LOUISVILLE, KY. Winning on the PGA Tour is no small accomplishment given the depth of players involved.
However, when a major championship comes up on the schedule the number of true contenders shrinks considerably.
Why?
The stakes are that much higher. Winning a major championship forever changes one’s placement among his fellow peers.
This year’s PGA Championship returns to Valhalla for the fourth time and the alignment of star power looks to be in place for a stellar event.
In the three previous PGA Championships played at Valhalla, the theatre of high golf drama produced was noteworthy.
So much of the drama tied to any major championship is whether the key elite players are in the mix for taking home the grand prize. Rivalries are at the core of any sport and golf through the years, has had its share of moments when the main rivals battled it out for supremacy.
Five key players come to Valhalla with much at stake. Each with positives in stating their respective cases and each with clear challenges to overcome.
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Scottie Scheffler
The world-ranked number one player celebrated May 8 with the birth of his first child – a boy. For Scheffler, the weight of that special moment was noticeable as we had been on notice that the birth could happen at any time over the last several weeks.
Scheffler had indicated that if news arrived when competing in a tournament that the birth was imminent, he would withdraw and head home.
Fortunately, that moment has passed and the golfer who has won in four of his last five starts looks to continue his hot hand in seeking possession of the famed Wannamaker Trophy.
The Texan by way of a New Jersey birth, is looking to improve upon his runner-up finish last year at Oak Hill.
Remarkably, in his last five starts, Scheffler has picked up a mind-boggling average of 15 strokes against the field. That level of success is on par with what Tiger Woods routinely did during his peak years of success.
Scheffler leads the tour in greens hit in the regulation stroke with an approximate average of 75%. Even when he misses greens, he is not missing them by much. Scottie leads the tour in scoring with a 68.74 average and on the birdie average per round with a 5.38 average.
A concern from years past was a balky putter but Scheffler has recently demonstrated a remarkable ability to make putts when called upon.
The main question is how will Scheffler fare after being away from the competition for three weeks? His life has now changed with the birth of his first child. Will he simply pick up where he left off after winning the RBC event in South Carolina?
If Scheffler gets off to a good start at Valhalla the momentum may carry throughout the championship. That’s something his chief rivals are fully aware of and need to match.
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Rory McIlroy
What looked like a disappointing season following a lacklustre T22 finish at Augusta, has now turned around quickly.
McIlroy won the two-man team Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Shane Lowry and then secured his fourth win at the Wells Fargo event in Charlotte last week with a brilliant display of golf in the final round and a 26th triumph on the PGA Tour.
In his last nine majors played, McIlroy has been in the top ten a remarkable seven times. However, one anchor still hangs heavy around his neck – no major wins since 2014.
The good news is that his last major success came at Valhalla ten years ago. Winning twice at the same venue in the PGA Championship can certainly be done – Tiger Woods proved that at Medinah in 1999 and 2005.
When McIlroy is playing on all cylinders, the positive bounce in his step becomes noticeable and the capacity to totally dismantle any course is certainly front and centre.
The memories of success at Valhalla could be the spring board the 35-year-old needs to rekindle his career and produce even more major wins. But, the talk in securing his 5th major this week now takes on an even greater urgency.
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Brooks Koepka
After winning the LIV event in Singapore, Koepka is seeking to copy his playbook from last year when he won in Orlando on the LIV circuit and then carried that forward into winning his 5th major at Oak Hill.
Koepka’s main strength is that he does not fear any of his chief rivals. This is the man who withstood the onslaught from Woods during the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive.
One of his main liabilities in recent years is lacklustre putting skills. Yet, putts were being made from all distances in winning his fourth LIV event in Singapore.
After a poor T45 finish at the Masters the PGA Championship has been the major in which the 34-year-old has been at his best with three wins and six top-five finishes in his last nine starts.
While Scheffler’s play has unnerved other players, Koepka is both confident physically and mentally for any tussle with any player.
Koepka is golf’s big game hunter and is more than capable in securing his fourth Wannamaker Trophy.
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Ludvig Åberg
The 24-year-old showed his talents when playing in his first Masters finishing as runner-up four shots behind Scheffler.
The Swede now plays in his first PGA Championship and there is little negatively to say about his overall talents.
He withdrew from the Wells Fargo because of a knee injury but there is nothing to suggest cause for alarm.
Golf has seen the emergence on both the men’s and women’s side of a new generation of players looking to make inroads.
This is a golfer who was playing college golf a year ago and is now ranked 6th in the world.
Thus far, Ludvig has shown the wherewithal not to be overmatched by any stage he plays. Winning his first major is very much possible this week at Valhalla.
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Related: Ben Polland interview
Jon Rahm
One of the puzzles to be solved among the first five players named is Jon Rahm. Since bolting from the PGA Tour for LIV Rahm has played well at times but has not re-established his overpowering capacity to simply dominate when in peak form.
Rahm showed little at the Masters with a T45 finish. How interesting it was to watch Jon place the green jacket on the shoulders of the man who did similarly when we won at Augusta in 2023.
Many have suggested the move to LIV was really counterproductive given the flip/flop position the Spaniard stated about whether he would remain a member of the PGA Tour.
The 29-year-old has slid a bit down with no wins during his time with LIV, but the sheer talent he possesses could just as quickly turn things around at Valhalla.
For a time, Rahm was the best player in the world. After winning his second major title at the 2023 Masters when he outplayed Koepka the momentum seemed to be on his side for even more successes.
This year’s PGA Championship comes at a good moment for Rahm to silence critics and show he is more than prepared to re-assert himself at the top of golf’s pyramid.
