It’s been a decade since Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted the PGA Championship. This marks the third time the PGA Championship has been held at Valhalla, following events in 1996 and 2000, as well as the Ryder Cup in 2008. Historically, the PGA Championship has boasted the strongest field among the majors, despite being considered the least desirable to win, drawing players from the top 100 of the official world golf rankings. Due to its rotation of courses, it has consistently been one of the most challenging tournaments to win, often resulting in victories or strong performances from lower-ranked players.
2014
Here’s the leaderboard from the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. While I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on this for course history, it does offer some insights. Notably, players like McIlroy, Mickelson, Fowler, Scott, Day, Koepka, and even Stricker are returning to the field. These were among the world-class players of that time who achieved success. Despite the dominance of players like Rory or Phil, competitors like Furyk and Stricker managed to compete fairly well. Like with most tournaments, the caliber of player will likely determine the outcome of this championship once again.
2014 Top 5
Pos
F
2014
1
R. McIlroy
-16
2
P. Mickelson
-15
T3
R. Fowler
-14
T3
H. Stenson
-14
T5
J. Furyk
-12
Others
T5
R. Palmer
-12
T7
E. Els
-11
T7
H. Mahan
-11
T7
J. Walker
-11
T7
S. Stricker
-11
T7
M. Ilonen
-11
T7
V. Dubuisson
-11
T13
B. Snedeker
-10
T13
K. Chappell
-10
T15
L. Oosthuizen
-9
T15
L. Westwood
-9
T15
A. Scott
-9
T15
C. Schwartzel
-9
T15
G. DeLaet
-9
T15
B. Wiesberger
-9
T15
M. Warren
-9
T15
J. Day
-9
T15
B. Koepka
-9
2024 PGA Championship Power Rankings
1
Scottie Scheffler
2
Rory McIlroy
3
Jon Rahm
4
Brooks Koepka
5
Xander Schauffele
6
Collin Morikawa
7
Cameron Smith
8
Ludvig Aberg
9
Patrick Cantlay
10
Viktor Hovland
11
Wyndham Clark
12
Justin Thomas
13
Tyrrell Hatton
14
Joaquin Niemann
15
Tony Finau
16
Dustin Johnson
17
Jordan Spieth
18
Matt Fitzpatrick
19
Hideki Matsuyama
20
Max Homa
21
Bryson DeChambeau
22
Sahith Theegala
23
Cameron Young
24
Tommy Fleetwood
25
Tom Kim
26
Jason Day
27
Keegan Bradley
28
Sungjae Im
29
Brian Harman
30
Sam Burns
31
Patrick Reed
32
Shane Lowry
33
Adam Scott
34
Rickie Fowler
35
Russell Henley
36
Talor Gooch
37
Sepp Straka
38
Min Woo Lee
39
Justin Rose
40
Harris English
Scottie Scheffler is the runaway favorite, but playing on a course Rory McIlroy has dismantled once before narrows the gap. Unfortunately, Ludvig Aberg is injured; otherwise, we’d rate him higher after his composed showing at the Masters. Brooks Koepka recently clinched a win on the LIV tour, and with five majors under his belt, including three PGA Championships, it’s evident he thrives in the setup of this tournament. His 15th place finish in 2014, when he was ranked 70th in the world, indicates his compatibility with this course. That’s why I would put him in the core 4 of multiple major winners most likely to take this championship down.
Lastly, Phil Mickelson has proven that he doesn’t require top form; he can show up for one week and win. He demonstrated this three years ago by winning the PGA Championship at the age of 50. Despite being 53 now, and also not in good form he’s returning to a course where he previously finished solo 2nd in 2014, with two other top 9 finishes in 2000 and 1996, surely boosts his confidence.
