Welcome to the the 106th PGA at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse racing town will welcome the world’s best golfers as the second men’s major of 2024 gets underway. Here are some of the storylines you should be watching for:
Rory McIlroy: It’s fair to say the Northern Irishman has grabbed some headlines lately. In the space of 10 days, he’s been rejected a return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, won the Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow by five shots and had divorce papers surface on the Monday of PGA Championship week. He’s the second betting favourite at $7 given he won last week and claimed the PGA Championship the last time it was held in Valhalla, in 2014. That was his fourth and most recent major win. Can McIlroy quiet the noise and win a long-awaited fifth major?
Valhalla the course: A Jack Nicklaus design only 25 kilometres from Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, this is your standard championship course purpose-built by the PGA of America to host the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. The PGA has gone to Valhalla in 1996 (Mark Brooks), 2000 (when Tiger Woods defeated Bob May in his most epic duel) and 2014 (McIlroy). It has two creeks running through it, Floyd’s Fork and Brush Run, and at 7,600 yards it’s a beast.
Tiger Woods: In his first start since making a record 24th consecutive cut at the Masters, Woods returns to the site of his 2000 PGA win. He spoke to the media and some of the snippets included Woods, now a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board, saying there was marginal, oh so marginal, progress in talks with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, that he is still unsure about accepting a future Ryder Cup captaincy, and that he wished his game was sharper. He can hit the shots, sure, but the competitive rust is a problem and how his body holds up over four tournament rounds.
Scottie Scheffler: The Masters and Players champion, who also won the week after Augusta at Harbour Town, just became a father and seemed at peace, even more at peace than he normally is. It’s hard to imagine Scheffler not winning this week.
AUSSIES IN THE FIELD
We’ve got six this year, starting with Australia’s most recent major winner, Cameron Smith. He has been playing good golf, with a T-2 behind Brooks Koepka at LIV Singapore and a T-6 at the Masters. He spoke on LIV’s broadcast in Singapore about his ongoing hip issue, which held him back in the first round, and the question is whether that will have any impact on his hopes at Valhalla in a wet, rainy week. We’re backing Smith to easily deal with it and contend, a year after earning a career-best T-9 at the PGA Championship.
Jason Day is my pick for top Australian. He locked up a fourth PGA Tour top-10 for the year with a T-4 at Quail Hollow last week. He’s looking sharp in his esoteric Malbon outfits. Oh, and he won the PGA Championship in 2015.
Min Woo Lee: The longest hitter of the six Australians. Lee, the younger brother of Minjee Lee, regularly reaches ball speeds with the driver of more than 190 miles per hour. He has the firepower to tame Vahalla, providing his irons are hot.
Adam Scott: He was T-29 and miles behind McIlroy at Quail Hollow last week. Has not enjoyed his best form this year but remains a good ball striker whose putting is also stellar.
Cam Davis: Also has the length and accuracy to contend at Valhalla. T-38 at Qual Hollow last week but will be confident about the PGA as a major having earned an impressive T-4 last year at Oak Hill.
Lucas Herbert: Received a special exemption to the PGA Championship given he’s now on LIV Golf and his world ranking has dipped. Herbert was top-15 at the PGA at Southern Hills in 2022. Is long off the tee and one of the world’s best putters. He can get it going.
HOW TO WATCH
First Round
Thursday: 9pm – 4am (early coverage), Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Thursday: 10:30pm – 9am, Fox Sports 505 & Kayo
Friday: 4am – 10am, Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Second Round
Friday: 9pm – 4am (early coverage), Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Friday: 10:30pm – 9am, Fox Sports 505 & Kayo
Saturday: 4am – 10am, Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Third Round
Saturday: 10:10pm – 3am (early coverage), Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Saturday: 11pm – 8:30am, Fox Sports 505 & Kayo
Saturday: 3am – 9am, Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Final Round
Sunday: 10pm – 3am (early coverage), Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Monday: 1:30am – 9am, Fox Sports 505 & Kayo
Monday: 3am – 9am, Fox Sports 503 & Kayo
Additional Coverage: Fox 503 will be dedicated to PGA Championship coverage all week. Showing re-runs from previous tournaments, including Jason Day’s 2015 triumph.
TEE-TIMES, AEST (AUSTRALIANS CAPPED)
9:31pm: Larkin Gross, LUCAS HERBERT, Grayson Murray
10:04pm: Tiger Woods, ADAM SCOTT, Keegan Bradley
10:26pm: CAMERON SMITH, Hideki Matsuyama, Viktor Hovland
3:07am Friday: Talor Gooch, CAM DAVIS, Harris English
3:18am: JASON DAY, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Højgaard
3:29am:Â MIN WOO LEE, Chris Kirk, Billy Horschel
BETS
To win: Brooks Koepka. Have to go with the defending champion. He’s $13 and going for his fourth PGA and sixth major. Just won LIV Singapore.
Top 5: Xander Schauffele at $3.5. Second last week to Rory McIlroy and playing extremely good golf.
Roughies: Day at $51 and DP World Tour winner and Ryder Cupper, Tyrrell Hatton, who is now on LIV. He’s paying $67.
First round leader: Scheffler at $10
Top Aussie: Day at $4
-Aussie odds (top Aussie odds/outright odds)
Cam Smith $3.6/$34
Jason Day $4/$51
Min Woo Lee $4.25/$51
Adam Scott $7/$101
Cam Davis $9/$201
Herbert $11/$251
