5 picks to win the PGA Championship not named Scottie or Rory
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Brooks Koepka signs his autograph for fans during a practice round prior to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Getty Images via AFP
LOUISVILLE – Scottie Scheffler is the hottest golfer on the planet, even after a paternity break for two weeks. Rory McIlroy is soaring as he returns to a course where he has won the Wanamaker Trophy before.
All of this is old news by now.
So instead of putting money on Scheffler or McIlroy to claim this week’s PGA Championship, here are five other players who have a good chance to win golf’s second Major of the season.
1. Brooks Koepka
Not only is he the defending champion, he has also won three of the past six PGA Championships and five Majors overall since 2017.
Coming off a win at LIV Singapore, he remains one of the best drivers in the world and his putting has shown improvement on the LIV circuit.
With the focus on Scheffler and McIlroy, perhaps Koepka will have less pressure and extra motivation to strut his stuff.
2. Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg is already one of the best ball-strikers on tour and it is practically a given that he will win a Major – the question is when.
PHOTO: AFP
The great unknown for Aberg is his fitness.
He dropped out before the start of the Wells Fargo Championship, citing a knee issue. If he were at 100 per cent, he might have been a top-three pick to win this week.
The 24-year-old, who has succeeded at just about everything since turning pro 12 months ago, is already one of the best ball-strikers on tour and it is practically a given that he will win a Major – the question is when.
3. Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau’s length will be an enviable weapon for him at the 7,609-yard Valhalla Golf Club.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Two LIV golfers on one list? Believe it.
DeChambeau flexed his Major pedigree in 2020, tying for fourth at the PGA Championship before winning the US Open. Injuries and seemingly conflicting priorities (like his long drive competition phase) knocked him off the path for a while, but joining LIV has not marked the end of his relevance as a golfer.
He has three top-10s in the past six Majors, including another joint-fourth at the 2023 PGA and tied-sixth at the Masters in April, where he was still one of the best drivers of the ball in the field.
DeChambeau’s length will be an enviable weapon for him at the 7,609-yard Valhalla course.
4. Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood won in Dubai back in January and has missed only one cut on the PGA Tour this season.
PHOTO: REUTERS
For someone who has not yet won a Major, there is a lot to like about Fleetwood.
He has finished in the top 10 at three straight Majors and eight overall, the kind of consistency that gives confidence to his fans to believe his breakthrough is near.
Fleetwood won in Dubai in January and has missed only one cut on the PGA Tour this season.
He has not scored any worse than a 72 in his past 20 rounds and he ranks No. 21 on tour in bogey avoidance, an underrated element in competing at Majors.
5. Jason Day
Jason Day drives the ball well enough to contend at a Major like this, but he can also combine that with stellar putting.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A former Major champion enjoying an extended career resurgence, who would bet against him?
After ending a five-year gap between PGA Tour wins last season, Day has kept it up with four top-10s this campaign – all coming against stacked fields at signature events.
He drives the ball well enough to contend at a Major like this, but he can also combine that with stellar putting – he ranks No. 13 in strokes gained putting this season.
REUTERS
