US PGA Championship
The US PGA Championship is the second of men’s professional golf’s majors to take place in a calendar year. The tournament is orgnaised by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and is an official money event on the most prestigious circuits including the PGA Tour, European Tour, and Japan Golf Tour. The PGA Championship is the only one of the four majors that is exclusively for professional players.
The PGA Championship used to be the fourth major of the season, taking place in mid-August. However, from 2019, the tournament was given a May date, on the weekend before Memorial Day, making it the second major of the year following the Masters Tournament in April.
Like the other majors, winning the PGA provides benefits that greatly enhance a golfer’s profile and give added career security. For the next five years PGA Champions are granted membership for the PGA Tour and automatic entry to the other three majors (Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship) along with The Players Championship. They are given membership of the European Tour for seven seasons and are eligible for the PGA Championship for life.
The PGA Championship has been held at various venues across the United States. Although in the past some more niche courses were used, a select set of venues are now used.
US PGA Championship 2024
The PGA Championships will be held between May 16 -19 at the Valhalla Golf Course. The purse will be $17,500,000.
PGA Championship: How It Works
The 106th edition of the PGA Championship returns to the historic Valhalla Golf Club of Kentucky. From Thursday to Sunday, 156 players will tee off. The field is selected based on the following criteria:
- Past PGA Championship winners
- Winners of the other major championships (The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship) in the last five years
- The current Senior PGA Champion
- The top 15 finishers from the previous year’s PGA Championship
- Winners of PGA Tour events since the previous PGA Championship
- Members of the most recent United States and European Ryder Cup teams
- The top 70 players in the PGA Tour’s money list
- PGA Club Professionals (the top 20 finishers in the PGA Professional National Championship)
- Special invitations extended by the PGA of America
PGA: How the four rounds are scheduled
The PGA Championship is played over four days, from Thursday to Sunday, consisting of four rounds of stroke play. Here’s how each day usually breaks down:
- Thursday & Friday (Rounds 1 & 2): All 156 players compete, and after 36 holes, the field is cut to the top 70 players and ties.
- Saturday (Round 3): After the cut, the remaining players compete in the third round. Tee times are typically based on the scoreboard, with leaders playing last.
- Sunday (Round 4): The final round takes place, and the player with the lowest aggregate score over the four rounds is declared the winner.
PGA Championship Prize
The players are all competing for the Wanamaker Trophy and a piece of a $17.5 million purse, with $3.15m to the winner.
The Valhalla Golf Course
The Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opening in 1986.Ten years later the course hosted the PGA Championship and has since hosted the PGA on another two occasions and is scheduled to host the event in 2024. It also hosted the Ryder Cup in 2008 and the Senior PGA Championship in 2004.
2024 PGA Championship Odds
The pot is hot. This year’s field is full of legends, champions, prospects, and dark horses.
| Golfer | Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler | 6/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 9/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 9/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 10/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 16/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 18/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 20/1 |
Scottie Scheffler is the current favourite, ahead of Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy. Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Scheuffele could all be in contention. Jordan Speith cannot be ignored.
Should Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson line up, then, if you are looking for a longshot, these two could provide value. Both men have the class to win Majors and we have seen past champions roll back the years to be in contention at the big tournaments. Like Tom Watson at the British Open in 2009.
Prediction
Scheffler looks like the man to beat in 2024. We think he is the most likely to land the PGA.
