The PGA Championship is nearly upon us. It feels like yesterday that Rory McIlroy won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam.
Fast forward four weeks and Quail Hollow is set to host its second PGA, having done so in 2017. Justin Thomas won that event, claiming his first major title in the process.
So often derided as the ‘fourth major’ out of all the game’s greatest prizes, what the PGA lacks in identity, it more than makes up for with its share of drama.
Last year, Xander Schauffele needed to birdie the last to win, holing a clutch five-footer to end his major hoodoo. The year before, Brooks Koepka shrugged off Masters disappointment to end his four-year wait for a major.
Who can forget McIlroy’s finish in the dark at Valhalla in 2014? Or Phil Mickelson becoming the oldest ever major champion, aged 50 years and 11 months, at the 2021 edition.
Sandwiched in between the Masters and U.S. Open, the tournament is now the second major in the golfing calendar, and there are plenty of narratives ahead of this week.
With the monkey off his back, McIlroy will be aiming to reach six major titles at Quail Hollow, tying Nick Faldo in the process.
Elsewhere, Scottie Scheffler is determined to build on his stunning victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson by winning a third major crown. With 15 LIV Golfers competing – representing 28% of the 54-man league – could someone follow in Koepka’s or Bryson DeChambeau’s shoes and win a major?
Finally, Jordan Spieth has a chance to join the Grand Slam club, needing just a single PGA title to do so. Judging by his solid form in 2025, he might just have a chance.
It could be an interesting week, folks, that’s for sure.
Course details: Quail Hollow Club
Quail Hollow was designed by George Cobb and opened in 1961. Over the years, further renovations had taken place, notably by Arnold Palmer in 1968 and Tom Fazio in 1997, 2003 and in 2016, just prior to the 2017 PGA Championship.
The course has held the annual Wells Fargo Championship since 2003, while also playing host to a Presidents Cup (2022) and the PGA in 2017.
The par-71, 7,600-yard course will reward the biggest hitters. That much is certain. But it has a finishing stretch which will test everyone in the field.
In 2017, a total of 91 balls ended up in the water across the last three holes, termed the ‘Green Mile’ for its brutality.
The 16th is a devilishly long par-4 that measures 529 yards. A bunker guards the green to the right, while water is in play long and left. A par will feel like a birdie down the closing stretch for the field.
The 17th is a 223-yard par-3, which had a scoring average of 3.3 at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, but this is just the warm-up for the final hole.
The 18th is just shy of 500 yards and features a creek that runs down the entire left side of the hole. It was one of the hardest holes on the PGA Tour last year, so don’t expect any birdies this week.
He who conquers the Green Mile, conquers Quail Hollow.
PGA Championship 2025: Prize fund and how to watch
The prize fund for the PGA Championship has yet to be revealed. Last year, it was $18.5m, with Schauffele taking home a cheque for $3.3m plus the giant Wanamaker trophy.
Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the tournament on both ESPN and CBS, who will carry the tournament live.
In the United Kingdom, all four days of action can be watched on Sky Sports Golf, with coverage starting at either 12pm or 1pm each day.
PGA Championship 2025 winner
Rory McIlroy 9/2
Scottie Scheffler 9/2
Bryson DeChambeau 8/1
Justin Thomas 16/1
Xander Schauffele 16/1
Jon Rahm 18/1
Collin Morikawa 20/1
Ludvig Aberg 20/1
Joaquin Niemann 25/1
Patrick Cantlay 28/1
Tommy Fleetwood 28/1
All odds provided by Betway and correct at the time of writing
