Scottie Scheffler, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, and Bryson DeChambeau have all captured major titles. But can any of them add another victory this week?
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The PGA Championship, which features the largest field in major golf, has arrived. However, that doesn’t guarantee everyone will be lifting the Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday night in Pennsylvania.
Technically, every player has a shot at winning the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club this week. But realistically, those sitting at 200,000-to-1 odds might not be the safest bets (no offense intended).
Instead of listing every name in the field, we’re breaking down the contenders into subjective tiers. If a player not mentioned here ends up victorious, we’ll accept the consequences and never attempt this again.
**One of these guys is going to win, right?**
– Scottie Scheffler
– Rory McIlroy
It might come down to just two players. Scheffler and McIlroy have combined to win four of the last five majors. McIlroy claimed victory at the Masters last month, while Scheffler is the defending champion at the PGA Championship. Scheffler has finished as runner-up in his last three events, a streak that started at the Masters. McIlroy, with a major monkey off his back, is now playing with house money after adding a green jacket to his collection. Don’t overthink it — one of these two is likely to emerge victorious.
**But what about this guy?**
– Cameron Young
OK, maybe it’s a three-horse race. Check out his spring: a tie for third at Arnold Palmer’s event, a win at The Players, a tie for third at the Masters, a tie for 25th at the RBC Heritage, and a win at the Cadillac Championship. On Sunday, he shot a 74 — his worst round of the season — and ended up tied for 10th at the Truist Championship. We’ll consider that an anomaly and expect Young to contend this week.
**But what if it’s a ‘Big 4’?**
– Matthew Fitzpatrick
Back in 2015-2016, there was a debate about whether the PGA Tour’s top tier was a “Big 3” or “Big 4” featuring Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and others. Now, while Rory and Scottie are in their own tier, Fitzpatrick (along with Young) has climbed to the next rung. Fitzpatrick tied for 52nd at the Truist, but prior to that, he won three of his last four starts. One major title seems too few for him right now.
**2 LIV players you can’t ignore**
– Bryson DeChambeau
– Jon Rahm
After last week’s drama, these guys must be relieved to not be the spotlight. Both are exceptional golfers.
**2 ex-LIV players worth watching**
– Brooks Koepka
– Patrick Reed
Koepka has won this tournament three times, while Reed has five top-20 finishes at PGAs. We favor Koepka’s chances slightly more than Reed’s, but that’s exactly how Reed likes it.
**The guy we’re waiting for**
– Ludvig Aberg
He won the Genesis last year but hasn’t secured a victory since. However, his last six starts are impressive: T8, T4, T21, T5, T5, T3. He seems destined to rack up wins. But how much longer must we wait?
**A handful of great golfers who could win**
– Xander Schauffele
– Tommy Fleetwood
– Collin Morikawa
– Justin Thomas
– J.J. Spaun
You wouldn’t be shocked if one of these players won a major on Sunday. Four of them — sorry, Tommy! — already have major titles. However, the one without a major might be the player you feel most confident about right now.
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