 and tying for ninth successful 2021. He astir chased down Schauffele successful past year's PGA Championship astatine Valhalla Golf Club successful Louisville, Kentucky, losing by 1 stroke. Given DeChambeau's magnitude disconnected the tee (he leads the LIV Golf League with a 333.3-yard average) and caller signifier (he tied for 5th astatine the Masters and won the astir caller LIV Golf lawsuit successful Korea), DeChambeau should beryllium backmost successful the premix astatine a major.
The two-time PGA Championship victor ended his astir three-year winless drought with a playoff triumph astatine the RBC Heritage connected April 20. He captured his archetypal Wanamaker Trophy with a two-stroke triumph astatine Quail Hollow successful 2017. Thomas won't beryllium penalized arsenic overmuch for his inaccuracy disconnected the tee (57.8%), and his putter has been blistery for overmuch of the season.
A two-time runner-up this season, Morikawa is connected the timepiece to extremity his winless streak (his past triumph connected circuit came astatine the Zozo Championship successful October 2023). The 2020 PGA Championship victor tied for 4th successful the lawsuit past year.
The budding superstar won a signature lawsuit astatine the Genesis Invitational and was seventh astatine the Masters, but helium besides had a brace of missed cuts and tied for 54th astatine the RBC Heritage and for 60th astatine the Truist Championship. His robust play and enactment connected greens person been suspect; he's 131st successful strokes gained: attack (-.214) and 149th successful putting (-.358).
The five-time large champion has hardly played similar "Big-Game Brooks" successful majors since collecting his 3rd Wanamaker Trophy successful the 2023 PGA Championship astatine Oak Hill Country Club successful Pittsford, New York. He hasn't finished successful the apical 15 successful his past 7 starts successful majors, including a missed chopped astatine the Masters.
Rose is coming disconnected heartbreaking runner-up finishes astatine past year's Open Championship and the Masters, wherever helium mislaid to McIlroy successful a playoff. The 44-year-old doesn't deed arsenic acold disconnected the tee arsenic helium erstwhile did, but that hasn't affected his play excessively overmuch -- helium has 5 consecutive top-15 finishes successful the PGA Championship. Rose withdrew from the Truist Championship with an unwellness earlier the 3rd round.
Rahm hasn't finished extracurricular the apical 10 successful 7 starts successful the LIV Golf League this season, and helium tied for 14th astatine the Masters. In past year's PGA Championship, helium was 4 implicit aft six holes and astir battled backmost to marque the cut. It was his archetypal missed chopped astatine a large since the 2019 PGA Championship.
The 2021 Masters champion was successful contention astatine the 2017 PGA Championship earlier helium carded 4 bogeys successful six holes connected the backmost nine. He collected his 11th PGA Tour triumph astatine The Sentry successful Hawaii successful the play opener.
Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, seems to person figured retired his plaything aft winning the Valspar Championship, tying for 21st astatine the Masters and 13th astatine the RBC Heritage. He tied for 3rd astatine the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, 2 strokes down McIlroy.
The ultra-talented Niemann is inactive searching for his archetypal top-10 decorativeness successful a large successful what volition beryllium his 24th commencement successful the large four. He has already won 3 times successful the LIV Golf League this season.
Hatton has performed good successful the PGA Championship with 5 apical 25s and 2 apical 10s successful 10 starts. He finished archetypal successful 2 events connected the DP World Tour since October -- the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Reed made a Sunday complaint to decorativeness 3rd astatine the Masters, and he's much than susceptible of getting successful the premix astatine Quail Hollow. In the 2017 PGA Championship, helium made 3 birdies connected the backmost 9 to get wrong 1 changeable of the lead, but a bogey connected the past spread near him successful a necktie for second, 2 strokes down Thomas. Reed had apical 10s successful 2 of his starts astatine the Wells Fargo Championship successful 2018 and 2021.
An 11-time victor astir the world, Fleetwood is inactive seeking his archetypal PGA Tour victory. He finished successful the apical 25 successful 9 of his past 13 starts successful majors.
Jordan Spieth
Spieth tin articulation McIlroy successful completing the vocation Grand Slam by winning a Claret Jug. Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open successful 2015 and The Open 2 years later. When Spieth congratulated McIlroy astatine past week's Truist Championship, McIlroy told him helium was next. Spieth's response, according to Golf.com's Jack Hirsh, "Yeah, astatine Rory McIlroy Country Club." Spieth went 5-0-0 astatine Quail Hollow successful the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Cantlay hasn't won connected circuit successful much than 2 years and is inactive searching for his archetypal large title victory. His driving and robust play -- he's ninth successful strokes gained: tee to greenish (1.111) -- person been bully capable to triumph this season.
The Irishman's biggest large title volition travel successful July erstwhile The Open returns to Royal Portrush successful Northern Ireland, wherever helium hoisted a Claret Jug successful 2019. He has played consistently good each season, including a necktie for 2nd astatine the Truist Championship.
Henley mightiness not deed the shot acold capable disconnected the tee, but his driving accuracy, spectacular robust play and coagulated putting helped him necktie for 10th successful the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Wyndham Clark
Clark's results successful majors haven't been large since helium unexpectedly won the 2023 U.S. Open astatine Los Angeles Country Club, and his signifier has been up and down each season. Still, helium bombs the shot disconnected the tee and won the Wells Fargo Championship 2 years ago.
Day won the 2015 PGA Championship astatine Whistling Straits successful Wisconsin and the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. He tied for 4th astatine Quail Hollow past year. Day withdrew from past week's Truist Championship for unspecified reasons.
Tier III: If everything goes right
Here are the sleeper candidates to triumph the PGA Championship. This tier includes a fewer erstwhile large champions, winners connected circuit this play and a fistful of players who person made comebacks this season.
Im missed the chopped successful 4 of his past 5 starts successful the PGA Championship, but finished successful the apical 10 successful the past 2 majors, tying for seventh astatine the 2024 Open Championship and 5th astatine the Masters. He had apical 10s successful his past 2 starts astatine Quail Hollow.
The U.S. Ryder Cup squad captain, who won the 2011 PGA Championship, had a bully commencement connected the West Coast and tied for 5th astatine the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier missing the chopped astatine Augusta National. He made the chopped successful 9 of his past 10 starts successful the PGA Championship.
The five-time PGA Tour victor has enjoyed much occurrence successful the U.S. Open, but Quail Hollow has suited his eye. He tied for 3rd astatine 12 nether successful the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship.
Straka's breakthrough successful a large came with a necktie for seventh astatine the 2023 PGA Championship. He tied for eighth astatine Quail Hollow past year. He's coming disconnected his 4th vocation PGA Tour triumph at the Truist Championship. Can helium triumph 2 weeks successful a row?
The caller co-chairman of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council has a grade successful absorption subject and engineering. He has a beauteous saccharine swing, too.
Detry tied for 4th astatine past year's PGA Championship, his champion decorativeness successful a major. It volition beryllium his archetypal nonrecreational lawsuit astatine Quail Hollow.
A PGA Tour rookie this season, Højgaard won 5 times connected the DP World Tour, including the Irish Open successful September. He and his identical duplicate brother, Nicolai, finished 2nd successful the Zurich Classic of New Orleans squad event. Rasmus is 2nd successful the European Ryder Cup squad standings, down lone McIlroy.
After a dilatory commencement to the season, Harman picked up his 4th PGA Tour triumph astatine the Valero Texas Open connected April 20. He tied for 13th successful the 2017 PGA Championship.
MacIntyre's necktie for eighth astatine past year's PGA Championship got him retired of the dumps from being homesick. It astir apt propelled him to 2 victories astatine the RBC Canadian Open and the Genesis Scottish Open, too.
The Canadian golfer finished successful the apical 10 successful 2 of the past 3 majors -- helium tied for ninth astatine the 2024 U.S. Open and eighth astatine the Masters. He finished successful the apical 15 successful his past 2 starts successful the Wells Fargo Championship.
The 30-year-old is playing the champion play of his nonrecreational vocation and picked up his archetypal PGA Tour triumph with Ben Griffin successful the Zurich Classic. It's lone his 2nd commencement successful a major.
Burns seemed to interruption the solid connected his struggles successful majors by tying for ninth successful the 2024 U.S. Open. He tied for 13th successful the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Another erstwhile large champion without overmuch of a past astatine Quail Hollow, Smith has played amended successful the LIV Golf League precocious with 3 consecutive top-10 finishes.
It's clip for Lee to vigor up astatine a large again. He missed the chopped astatine The Open successful 2024 and was 49th astatine the Masters.
Berger, who battled a backmost wounded for overmuch of the erstwhile 2 seasons, is acceptable to instrumentality to the PGA Championship for the archetypal clip since missing the chopped successful 2022.
Kim's singular comeback from golf's abyss continues; helium tied for 27th astatine Augusta National, his archetypal made chopped successful a large since tying for 35th astatine The Open successful 2018. Kim withdrew from the Truist during the 3rd circular due to the fact that of a backmost injury
Few golfers person struggled with their signifier oregon assurance arsenic overmuch arsenic Homa implicit the past year. Still, he's a two-time victor of the Wells Fargo Championship successful 2019 and 2022, and helium seemed to fig retired immoderate things erstwhile helium tied for 12th astatine the Masters.
The erstwhile US. Open champion precocious called his show this play "rubbish" and the "worst I've ever played, successful fact." His past results astatine Quail Hollow haven't been great, either.
Højgaard's caller signifier successful stroke-play events hasn't been large -- helium missed 4 consecutive cuts and tied for 56th astatine the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He's 33rd successful the European Ryder Cup squad standings and needs to crook things astir to get backmost connected the squad.
The South Korean golfer mightiness beryllium a sneaky prime for a top-10 decorativeness this season. He won the Genesis Championship connected the DP World Tour successful October and was solo 3rd successful the Wells Fargo Championship past year.
Johnson's five-year exemption into the PGA Championship for winning the 2020 Masters expired, truthful helium needed a peculiar invitation into the field. He's 28th successful the LIV Golf season-long points standings.
Big things were expected from Theegala this season, but helium didn't person a top-15 decorativeness successful his archetypal 13 starts connected tour. He's dealing with a treble whammy of misses; helium is 148th successful strokes gained: attack (-.358) and 132nd disconnected the tee (-.135). He withdrew from the Truist Championship successful the last circular due to the fact that of a cervix injury.
Woodland's singular comeback from encephalon country remains 1 of the champion stories successful the sport. He had a brace of apical 10s astatine Quail Hollow and is inactive swinging hard disconnected the tee (313.3 yards).
The power is going to click successful a large for Bhatia soon. He tied for 3rd astatine the Players Championship, different large event.
The South Korean golfer returns to Quail Hollow, wherever helium won implicit the galleries with his enthusiasm and daring play astatine the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Zalatoris is inactive searching for answers aft recovering from backmost surgery. He has fallen to 74th successful the satellite rankings.
Taylor ended a drawstring of 9 consecutive missed cuts successful majors by tying for 40th astatine the Masters. The Canadian golfer has won 3 times connected circuit successful arsenic galore years.
Kim has turned things astir aft missing 3 cuts successful 4 events. He tied for eighth astatine the RBC Heritage and 15th astatine the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Mitchell struggled past fall, ending the twelvemonth with 4 consecutive missed cuts. He has collected 5 consecutive apical 25s, including a necktie for 2nd successful the Corales Puntacana Championship, and had the outright pb astatine past week's Truist Championship successful Philadelphia. He has a brace of apical 10s astatine Quail Hollow connected his résumé, too.
Garcia past made the chopped successful the PGA Championship erstwhile helium tied for 54th successful 2015. He has 3 apical 10s successful the LIV Golf League this play and had top-25 finishes successful his past 3 starts astatine Quail Hollow.
Rai hits the shot exceptionally consecutive with a operator oregon irons. He doesn't deed it that acold disconnected the tee -- he's 174th successful driving region (286.6 yards) -- and missed the chopped successful his past 2 starts astatine Quail Hollow.
The 2013 Masters champion has 20 apical 10s successful 95 vocation starts successful majors -- but conscionable 1 successful the past 21. He missed the chopped successful 3 of his past 4 starts successful the PGA Championship.
Finau was erstwhile a accordant top-10 subordinate successful the majors, but helium has conscionable 1 (tie for 3rd astatine the 2024 U.S. Open) successful his past 15 starts.
If familiarity matters, Hughes mightiness beryllium a sleeper pick. Hughes lives down the roadworthy from Quail Hollow Club, wherever helium tied for ninth successful the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship and sixth past year.
After a mates of bully performances successful Florida (tie for 3rd astatine the Players and eighth astatine the Valspar Championship), Glover has struggled the past fewer weeks. He won the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship successful a playoff and was runner-up 2 years earlier.
Tier IV: Hey, miracles happen
They are the agelong shots. Everything would person to autumn perfectly successful spot implicit 72 holes successful 4 days astatine Quail Hollow Club for idiosyncratic from this tier to win. There person been much than a fewer underdogs who person hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy. Remember Y.E. Yang, Shaun Micheel and Rich Beem? It tin beryllium done.
J.T. Poston
Bud Cauley
J.J. Spaun
Phil Mickelson
Rickie Fowler
Sam Stevens
David Puig
Jake Knapp
Patrick Rodgers
Taylor Pendrith
Denny McCarthy
Tom Hoge
Eric Cole
Austin Eckroat
Garrick Higgo
Ryo Hisatsune
Nico Echavarria
Matt McCarty
Ryan Fox
Davis Thompson
Davis Riley
Cam Davis
Ben Griffin
Joe Highsmith
Jacob Bridgeman
Nick Dunlap
Kurt Kitayama
Adam Hadwin
Lee Hodges
Taylor Moore
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Cameron Young
Matt Wallace
Chris Kirk
Dean Burmester
Brian Campbell
Max Greyserman
Laurie Canter
Stephan Jager
Eugenio Chacarra
Thorbjørn Olesen
Karl Vilips
Matthieu Pavon
Thriston Lawrence
Erik van Rooyen
Fowler had slipped to 125th successful the satellite rankings and needed a peculiar invitation from the PGA of America to get successful the field. That seemed to animate him successful past week's Truist Championship -- helium was lone 2 strokes disconnected the pb aft 18 holes. One of his six PGA Tour victories came astatine the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship erstwhile helium defeated D.A. Points and McIlroy successful a playoff.
Mickelson turns 55 adjacent month, and his champion play is astir apt successful the rear-view mirror. He became golf's oldest large champion erstwhile helium stunned the athletics by capturing the 2021 PGA Championship astatine Kiawah Island, South Carolina. He had 10 apical 10s successful 17 starts astatine Quail Hollow, including a necktie for 5th successful 2018. Among golfers with astatine slightest 20 rounds there, "Lefty" ranks 3rd successful existent strokes gained (2.10), down lone McIlroy (2.87) and Day (2.12), according to datagolf.com.
Campbell, Highsmith, Vilips, Higgo and Griffin person already won PGA Tour events this season.
Tier V: Happy to marque the cut
This radical includes a fewer aging golfers who are trying to bent connected to their cards, and respective newcomers who are attempting to get much entree to the tour. They aren't expected to beryllium among the contenders unless thing genuinely magical happens, similar it did for Micheel much than 2 decades ago.
Alex Noren
Tom McKibbin
Richard Bland
Patton Kizzire
Harry Hall
John Catlin
Johnny Keefer
Séamus Power
Luke Donald
Ryan Gerard
Beau Hossler
Justin Lower
Kevin Yu
Jhonattan Vegas
Max McGreevy
Rafael Campos
Sami Välimäki
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Keita Nakajima
Niklas Norgaard
Patrick Fishburn
Daniel van Tonder
John Parry
Rico Hoey
Takumi Kanaya
Elvis Smylie
Victor Perez
Marco Penge
Noren, who tied for 12th successful past year's PGA Championship, didn't marque his archetypal commencement of 2025 until past week's Truist Championship. He was dealing with a cervix wounded and hamstring and glute tears.
At 52, Bland is the second-oldest golfer successful the LIV Golf League. He's inactive playing beauteous good -- helium was 17th successful points and finished successful the apical 12 successful the past 2 events.
McKibbin, 22, played astatine the aforesaid play nine arsenic McIlroy erstwhile did successful Northern Ireland. He ignored McIlroy's proposal erstwhile helium signed up with Rahm's Legion XIII GC squad. He's 1 of the longest hitters successful the LIV Golf League with a driving mean of 322.2 yards but has struggled mightily with his putter.
Tier VI: Past champions
These are past PGA Championship winners who aren't included successful the tiers above. Past champions person a beingness exemption into the major. The database included 1991 victor John Daly and 2002 victor Rich Been successful the past, arsenic good arsenic Tiger Woods, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon successful his near leg.
Martin Kaymer
Jimmy Walker
Jason Dufner
Padraig Harrington
Vijay Singh
Shaun Micheel
Daly is skipping the PGA Championship to vie successful the Regions Tradition successful Birmingham, Alabama, which is the archetypal large connected the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Daly withdrew from past year's PGA Championship aft carding an 11-over 82 successful the archetypal round.
Beem told the Associated Press that helium hasn't had capable clip to hole due to the fact that he's moving arsenic an expert for Sky Sports astatine large tournaments. Beem missed the chopped aft going 20 implicit successful the archetypal 36 holes and admitted helium "got my [butt] handed to maine past year."
Tier VII: PGA of America professionals
These are the top-20 finishers from the PGA Professional Championship, which took spot astatine PGA Golf Club successful Port St. Lucie, Florida, connected April 27-30.
Tyler Collet
Jesse Droemer
Brian Bergstol
Michael Block
Dylan Newman
Brandon Bingaman
Ryan Lenahan
Andre Chi
John Somers
Justin Hicks
Rupe Taylor
Tom Johnson
Nic Ishee
Eric Steger
Bob Sowards
Bobby Gates
Greg Koch
Timothy Wiseman
Larkin Gross
Michael Kartrude
This database includes Block, who stole the amusement astatine the 2023 PGA Championship by making a hole-in-one successful the last circular and tied for 15th astatine 1-over 281. It was the champion decorativeness for a nine nonrecreational astatine the PGA Championship since Lonnie Nielsen tied for 11th successful 1986.
Collet, from Vero Beach, Florida, ran distant from the tract with a 10-stroke triumph astatine the PGA Professional Championship, the largest borderline of triumph successful the event's history. He's playing successful his 4th PGA Championship. Collet played assemblage play astatine Eastern Kentucky.
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