This year’s PGA Championship takes place at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. The last time this course hosted this event was in 2013; a lot has changed. Over 200 yards have been added to the championship tees; new bentgrass greens were also installed in 2019. The entire course has had a makeover, and it’s said to be a PGA Championship/U.S. Open hybrid type of track, where the rough is long and juicy, with narrow fairways and difficult greens to hit.
Considering these factors, our predictions heavily favour players who excel in long and accurate tee shots, possess strong iron and wedge skills, and have a proficient putting game; seems easy enough.
Take our picks with a blade of grass, but certainly use them to help make your selections in OfficePools.com’s PGA Championship Fantasy Golf Challenge. You could win $500 to spend at Home Depot.
2023 PGA Championship Favorites
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are the two clear betting favourites heading into this week’s golf tournament. Rahm has been in exceptional form, securing four PGA Tour wins, including the recent Master’s tournament. Scheffler has been impressive as well, successfully defending his WM Phoenix Open title, winning The Players Championship dominantly, and finishing T5 at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson.
Keep an eye on those two favourites, but below are a few others that are built for this course.
2023 PGA Championship Picks
Rory McIlroy
It’s weird, but everyone seems kind of down on McIlroy going into this Major, and his inconsistent play is part of that, but how do you ignore his skillset and this course’s setup? McIlroy is a beast on the driver, ranking first in distance, 10th in recent off-the-tee form, and first off-the-tee on long golf courses. He also ranks top-10 in long iron play, top-25 in overall bunker and around the green putting, second in difficult scoring conditions, and second ball striking on long golf courses with narrow fairways. Need we say more? Maybe being looked over will actually take some of the pressure off.
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay comes into this weekend as probably the most well-rounded golfer for a course like this. Over the last three months, Cantlay is second on Tour in the Total Driving metrics and first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. And the bonus is he prefers to putt on bentgrass, which is exactly what these Oak Hill greens have plenty of. Cantlay is one of those guys that could make some noise early on.
Xander Schauffele
At some point, this man is going to win a Major. This might finally be his moment in the sun, as this is a course that favours great ball strikers. Schauffele ranks 5th in strokes gained: approach and 19th in putting, and those skills combined have him at 21st in birdie average this season, which tells you if this guy can lock in those metrics, he could find himself in contention this week.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau is still looking for his first Major but has recently been playing some great golf. Not only that, he has the style of game that fits this course like a glove. Finau has always possessed fantastic ball striking and currently ranks 17th in Total Driving metrics. He’s also another golfer who prefers bentgrass greens.
We’re also leaning towards players like Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, and Viktor Hovland as golfers who have the skill to tackle a course like Oak Hill.
So what say you? Who are your picks for the upcoming PGA Championship? Remember to make your picks in OfficePools.com’s PGA Championship Fantasy Golf Challenge.
