The second major event of the 2025 golf season, the PGA Championship, is set to commence on Thursday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. A major question looms: Can Rory McIlroy capture his second consecutive major title? Will Scottie Scheffler add another major championship to his impressive record? What impact will Bryson DeChambeau and other LIV Golf participants have on the competition?
From the top contenders to potential dark horses and other intriguing facets, here are six key storylines to monitor this week at the PGA Championship.
Who is the Top Contender: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler or Masters Champion Rory McIlroy?
Although Scottie Scheffler holds a slight edge as the betting favorite following his first win of the 2025 season, an argument can be made that Rory McIlroy is currently the sport`s premier player. McIlroy has already secured three victories on tour this year, each in highly competitive fields at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Players Championship, and the Masters, where he achieved the rare feat of completing the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy`s recent exceptional form and his strong history at Quail Hollow Club, where he has won four times and finished second once, position him as the leading player this week. Scheffler lacks competitive stroke-play experience at this course; his only prior appearance was during the 2022 Presidents Cup, which was not memorable. He posted a 0-3-1 record, contributing only half a point to the U.S. team`s victory.
It`s remarkable how rapidly the landscape at the top of the game can shift. Scheffler has maintained impressive consistency this season, but having won only once and not replicating his dominant pace from the previous year, he has essentially created an opportunity for McIlroy to be regarded once again as the world`s best player. It wouldn`t be surprising to see both golfers contending on Sunday, vying to expand their major championship totals.
Beyond Scottie and Rory, Who Else Should We Watch?
Justin Thomas is currently performing at a very high level and previously won the PGA Championship when it was held at Quail Hollow in 2017. Thomas ended nearly a three-year winless streak on tour by winning the RBC Heritage in a playoff on April 20th. He also finished second at the Valspar Championship and tied for second at the recent Truist Championship.
Thomas has a solid history at Quail Hollow, achieving top-26 finishes in five out of his six starts there. His statistics are strong: he ranks fifth in strokes gained tee to green and approach, and 20th in putting.
Considering this is one of the longest courses in professional golf, featuring challenging rough and softened conditions from pre-tournament rain, driving distance will be crucial. In such conditions, who else but Bryson DeChambeau? Quail Hollow is expected to favor long hitters this year, and DeChambeau is excelling in this area. Data Golf indicates he`s gaining over two strokes with his driver, a full stroke ahead of the next closest player. However, his improvement isn`t limited to driving; DeChambeau has refined other aspects of his game over the past few years, with five top-10 finishes in his last nine majors. If he can perform as he did at Valhalla last year, he`s likely to be a contender.
What Are the Expectations for Xander Schauffele (Defending Champion)?
After being sidelined for over two months with a painful rib injury, Xander Schauffele`s game is showing positive signs of recovery. He has recorded four consecutive strong finishes, including a tie for eighth at the Masters and 11th at the Truist Championship.
While he ranks seventh in strokes gained: approach, his statistics for off the tee, around the green, and putting are significantly lower. This is likely due to a lack of recent competitive play. Regardless, Schauffele has won two of the last four major championships and finished in the top 10 in seven of the last nine. Furthermore, he was the runner-up in his last two appearances at Quail Hollow.
Schauffele remains a somewhat mysterious figure in the sport presently. His baseline performance is consistently high, meaning he still achieves top-20 finishes even when not in peak form. His worst result in his last four tournaments is a tie for 18th, and he tied for 11th last week. It`s hard to predict exactly what to expect from Schauffele at Quail Hollow, but the fact that the defending champion and two-time major winner is flying slightly under the radar is quite telling.
Which LIV Golfers Warrant the Closest Attention This Week?
Given that distance off the tee will be paramount at Quail Hollow Club, it`s hard not to expect Bryson DeChambeau to be in contention. He finished as the runner-up at last year`s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, losing by a single stroke to Schauffele. He held an early lead in the final round of the Masters before a 3-over 75 dropped him to a tie for fifth. No one drives the ball further than DeChambeau, and if his iron play surpasses his performance at Augusta National, lifting the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday is a real possibility.
Patrick Reed, who finished third alone at the Masters, also possesses a favorable history at Quail Hollow.
Until he secures a top-10 finish in a major, the player to watch will continue to be Joaquín Niemann. It`s becoming noteworthy that a player consistently winning on the LIV Tour hasn`t been able to elevate his performance when competing against the world`s best players at major venues. Niemann clearly has the talent to win multiple majors, and Data Golf currently ranks him among the top 10 players globally. The question remains: why doesn`t this translate to success during the four most significant weeks of the year? This question continues to shadow Niemann`s career, and this week presents another opportunity for him to break that pattern.
Any Under-the-Radar Players to Keep an Eye On?
With Sepp Straka`s second victory of the season recently, former University of Georgia golfers have collectively won five times in 22 PGA Tour events this season.
Another former Bulldog, Keith Mitchell, has shown significant improvement after struggling near the end of 2024. Mitchell has recorded five consecutive top-25 finishes, including a tie for second at the Corales Puntacana and seventh at the Truist Championship. He ranks 11th on tour in driving distance and 21st in strokes gained: tee to green. He has two career top-10 finishes at Quail Hollow.
Canada`s Taylor Pendrith hasn`t had outstanding results in the past few weeks, but he did have three top-10 finishes earlier this season. He is another player who hits the ball a long way and finds a high percentage of greens in regulation. His short game and putting haven`t been his strongest suits, but if his putter gets hot this week, he could unexpectedly contend.
Here are a couple of other players to watch: keep an eye on the Højgaard twins, Nicolai and Rasmus. Both possess the necessary length for this course and could potentially surprise the field. Among other promising young players, Michael Thorbjornsen is worth noting; he has two top-5 finishes this season and has been playing solid golf recently.
Finally, after observing Akshay Bhatia at the Players Championship, it`s evident he has the game capable of winning a major. Perhaps at this stage of his career, where his game is good but still developing, a venue like Quail Hollow could be the ideal place for a breakthrough performance.
How is Quail Hollow Expected to Play This Week?
Quail Hollow is recognized as one of the longest courses on the tour, stretching to 7,626 yards. This length ranks it fourth in PGA Championship history and makes it the longest for a par-71 course. The recent heavy rain on Monday and forecasts for more precipitation through Wednesday are expected to make the course play even longer. Minimal roll on the fairways will place an even greater emphasis on driving distance and proficiency with long irons.
Contenders will also need a strong short game, as missing greens is anticipated to be frequent. Data from the 2017 PGA Championship indicated that eight greens were hit successfully less than 50% of the time, with the opening hole being hit only 33% of the time.
Players will need to navigate the challenging par 3s (three of which exceed 200 yards), capitalize on the par 5s, and endure the formidable three-hole closing stretch known as the `Green Mile.` During the 2017 event, there were more double-bogeys or worse (99) recorded on these holes than birdies or better (88).
