The 2024 PGA Championship Tees Off This Morning in Louisville With Lots at Stake (By Marissa Kasch)
It’s time to tee up golf’s second major at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The field is stacked, and storylines abound. Rory McIlroy has his sights set on his first major win in a decade after winning by five strokes at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend. Coincidentally, the last major he won was the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014. Xander Schauffele also put together a good outing at Quail Hollow, finishing 12-under. Scottie Scheffler elected not to play last weekend due to the birth of his first child, but the World No. 1 is still in prime form to take on another major after earning his second green jacket last month. Here’s what to expect at Valhalla, one of golf’s true tests.
Firm Fairways at Valhalla
If the rain stays away from Louisville this weekend, golfers can expect plenty of roll on the fairways. In 2021, the club replaced its bentgrass fairways with Zeon Zoysiagrass. As a result, the fairways are firmer than ever, requiring less water and providing more roll. Additionally, the bluegrass rough between the fairways and fairway bunkers was removed, putting more trouble into play. Valhalla’s triple threat of thick bluegrass rough, quick fairways and small greens demands accurate ball-striking for successful outcomes. Tee-shot placement will undoubtedly be the top priority for golfers this weekend.
Mother Nature always has the power to change expectations and strategies completely, and the weekend forecast isn’t exactly promising. Friday is expected to bring more scattered showers and thunderstorms.
The Favorites
After Rory’s spectacular outing last weekend, he’s ready to prove himself in a major. What better place to do it than the course where he emerged victorious 10 years ago? There’s only one problem. Scottie Scheffler wasn’t in his way last weekend. Scheffler’s return presents a new challenge (and level of intimidation) for every other player in the field as he looks to bolster his World No. 1 status. Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg are other players worth watching, and keep an eye out for two LIV players on their revenge tour: Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm. Both golfers finished +9 and tied for 45th in this year’s Masters. They’ll be hungry.
Best Odds: S. Scheffler (+350), R. McIlroy (+700), B. Koepka (+1200), X. Schauffele (+1300), J. Rahm (+1800), L. Aberg (+1800), B. DeChambeau (+2500) | Full Odds
Round 1 Tee Times (Featured Groups)
7:53 AM: L. Aberg, X. Schauffele, J. Thomas
8:04 AM: T. Woods, A. Scott, K. Bradley
8:15 AM: R. McIlroy, D. Johnson, J. Rose
8:26 AM: C. Smith, H. Matsuyama, V. Hovland
8:37 AM: B. Koepka, M. Homa, J. Spieth
8:48 AM: T. Finau, T. Hatton, S. Theegala
8:59 AM: A. Bhatia, T. Fleetwood, B. DeChambeau
1:51 PM: C. Morikawa, P. Mickelson, M. Fitzpatrick
2:02 PM: R. Fowler, J. Rahm, C. Young
2:13 PM: W. Clark, B. Harman, S. Scheffler
2:24 PM: P. Cantlay, C. Villegas, W. Zalatoris
*All times ET
Read More
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Golf Digest: PGA Championship: Power Rankings for the Field at Valhalla
ESPN: PGA Championship Storylines: Scheffler, McIlroy or Koepka? Can Tiger’s Body Hold Up?