PGA Championship preview: Rahm and Scheffler lead the way as Spieth targets history
Jon Rahm (28) and Scottie Scheffler (26) are undoubtedly the men to beat. Rahm sits at the summit of the world rankings and FedExCup standings, with Scheffler perched just behind him in both.
The pair have been in scintillating form this season, with the Spaniard winning four times, including at the Masters just a few weeks ago. His victory at Augusta meant he was the first European to ever clinch the Masters and U.S. Open, and he will be looking to add the PGA Championship to his collection later this week.
Max Homa was full of praise for Rahm back in February, stating that he looks to be the complete package.
"He’s a tremendous golfer, he has zero weaknesses. He’s been this dude for a long time. I think he’s got the highest win percentage in the last X amount of years, he’s got the highest top-10s by a mile," he said.
"The guy’s incredible. I think Rory (McIlroy), Jon and Scottie are kind of in a league of their own at times and it’s our job to go catch them.”
Scheffler, the 2022 PGA Tour Player of the Year, has continued where he left off last season, with triumphs at THE PLAYERS Championship and Phoenix Open. The American is also coming off a fifth-placed finish at the Byron Nelson last week.
Scheffler has never played at Oak Hill though and will have to blaze through uncharted territory if he wants to grab a second major title after winning at the Masters just over a year ago.
World No.3 Rory McIlroy (34) has not been as consistent or dominant as many anticipated he would be in 2023. The 2022 FedExCup champion has just one win on tour, which came at the CJ Cup, as well as three top-three finishes. However, his recent form has left a lot to be desired, with two missed cuts in his last three stroke play events, including at the Masters.
He then skipped a designated event following his disappointment at Augusta in order to regroup mentally, which did lead to some criticism among his fellow pros.
"It has been a taxing 12 months mentally," he said. "More for my mental and emotional well-being I needed to be at home for those few weeks.
"I'm in a better head space."
Should he pull off a victory at Oak Hill though, he will become just the sixth man to win the PGA three or more times.
Jason Day (35) may be a man to keep an eye on. The 2015 champion won his first tournament in five years at the Byron Nelson last week and could be feeling reinvigorated with a huge weight off his shoulders.
Xander Schauffele (29) continues the hunt for his first major title, as well as a first win of 2023. He is coming off the back of five consecutive top-10 finishes and will be desperate to remove the tag of being one of the best players to have not won one of golf's big four tournaments. His recent outing was a second-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship.
There will be no Tiger Woods (47) though, who is missing after suffering an ankle injury at the Masters. He is likely to be out for the rest of the season following surgery. It is unclear when - or even if - we will see Woods on the Tour again.
THE DEFENDING CHAMPION
Defending champion Justin Thomas (30) hasn't had the best season. The world No.13 has two top-10 finishes in 2023 and failed to make the cut at the Masters. He beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win his second PGA Championship last year but hasn't found a win since then. His best result of the year was three months ago at the Phoenix Open - a fourth-place finish.
"I'm making some moves in the right direction," Thomas said. "Seems like basically every round I'm playing I shoot the highest score I possibly can. I'm just trying to stay the course and stay patient
Despite his lack of form, his only major titles come at this tournament, so he is likely to bring his A-game this week. A victory for Thomas would put him alongside Brooks Koepka and Woods as the only men to ever successfully defend this title.
SPIETH TARGETS HISTORY
Only five players have ever won all four majors in a year - Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Jordan Spieth (29) is a PGA Championship away from joining golfing immortality.
Spieth's last major title came at The Open in 2017, and he simply hasn't found the consistency since then that made him a three-time major winner and took him to No.1 in the world. His game tends to go through very high peaks but equally low troughs, but that is what makes him one of the most popular and entertaining players in the world.
Regardless of his inconsistencies, he has had five top-10s this season, while also losing out to Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the RBC Heritage back in April.
Spieth was a doubt for the PGA after withdrawing from the Byron Nelson with an injury, but he looks set to be fit and raring to go as he targets a place in the history books.
LIV GOLF
There will be 18 LIV golfers at the PGA Championship, the same number as there were at the Masters. Despite the controversy and criticism that constantly surrounds the players, they put in a pretty impressive showing at the last major, with Brooks Koepka (33) and Phil Mickelson (52) finishing joint-second. Both those players have also won twice at the PGA.
Koepka is a major specialist, with two U.S. Open wins alongside his PGA crowns. Despite the lack of form going into the Masters, Koepka held a two-shot lead starting on the final day, before totally falling away and letting Rahm cruise to the title. It would be foolish to write him off this week, especially with his previous success here.
"Just trying to make sure I tune everything up," Koepka said. "I live for the majors and that's where I'm trying to perform."
The Open champion Cameron Smith (29) and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson (38) are two of LIV's biggest stars, but all 18 golfers will want to continue to prove that they don't have to play on the PGA Tour in order to make an impact on the global stage.
INTERNATIONAL DOMINANCE
Should a non-American golfer win at the PGA, it'll be the first time since 2013 that all four major titles will be held by international players.
Rahm is the current holder of the Masters, Smith was victorious at The Open while Fitzpatrick is the U.S. Open champion. In 2013, South Africa's Ernie Els, Northern Ireland's McIlroy, Aussie Adam Scott and England's Justin Rose were all champions.
The last seven champions at the PGA have been American too, and they will undoubtedly want to extend that streak this week.
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