What an incredible finish and win for Jason Day on Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He finished his final round bogey-free (-9) to finish one shot clear of the field. It had been five years since Jason had won on tour, during which Day had contemplated retirement. This is the 13th win of his career and first of the season.
This week, the tour is headed to Western New York for the second major of the season, the PGA Championship, at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club.
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2023 PGA Championship
May 18-21, 2023
Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY
Purse: $15,000,000 (2022)
FedExCup Points: 600
Defending Champ: Justin Thomas
The PGA Championship has been played since 1916 and is unique in that it does not invite amateurs to play in the field. Instead, the field includes the 20 low scorers in the last PGA Professional Championship, a tournament which is composed of golf club professionals and teachers. The season’s second major is 72 holes of stroke play, with a cut down to the top 70 players and ties after 36 holes.
The weather is forecasted to hit players with a little of everything this week. Temperatures will be cooler Thursday, mid 40s when play begins with calm sunny skies and a high in the low 60s. Things will begin to heat up Friday with temps in the low 80s and winds will beginning to gust 10-15 mph and continue through Sunday. Saturday has potential for rain and will bring highs back down to upper 60s through the weekend.
What Course Is the PGA Championship Held At?
Oak Hill Country Club is located in Rochester, NY and is no stranger to major play — the East Course has hosted three US Open’s and three PGA Championships as recently as 2013. The course was opened in 1925 and designed by golf architect Donald Ross but has undergone several updates and modifications over the years, most recently in 2020 by Andrew Green. The most recent change saw new greens on every hole, two new holes added, and many trees removed. This means the course will be quite different from the last major played in 2013. The course features narrow fairways lined with trees, rolling greens protected by bunkers and a creek running through it.
The par 70 course is on the longer side, measuring 7,394 yards. With the major changes completed on the course after the last major, it can be hard to really know how the course will play out this week. Like most majors, golfers will need to utilize every part of their game to come out on top this weekend and shooting par will likely not be too far off the winner. Distance off the tee, elite iron play and putting will be the major factors to keep an eye on heading into this week at the PGA Championship.
How To Watch the PGA Championship
Thursday: 1:00-7:00 p.m. ESPN
Friday: 1:00-7:00 p.m. ESPN
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. ESPN; 1:00-7:00 p.m. CBS
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. ESPN; 1:00-7:00 p.m. CBS
How To Listen To the PGA Championship
Thursday: 10:00-7:00 p.m. Sirius XM
Friday: 10:00-7:00 p.m. Sirius XM
Saturday: 10:00-7:00 p.m. Sirius XM
Sunday: 10:00-7:00 p.m. Sirius XM
Payouts for the 2023 PGA Championship
The total purse of the 2023 PGA Championship has not yet been confirmed but will likely be higher than last year’s purse which was $15,000,000. The winner receives 600 FedEx Cup points, and a minimum of 24 Official World Golf Ranking points — additional Official World Golf Ranking points can be added based on the tournament’s strength of field. The champion also earns a five season exemption on the PGA tour, five year exemption to all of the majors, a lifetime exemption to the PGA Championship, and entry to the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions. The values below reflect payouts based on the total purse in 2022.
Finish
Payout
1
$2,700,000
2
$1,635,000
3
$1,035,000
4
$735,000
5
$615,000
How many Golfers are in the 2023 PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship field is set at 156 golfers and is far and away one of the best fields all year. An incredible 99 of the top 100 Official World Golf Ranking players are teeing it up.
Who has the Best Odds of Winning the 2023 PGA Championship?
Current favorites to win the 2023 PGA Championship are the current top three Official World Golf Ranked players starting with No. 2 Scottie Scheffler (+750), followed by No. 1 Jon Rahm (+800) and No. 3 Rory McIlroy (+1400) rounding out the top 3.
PGA Championship Past Winner
2022 Justin Thomas (-5)
2021 Phil Mickelson (-6)
2020 Collin Morikawa (-13)
2019 Brooks Koepka (-8)
2018 Brooks Koepka (-16)
PGA Best Bets Today – Thursday, May 18, 2023
2023 PGA Championship Pick: Jon Rahm Tournament Winner | +800 at BetMGM
Thursday, May 18, 2023
This week’s pick, between the top two in the world, ultimately came down to who was paying more juice. Both are playing extremely well and have the chance to win this week. Jon Rahm ultimately gets the nod and is top five in Strokes Gained: Total, Tee to Green, Approach to Green and seventh in Putting. Anything can happen this weekend, but Rahm has been playing as well as anyone and should find himself near the top come Sunday.
2023 PGA Championship Pick: Patrick Cantlay Tournament Winner | +1800 at BetMGM
Thursday, May 18, 2023
It’s hard to believe Patrick Cantlay’s best finish in a major has been a T3 in 2022 at the PGA Championship. It goes to show how hard winning one can truly be, but Cantlay has all the tools to do it. He has four top 25 finishes in the last eight majors he has played and 10 top 25 finishes in the 12 tournaments he played this season. He is No. 2 in Total Driving — a combination of accuracy and distance off the tee — and ranks in the top six of Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Total. It seems like a matter of when and not if Patrick will break through on a major.
Xander Schauffele is another golfer like Patrick Cantlay in the sense it seems like a matter of when, not if, he will break through to the majors winner’s circle. Xander has 15 top 20 finishes in the 22 times he has played in a major. He has finished in the top five of four of the last five tournaments he has played and the fifth tournament was the Masters, where he finished T10. He is top five in Strokes Gained: Total and Approach to Green.
I understand the competition is at an all-time high, but Scottie Scheffler, arguably the world’s best, is plus money to finish in the top 5 — need I say more?
2023 PGA Championship Pick: Top 10 Finish | BetMGM
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Rory McIlroy | +130
Justin Thomas | +188
Max Homa | +275
Rory has missed the cut at the PLAYERS and Masters and finished T47 in the last tournament he played, so I add him with a healthy dose of skepticism. He is still No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings and has had a few weeks off to mentally get right. He has the abilities to win but will need to piece them together to compete. His biggest challenge this week will be between his ears.
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