BUFFALO, New York – So my friend sent me a text and said he was in a pool for the PGA Championship. He wanted me to give him the top contenders and help him win his pool. He heard that I was close to winning the Masters Pool (pick 4 players and total money won wins) and had it not been for Patrick Reed holing out on No. 17 Sunday at Augusta, I would have won. Instead, I settled for a tie for second. My $50 entry turned into $212, so not bad.
Now comes the second Major of 2025 – PGA Championship – where everyone and their mother has Rory and Scottie in their top 4, just as they did at Augusta. But who else deserves consideration? Let’s dig in.
There are three things to look at in picking your top 4 contenders. Who’s hot, who has what it takes to win a major and who plays well at the host course. In this case it’s Quail Hollow in Charlotte, home of the PGA Wells Fargo Championship.
So who’s hot? Rory is not just hot, he’s on fire. He won The Players in a playoff over J.J. Spaun. He then won The Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose. Talk about an emotional win! Rory’s win at Augusta gave him the career grand slam and he was so overwhelmed that he cried buckets from the 18th green all the way to the scorers cabin. He then broke down again at the green jacket presentation in Butler Cabin. Good for him, good for golf. Somebody get that man a Kleenex.
Scottie Sheffler started the season slowly due to injury, but played well in the Masters finishing 4th. Two weeks ago he returned to the winners circle crushing the field with a 31-under Birdiefest at the Byron Nelson. He’s definitely back!
Then there’s Justin Thomas. JT was second at The Valspar, won in a playoff at Harbor Town and was a very good second this past weekend at The Truist in Philly. The winner there was Sepp Straka, slowly but surely creeping up the World Golf Rankings all the way to number 9. Just behind him at number 10 is Shane Lowry (T-2 at Truist).
Not yet mentioned, but certainly not forgotten is Bryson DeChambeau. He had the lead on Sunday at Augusta for a cup of coffee, but faded. Back on the LIV Tour he went, only to get an impressive victory at the Golf Korea event 2 weeks later. That was his first victory since winning the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
Nearly all of the players mentioned so far have either won majors or are certainly in the major conversation. I would add one more to that list and that’s Colin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Champion.
Horses for courses. Who plays well at Quail Hollow? Well, considering he’s won there three times, the overwhelming
answer is Rory. This week the course may be different than the Wells Fargo set up. Look for narrower fairways, longer rough and tougher pin positions as the PGA of America tries to flex its muscles much like the USGA does in the US Open. Rory and Scottie are bombers. So is DeChambeaux. Quail Hollow will play a long 7626 yard par 71. Distance will be a factor. JT can keep up. So can Lowry. But who can keep it out of the rough and save pars from becoming bogey or worse. It’s a fascinating story line.
There have been some very unlikely winners of the PGA Championship, more so than any other major. Jeff Sluman, cha cha dancing Rich Beem, and Oak Hills’ last shot wonder Shaun Micheel come to wind. Then there was the 25 year old mullet bearing John Daly, who was the last man into the field in ‘91 after a drop out. His win wasn’t a surprise, it was a shocker. But consider this, Rory has two PGAs, so does JT. Brooks Koepka tops the field with 3 and although he hasn’t been great lately, he could find a way to be in the hunt. Morikawa is a past champion. And Scottie? Well he’s not number one on the world for nothing. A surprise player may jump into the final four, but it’s very unlikely he makes it to the top of the class in this field.
Zurak’s top four: Rory, Scottie, JT and Lowry. Then: Morikawa, Straka, DeChambeau, Speith (Going for career Grand Slam)
Good luck!
https://www.pgachampionship.com/
