PGA Championship predictions, storylines and tee times — how low will the stars go? | Golf Insider
The second major of the season is here.
The PGA Championship begins Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, with all eyes on the biggest names in golf.
While this major tournament doesn’t get as much love as the other three, it is still a chance to build a golfer’s resume. Most years it becomes a shootout with players gunning for birdies down the stretch. The final round doesn’t lack drama.
Here is a preview of the 110th PGA Championship.
Storylines to follow
- Scheffler eyes repeat: Scottie Scheffler’s last two PGA Championships have been quite eventful. He won last year by six shots at Quail Hollow, and the year before he was arrested at Valhalla before his third round. He comes into this week after finishing second in his last three tournaments, including The Masters. It’s hard to not see him contending this week.
- McIlroy’s confidence: Rory McIlroy has seemed like a different player since winning his second straight Masters. He’s played only once since that win, but said he is more motivated than ever. The two-time PGA champion has the game off the tee to dominate this week. He gets up for majors even more than before.
- Cameron Young’s emergence: Young has become the third-best player in the world after Scheffler and McIlroy. He has the power to dominate the course like McIlroy and will be a trendy pick to win his first major.
- Another wide-open field: Like The Masters, this championship seems pretty wide open. The PGA Championship has had some unexpected winners like Rich Beem or Jimmy Walker, and with the possibility of low scores, it could happen again.
- How low will the scores go? Aronimink Golf Club hasn’t hosted a PGA event since the BMW Championship in 2018, when Keegan Bradley won at 20-under par. There has been plenty of talk about how the modern player has outgrown this course and it could turn into a birdie fest.
Notable tee times
- 12:05 p.m.: Scheffler, Matt FItzpatrick, Justin Rose: The defending champ and two of the hottest players in the world. Fitzpatrick will be a trendy pick and Rose still playing at a high level at 45 is amazing. Fitzpatrick and Rose could use a second major on their list of accolades. Both can handle playing with the No. 1 player in the world.
2. 6:40 a.m. (10th tee): McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm: It’s talked about very little, but Spieth needs a PGA Championship title to complete his career grand slam. Rahm is a curious case as he has played great on LIV but has done nothing in the majors since he made the jump. McIlroy’s driver will be his biggest weapon on this course.
3. 6:29 a.m. (10th tee): Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tyrell Hatton: Schauffele and Koepka have both won this tournament. Schauffele has not been in the same form since his two-major season a couple of years ago and Koepka is always a threat in majors. The biggest question is when Hatton will get mad at the course.
4. 11:54 a.m: Young, Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley: Two PGA champs (Thomas/Bradley) paired with Young, who is quickly becoming the best player without a major. Could this be Young’s week? Thomas always performs well at the PGA Championship.
5. 6:18 a.m. (10th tee): Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Rickie Fowler: Does DeChambeau actually want to be a pro golfer? Can Aberg show up in a major that’s not The Masters? Is Fowler back? An entertaining group full of questions.
Clark off early Thursday
Unfortunately, Denver native Wyndham Clark’s 2025 PGA Championship was not known for his play.
Clark, who finished in a tie for 50th at Quail Hollow, was caught breaking his driver on the 16th hole by flinging it at a sign. Just a month later, he destroyed a locker at Oakmont during the U.S. Open.
This year, Clark is off the 10 tee early at 5:45 a.m. Thursday with Open Championship winners Cameron Smith and Brian Harman.
The Valor Christian graduate has not had much success at the PGA Championship. He has missed the cut three times and his tie for 50th last season was his best finish of his career. He has finished in the top 20 of his last three starts.
What they’re saying
“Confidence is a tricky thing. I didn’t have a whole lot last week (and) was a little bit in my head on what I was capable of doing. I actually did a few things pretty decent last week, surprisingly. Hopefully I can kind of drag a little bit of that into this week.”
— Xander Schauffele, winner of the 2024 PGA Championship, said going into this week
And the winner is …
Besides McIlroy, Scheffler and Young, there has been one player who has stood out this season. That player is Fitzpatrick. He has won three times this season to go with eight top 25s. He has the speed and power to put up birdies at a course that will be there for the taking. Fitzpatrick has shown chops at majors by winning the U.S. Open at Brookline in 2022, where he held off an up-and-coming Scheffler. He adds a PGA Championship title to his record as he outduels Scheffler and McIlroy down the stretch.
Skins game
Odds to win PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler +400
Rory McIlroy +950
Cameron Young +1200
Jon Rahm +1500
Xander Schauffele +1800
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Bryson DeChambeau +2200
Wyndham Clark +17500
This week in golf
PGA of America
PGA Championship
Site: Newtown Square, Penn.
Course: Aronimink GC. Yardage: 7,394. Par: 70.
Prize money: TBA ($19 million in 2025). Winner’s share: TBA ($3,420,000 in 2025).
Television: Thursday-Friday, 5-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday-Sunday, 6-8 a.m. (ESPN+), 8-11 a.m. (ESPN), 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (CBS and Paramount+).
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
LPGA Tour
Kroger Queen City Champions
Site: Cincinnati.
Course: Maketewah CC. Yardage: 6,416. Par: 70.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Charley Hull.
Korn Ferry Tour
Colonial Life Charity Classic
Site: Elgin, S.C.
Course: The Woodcreek Club. Yardage: 7,032. Par: 70.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: None.
Defending champion: New tournament.
World Golf Rankings
1. Scottie Scheffler 16.46
- Rory McIlroy 9.74
- Cameron Young 7.14
- Matt Fitzpatrick 6.18
- Collin Morikawa 5.09
- Tommy Fleetwood 5.09
- Justin Rose 5.03
- J.J. Spaun 4.92
- Russell Henley 4.86
- Chris Gotterup 4.64
- Xander Schauffele 4.60
- Robert MacIntyre 4.36
- Sepp Straka 4.13
- Ben Griffin 4.07
- Ludvig Aberg 3.96
- Justin Thomas 3.73
- Hideki Matsuyama 3.67
- Alex Noren 3.58
- Jacob Bridgeman 3.57
- Jon Rahm 3.55
- Harris English 3.49
- Si Woo Kim 3.47
- Akshay Bhatia 3.37
- Patrick Reed 3.36
- Kristoffer Reitan 3.35