CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The most powerful field of men’s professional golf heads to the Quazul Hollow Club, one of the longest golf courses on the PGA Tour, this week’s PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy, who finally achieved golf immortality as the sixth golfer to complete a career grand slam at the Master last month, could be a beat-hit golfer with the quazzle hollow he won four times. He tries to become the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1975 to win the Masters and PGA Championship that same year.
World No. 1 golfer Scotty Schaeffler, like Liv Golf League star Bryson Deccanbeau, is away from the first victory of the season.
PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele was late with a rib injury after claiming two majors in 2024. According to ESPN Research, he is the only golfer to finish in the top 10 in each of the last five majors, and will be the only player to win his first three majors in the last 60 years.
Let’s take a look at the 156 player field from favorites and guys who can beat the previous champions and 20 PGA of America Club experts.
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Clear Favorites | People who can win | If everything is right
Miracles happen |Happy to cut | Past champions | PGA experts
Tier I: Clear favourites
The best golfer in the world doesn’t seem to be chasing Scotty Schaeffler. The biggest target may be on McIlroy’s back after he won the elusive green jacket heading to one of his favourite golf courses in the world: the Masters and the Quail Hollow Club. In the past 70 years, only five golfers have won the first two majors: Ben Hogan (1953), Arnold Perman (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordans Piece (2015).
Rory McIlroy
The latest member of professional golf’s most exclusive clubs is back to his happy place. He is the only four-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship (now the Toruist Championship) at the Quazur Hollow Club. He won five strokes in 2024, once in 2021, seven in 2015, and four strokes in 2010. He set a course record in 2015 with a 10-under 61. McIlroy averaged 317.5 yards towards third place on the field last week.
Scotty Scheffler
Did you not think that the world’s No. 1 golfer would go to the entire season without a victory? After winning nine times worldwide in 2024, Schaeffler won his first victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 4, winning by a whopping 8 shots, marking a PGA Tour 72 holes scoring record with a 31 under 253. He went 0-3-1 with a 17½-12½½ victory for the US team.
Tier II: People who can win
Other legitimate candidates to win the Wanamaker trophy on Sunday are: They have the game, courage and nerves to handle four pressure pack rounds.
Xander Schauffele
The winner of the defending PGA Championship was runner-up in his last two starts at Quazul Hollow, losing to Wyndham Clark on a four-stroke in 2023, losing to McIlroy in five last season. Schaufele was slowly returning to shape as he was on the sidelines due to a rib injury. His recent results have been encouraging – he placed 12th in the Valspar Championship, 8th in the Masters, 18th in the RBC legacy and 11th in the Truist Championship. The winner of the two major championship is one of the best players on the tour, attacking it well from the tee and holding a long iron in his hand.
Bryson Deccanbeau
Deccanbeau has a pretty good track record at the Wells Fargo Championship, taking fourth in solo in 2018 and ninth in 2021. He chased Shaufele at the PGA Championship last year in Louisville, Kentucky, losing by one stroke. Given Dechambeau’s length from Tee (he leads the Liv Golf League with an average of 333.3 yards) and his recent form (he tied to fifth in the Masters and won the latest Liv Golf event in Korea), Dechambeau should be back in the mix in the majors.
Justin Thomas
The two-time PGA Championship winners ended a nearly three-year winning drought with a playoff victory at RBC Heritage on April 20th. He won his first Wanamaker Trophy in 2017 with a two-stroke victory at Cool Hollow.
Collin Morikawa
Morikawa, the runner-up for the season, will appear on the clock to end his winning and losing streak (his final victory on the tour took place at the Zozo Championship in October 2023). The winner of the 2020 PGA Championship came in fourth in last year’s event.
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The upcoming superstar won a signature event at Genesis Invitational and was seventh in the Masters, but he also placed 54th in the RBC Heritage and 60th in the Truist Championship. His iron play and work on the green is questionable. He came in 131st in strokes: 149th in approach (-.214), putting (-.358).
Brooks Koepka
The five-time major champion has not played like “Big Game Brooks” in the majors since garnering the third Wannamaker trophy at the 2023 PGA Championship at the Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. He hasn’t finished in the top 15 in his last seven starts, including missing a cut at the Masters.
Justin Rose
Rose is off the heartbreaking runner-up finish at last year’s Open Championship and Masters, where he lost to McIlroy in the playoffs. The 44-year-old wasn’t as far from the tee as before, but that hasn’t really affected his play. Rose withdrew from the Toruist Championship with illness before the third round.
John Larm
Rahm has finished 14th in the Masters as he has not finished outside the top 10 in seven starts in the Liv Golf League this season. At last year’s PGA Championship, he was over 4 years old after six holes and mostly fought to make a cut. He was the first cut he missed in the majors since the 2019 PGA Championship.
Hideki Matsuyama
The 2021 Masters Champion had four bogeys carded on six holes in the back nine after competing in the 2017 PGA Championship. He collected his 11th PGA Tour victory at the Hawaii Sentry in the season opener.
Viktor Hovland
Hofland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, appears to have grasped his swing after winning the Valsper Championship, finishing 21st in the Masters and 13th in the RBC Heritage. He finished third in the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, with two strokes behind McIlroy.
Joaquín Niemann
The super talented Neeman is still looking for his first top-10 finish in the majors in his 24th start in the Big Four. He has already won the LIV Golf League three times this season.
Tyrrell Hutton
Hatton performed well in five top 25 and two top 10 in the PGA Championship in 10 starts. He first finished with two events on his DP World Tour since October. This is the Alfred Dunhill Link Championship and Hea Road by Desert Classic.
Patrick Reed
Reed charged Sunday to finish third in the Masters, and he’s more than he can get into the mix with Quail Hollow. At the 2017 PGA Championship, he made three birdies on the back nine to reach within one shot of the lead, but the final hole bogey took the second two strokes behind Thomas. Reed won the top 10 in two starts at the 2018 and 2021 Wells Fargo Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood
A 11 winners worldwide, Fleetwood is still hoping for his first PGA Tour victory. He got his majors in the top 25 in nine of his last 13 starts.
Jordan Spieth
Spieth can join McIlroy and complete a career grand slam by earning a jug of Claret. Spieth won Masters and Us Open in 2015 and opened two years later. When Spieth congratulated McIlroy at last week’s Truist Championship, McIlroy said he was next. According to Jack Hirsh of Golf.com, Spieth’s response was, “Yeah, at the Rory McIlroy Country Club.” Spieth went 5-0-0 at the 2022 Presidential Cup at Quazur Hollow.
Patrick Cantray
Cantrey hasn’t won the tour in over two years and is still looking for his first major championship victory. His driving and iron play – He is 9th in the stroke: Tee-to-Green (1.111) – enough to win this season.
Shane Laurie
The Irishman’s biggest major championship comes in July when he rolled up a jug of claret in 2019, when the opening returned to the Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Russell Henry
Henry may not hit the ball well off the tee, but his driving accuracy, epic iron play and solid putting helped him to rank 10th in the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Wyndham Clark
Clark’s results have not been significant since he unexpectedly won the 2023 US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. Still, he bombed the ball off the tee and won the Wells Fargo Championship two years ago.
Jason’s Day
Day won the 2015 PGA Championship at Wisconsin and the Whistle Straits of the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. He was tied to fourth place in Cool Hollow last year. Day has withdrawn from last week’s Truist Championship for unspecified reasons.
Tier III: If everything is right
This is your sleeper candidate to win the PGA Championship. This group includes former major champions, winners on the tour this season, and a few players who made a comeback this season.
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I missed a cut in four of my last five starts at the PGA Championship, but finished in the top 10 in the last two majors, finishing seventh in the 2024 Open Championship and fifth in the Masters. He has started the top 10 with Quail Hollow in his last two starts.
Keegan Bradley
The captain of the US Ryder Cup team, who won the 2011 PGA Championship, has a great start on the West Coast, tied him to fifth place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational before missing a cut at Augusta National. He cut nine of his last 10 starts at the PGA Championship.
Harris English
The five PGA Tour winners have more success at the US Open, but the quail hollow is in his eyes. He finished third at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship at age 12.
Cep Straca
Straca’s major breakthrough won his seventh tie at the 2023 PGA Championship. He finished in 8th place in Quazur Hollow last year. He is away from his fourth career PGA Tour victory at the Truist Championship. Can he win for two weeks in a row?
Maverick McNerry
The new co-chair of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council holds a degree in Management Science and Engineering. He also has a pretty sweet swing.
Thomas Detley
Detry came in fourth in last year’s PGA Championship. It will be his first professional event at Quazur Hollow.
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This season’s PGA Tour rookie, Højgaard, has won five DP World Tours, including the Irish Open in September. He and his same twin brother, Nikolai, came in second in the Zurich Classic at the New Orleans Team Event. Rasmus is second in the European Ryder Cup team standings, following only McIlroy.
Brian Herman
After the start of the season, Herman won his fourth PGA Tour at the Valero Texas Open on April 20th. He finished 13th in the 2017 PGA Championship.
Robert McInteal
McIntyre’s tie, the eighth time at last year’s PGA Championship, has come out of the dump due to his homesickness. It probably drove him to two victories at the RBC Canada Open and the Genesis Scotland Open.
Corey Conners
The Canadian golfers have finished in the top 10 in two of their last three majors. He finished 9th at the 2024 US Open and 8th at the Masters. He finished in the top 15 in his last two starts at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Andrew Novak
The 30-year-old has played the best golf of his professional career, earning his first PGA Tour victory with Ben Griffin in the Zurich Classic. It was just his second start in the majors.
Sam Burns
Burns appeared to have smashed the glass in his major struggle by tying ninth at the 2024 US Open. He finished 13th in the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Cameron Smith
Another former major champion with no history at Quazul Hollow, Smith recently played better with three straight top 10 finishes in the Liv Golf League.
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It’s time for Lee to get excited once again as a major. He missed a cut at the Open in 2024 and finished 49th in the Masters.
Daniel Burger
Berger, who has fought a back injury for the majority of the last two seasons, is set to return to the PGA Championship for the first time since missing a cut in 2022.
Michael Kim
Kim’s amazing comeback from the golf Abyss continues. He was 27th in Augusta National, which was cut in his first major since he tied for 35th place at the Open in 2018.
Max Homa
In the past year, few golfers have struggled more with their shape and self-confidence than Homa. Still, he was a two-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship in 2019 and 2022, and seemed to understand some things when he came 12th at the Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick
We before us. The Open Champion recently called his performance this season “Rubbish” and “the worst I’ve ever played.” His past results in Cool Hollow weren’t great either.
Nikolai Hodzigard
Højgaard’s recent form at the stroke play event hasn’t been great. He missed four straight cuts and finished 56th in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He is 33rd in the European Ryder Cup team standings and needs to turn things around to get back to the team.
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Korean golfers may be the sleazy pick in the top 10 finish this season. He won the Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour in October and was third in the Solo at last year’s Wells Fargo Championship.
Dustin Johnson
He needed a special invitation to the field as Johnson had to get the 2020 Masters expiry date and needed a five-year exemption to the PGA Championship. He is 28th in the LIV golf season.
Sahith theegala
While big was expected from Tegala this season, he didn’t have a top-15 finish in his first 13 starts on the tour. He deals with Miss double wamy. He is 148th in strokes obtained with strokes: approach (-.358), 132nd from tee (-.135). He withdraws from the Truist Championship in the final round due to a neck injury.
Gary Woodland
A surprising comeback from Woodland’s brain surgery is one of the best stories in the sport. He has a top 10 pair on Quazur Hollow and is still shaking violently from the tee (313.3 yards).
Akshay Bhatia
The switch immediately clicks on the Batia measure. He finished third in another big event, the Player Championship.
Tom Kim
The Korean golfer returned to Quazul Hollow and won the gallery for his enthusiasm and bold play at the 2022 Presidential Cup.
It will be Zalatoris
Zalatoris is still looking for answers after recovering from back surgery. He ranked 74th in the world rankings.
Nick Taylor
Taylor finished nine straight miss cuts in the majors, finishing in 40th place at the Masters. The Canadian golfer has won three tours over the years.
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Kim turned things around after missing three cuts in four events. He was 8th in the RBC legacy and 15th in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Keith Mitchell
Mitchell struggled last fall and ended the year with four straight miss cuts. He garnered five straight tops 25, including a second-place tie at the Corales Punta Cana Championship, earning a complete lead in the Toruist Championship in Philadelphia last week. He has a top 10 pairs on Quazur Hollow on his resume.
Sergio Garcia
Garcia made his last cut in the PGA Championship when he came in 54th in 2015. He has three top-10 in the LIV Golf League this season, earning a top-25 finish in his last three starts.
Aaron Rye
The ly hits the ball very straight with a driver or iron. He doesn’t hit it far from the tee – he’s 174th in mileage (286.6 yards) – and missed the cut in the last two starts at Quail Hollow.
Adam Scott
The 2013 Masters Champion has won the top 10 of 20 with 95 career starts in the majors, but only one in the last 21 years. He missed a cut in three of his past four starts in the PGA Championship.
Tony’s discussion
Finau was once a consistent top 10 player in the majors, but he has one in his last 15 starts (third tie in the 2024 US Open).
Mackenzie Hughes
If friendliness is important, fuses may be your sleeper choice. Hughes is heading down the road from the Quazur Hollow Club, finishing sixth and ninth in the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship and last year.
Lucas Glover
After some great performances in Florida (3rd place in the player and 8th place in the Valspar Championship), Glover has struggled for the past few weeks. He won the playoffs at the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship and was runner-up two years ago.
Tia IV: Hey, miracles happen
They’re a long shot. For someone in this class to win, everything needs to fall completely properly with 72 holes in four days at the Cool Hollow Club. There are more than a few underdogs who have rolled up the Shannamaker trophy. Remember Ye Yang, Shaun Micheel and Rich Beem? You can do that.
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Budkorey
JJ Spaun
Phil Mickelson
Ricky Fowler
Sam Stevens
David Puig
Jake Nap
Patrick Rogers
Taylor Pendris
Denny McCarthy
Tom HGE
Eric Call
Austin Eckroat
Garrick Higggo
Ryo Hisatsune
Nico Echavalia
Matt McCarty
Ryan Fox
Davis Thompson
Davis Riley
Cam Davis
Ben Griffin
Joe Highsmith
Jacob Bridgeman
Nick Dunlap
Kurt Kitayama
Man Hadwin
Lee Hodges
Taylor Moore
Christiaan bezuidenhout
Cameron Young
Matt Wallace
Chris Kirk
Dean Barmester
Brian Campbell
Max Griezerman
Laurie Canter
Stephen Jager
Eugenio Chacarra
Thorbjørn Olesen
Carl Bilips
Matieu Pabon
Sliston Lawrence
Eric Van Louen
Fowler slid to 125th in the world rankings and needed a special invitation from the American PGA to enter the field. It seemed to inspire him at last week’s Truist Championship – he only had two strokes from the lead after 18 holes. One of his six PGA Tour victories took place at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, where he defeated DA Points and McIlroy in the playoffs.
Mickelson will turn 55 next month and his best golf will likely be in the rearview mirror. He became the oldest major champion in golf when he surprised the sport by winning the 2021 PGA Championship on Kiawa Island, South Carolina. Ranking third in True Strokes, which was won only on McIlroy (2.87) and Day (2.12), included 17 starts at Quazul Hollow in 2018, including a fifth-place tie.
Campbell, Highsmith, Bilips, Higggo and Griffin have already won the PGA Tour event this season.
Tier V: I’m happy with the cut
The group includes several aged golfers trying to stick to the cards and several newcomers looking to access more of the tour. As they did for Misser over 20 years ago, unless something really magical happens, they are not expected to become one of the candidates.
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Tom McKibin
Richard Brand
Patton Kizaia
Harry Hall
John Catlin
Johnny Keefer
Sams Power
Luke Donald
Ryan Gerald
Bohosler
Justin Lower
Kevin Yu
Jonattan Vegas
Max McGreevy
Raphael Campos
Sami Varimaki
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Keita Nakajima
Niklas Norgard
Patrick Fishburn
Daniel Van Tonder
John Parry
Rico Whey
Takumi Kanaya
Elvis Smiley
Victor Perez
Marco’s money
Noren, who finished 12th in last year’s PGA Championship, did not make his first start in 2025 until last week’s Truist Championship. He was dealing with neck injuries and hamstrings and lute tears.
The 52-year-old Brand is the second oldest golfer in the LIV Golf League. He’s still playing pretty well – he’s in points in 17th place and finished in the top 12 in the last two events.
McKibin, 22, played for the same golf club McKilli once went to in Northern Ireland. He ignored McIlroy’s advice when he signed up for Rahm’s Legion XIII GC team. He is one of the longest hitters in the LIV Golf League, driving averages 322.2 yards, but he struggles hard with his putters.
We are Silence: Past Champions
These are past PGA Championship winners not included in the above stages. Past champions will receive a lifetime exemption to majors. This list previously included 1991 winner John Daley and 2002 winner Rich. It also included Tiger Woods, who is recovering from his ruptured Achilles tendon in his left leg.
Martin Kamer
Jimmy Walker
Jason Dufner
Padraig Harrington
Vijay Singh
Shawn Missil
Daly is skipping the PGA Championship to compete in regional traditions in Birmingham, Alabama, the first major on the PGA Tour Championships Circuit. Daly withdraws from last year’s PGA Championship after winning 11 over 82 in the first round.
Beem told The Associated Press that she didn’t have enough time to prepare because she works as an analyst for Sky Sports at Big Tournaments. Beem missed the cut after going over 20 on the first 36 holes and admitted that he “gets my (butt) for me last year.”
Tier VII: PGA of America Professionals
These are the top 20 finishers of the PGA Professional Championship, held April 27-30 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Tyler Collet
Jesse Dromer
Brian Bergstall
Michael Brock
Dylan Newman
Brandon Bingaman
Ryan Lenhan
It’s Andre
John Summers
Justin Hicks
I’ll break Taylor
Tom Johnson
Nick girlfriend
Eric Steger
Bob Sousse
Bobby Gates
Greg Koch
Timothy Wiseman
Larking Ross
Michael Cartrude
This list includes Block, who stole the show at the 2023 PGA Championship by making a hole-in-one in the final round, and went 15th in the 15th place. This was the best finish for club experts in the PGA Championship since he came to 11th place in 1986.
A native of Vero Beach, Florida, Colette fled the field with a 10-stroke victory at the PGA Professional Championship, the biggest winning margin in the history of the event. He is playing in his fourth PGA Championship. Colette played college golf in Eastern Kentucky.