The 2022 PGA Championship, beginning Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will feature a group that includes Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. The group — with 22 combined Majors — will tee off at 8:11 a.m. CDT.
Woods made his return to competitive play seven weeks ago at the Masters, following his long recovery from a serious rollover car accident in February 2021. He played four physically taxing rounds and finished 47th overall in the event.
Spieth, No. 8 in the FedEx Cup rankings, has played 12 events this year. He’s finished top 10 on three occasions, including winning RBC Heritage in April.
McIlroy, No. 13, has four top-10 finishes in seven tournaments. He won The CJ Cup at Summit last October.
Here's a full list of tee times for the opening round of the PGA Championship.
(Photo: Christian Petersen / PGA of America / PGA of America via Getty Images)
What are your expectations for Tiger Woods?
Brendan Quinn, senior writer: I think Woods puts together a decent showing. After his 71-74-78-78 showing at Augusta, he knows better how his body will react to four rounds of major golf. In theory, he can enter this week with an even better plan than he did going into the Masters.
There were so many unknowns that week. Thinking back on his pre-tournament press conference and him speaking after the first round, Woods genuinely didn’t know what the level of swelling, etc., he was going to experience over the weekend. With some of those questions now being answered, and his body being presumably stronger, I think he can again make the cut and stick around for the weekend.
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What player in the top 20 in the world has the most to prove this week?
Quinn: It’d be awfully nice if Rory McIlroy could begin a major by putting himself in position to win, instead of needing a second-round 65 just to make the cut or waiting until a Sunday tee time 10 or 15 spots behind the leaders to make a charge up the leaderboard. McIlroy doesn’t have to prove anything, necessarily, but the sport wants (needs?) him to legitimately compete for majors, not waffle through these erratic performances. The question is, can he put himself in position. Here’s a look at McIlroy’s first and second rounds in the last nine major tournaments.
- 73-73
- 70-70
- 70-73
- 75-72
- 76-74
- 75-66
- 67-76
- 70-69
- 79-65
The four-time major winner hasn’t produced back-to-back rounds in the 60s to start a major since the 2019 U.S. Open. He so often puts his back against the wall before Moving Day even arrives. Maybe this week he can prove otherwise.