Breaking Down the Field for the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow

The PGA Tour plays Quail Hollow regularly, so we more or less know the recipe to get around the Charlotte, North Carolina club. As Xander Schauffele said last year: “It’s a big boy golf course.” 

This year’s official scorecard has Quail Hollow playing as a par 71, stretching to 7,623 yards, and it includes five par 4s over 480 yards—three of those between 505 and 530 yards. This is not a driver and wedge setup. In a typical year, over 62% of approach shots come from beyond 175 yards, which is roughly 20% higher than the Tour average from that distance.

The 2017 PGA Championship was held at Quail Hollow, which likely offers our best preview of how the PGA of America is likely to set it up. In a word: difficult. The scoring average in 2017 was 73.09 (+2.09) compared to 71.70 (+0.70) across the last five Tour stops at Quail. Player quotes from that week called out the length, the thick Bermuda rough, and firm and fast greens.

I was surprised while revisiting the 2017 PGA leaderboard to find several names you wouldn’t associate with distance, like Francesco Molinari, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson, Scott Brown, Ryan Moore, and Brian Harman. Among the 21 players who finished T-13 or better, nine were below the field average in driving distance, which is a massive outlier when compared to most recent PGA Championship leaderboards.

With rain in the forecast for most of the week leading up to the tournament, we could see softer fairways, which would make the course play even longer. But still, the 2017 leaderboard makes one thing pretty clear: finding fairways matters here under major conditions. So, who’s actually equipped to handle this kind of test? At the 2017 PGA, every player in the top eight gained strokes in all four major categories (Off-the-Tee, Approach, Around-the-Green, and Putting). If you’re leaking strokes in any area, it’s going to catch up to you by Sunday.

To narrow this down a bit more, length matters, but long approaches from thick Bermuda rough into firm greens won’t get it done. Distance off the tee has to be paired with accuracy. I’ll lean heavily on approach play, particularly long-irons, which will make up the bulk of second shots this week. Major championship setups don’t reward specialists. You need the full bag.

The Field

• 156 players
• 29 major champions
• 14 past PGA champions
• 16 LIV Golf players
• 20 PGA Club Professionals

* indicates an elevated field (signature event or major)

‍Scottie Scheffler

2025 PGA Tour Results: 1 -  8* - 4* - 2 - 20* - 11* - 3* - 25 - 9*

PGA Championship Results: 8 - 2 - MC - 8 - 4

Quail Hollow History: N/A

I’ve been pretty down on Scottie Scheffler all season. He’s been priced like the guy who was winning everything in 2024, but from a results and statistical perspective, he hasn’t been that guy. After what we saw at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, I’m ready to throw that out the window.

He went wire-to-wire to win by eight strokes – 11 clear of third place — and completely lapped the field statistically. He ranked third in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+5.3), fifth in Putting (+6.6), and most significantly, was four strokes better than anyone else on Approach (+12.9).

The scariest thing about Scottie right now is that he’s starting to look like a legitimately great putter. He’s finished in the top five in SG: Putting in three of his last four starts. On the season, he’s currently inside the top 25 in SG: Putting, compared to 77th last year and 167th the year before.

The only minor reservation is a lack of course history. His only experience at Quail Hollow came at the 2022 Presidents Cup (where he went 0-3-1). I’m not overly worried, though. Scottie is set-up proof, and with his length, precision, potential newfound putting ability, and patient championship mentality, he’s built for this kind of test. He has two top fives and two other top 10s in five PGA Championship starts. He’s one of the most complete players in the world right now, and if he continues to consistently make putts, there might only be one other player who can stop him.

Rory McIlroy

2025 PGA Tour Results: 7* - 1* - 5 - 1* - 15* - 17* - 1*

PGA Championship Results: 12 - 7 - 8 - 49 - 33 - 8 - 50 - 22 (Quail Hollow) - MC - 17 - 1 - 8  - 1 - 64 - 3 - 3

Quail Hollow History:  1 - 47 - 1 - 8 - 16 - 22 (2017 PGA) - 4 - 1 - 8 - 10 - 2 - MC - 1

Drink every time you hear that Rory McIlroy is “ freed up.” I promise you won’t make it to Sunday. To be fair, I am also fully bought into this “weight off his shoulders” narrative. We know what it looks like when Rory’s feeling it, his walk turns into that famous Rory bounce, and the confidence from that strut seems to feed directly into his game. With the external pressure gone after the Masters, I think we’re going to see even more of that fairway swagger.

I don’t need to waste your time breaking down his season-long form. With wins at Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, and now Augusta National, we know what he’s capable of. He admitted to shaking off some rust early at last week’s Truist Championship, but he worked his way back near the top of the leaderboard. It’s easy to believe he’ll be much sharper on the first tee at Quail Hollow—a course he has dominated with four wins, including a five-shot romp at last year’s Truist.

I’d already be in on Rory simply because he’s playing the best golf of his career and returning to his best course. But I’m also drinking the Kool-Aid on this idea that a “freed up” version of Rory is capable of playing even better golf. Bold words that could embarrass me, but I think Rory is capable of winning this thing in a rout.

‍Ludvig Åberg

2025 PGA Tour Results:  60* - 54* - 7 - MC - MC - 22* - 1* - 42 - 5

PGA Championship Results: MC

Quail Hollow History: N/A  

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but it feels like we’re just waiting to see how many PGAs and U.S. Opens Ludvig Åberg is going to win. He’s long, extremely accurate off the tee, has no discernible weaknesses, and carries a calm, unflappable demeanor perfectly suited for American major setups. Plus we’ve already seen him show up in big moments. He finished runner-up in his Masters debut in 2024, placed seventh this year at Augusta, and was the 36-hole leader at last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst. His results this season have been up and down, but he consistently delivers on long, demanding tracks, which we witnessed this year at the Masters and his win in the signature event at Torrey Pines.

This will be his first trip to Quail Hollow, but he’s handled tough debut assignments before. With his all-around game and temperament, he feels as well-suited for this kind of test as anyone, and seems capable of contending regardless of recent form

Bryson DeChambeau

2025 LIV Golf Results:  1 - 2 - 5* (Masters) - 5 - 10 - 20 - 18 - 6

PGA Championship Results: 2 - 4 - 38 - 4 - MC - MC - 33 (Quail Hollow)

Quail Hollow History:  9 (2021) - 4 (2018) - 33 (2017 PGA)

I wrote off Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters, which might have been influenced by some lingering biases. I won’t be making that mistake again at Quail Hollow. At the 2023 Masters, he struggled with short game control and lag putting. He spoke openly about his work to fix both ahead of this year’s tournament, and sure enough, he was one of the best scramblers in the field.

He was also one of the worst iron players among those who made the weekend at the 2025 Masters, losing 3.6 strokes on approach due to inconsistent distance control. Knowing how he grinds, I figured that would be the next thing he locked in, and it looks like he was. Bryson recently picked up his first LIV win since 2023, taking the title in Korea with by far his best approach week since that U.S. Open win at Pinehurst last June.

He’s a two-time U.S. Open champ, has three top-five finishes in his last four PGA Championships, and top-10s in his last two trips to Quail Hollow. We already know how big of an edge his driver gives him on a setup Quail. If the irons stay dialed, he deserves to be priced among the favorites.

Shane Lowry 

2025 PGA Tour Results:  2* - 18* - 42* - 8 - 20* - 7* - 11 - 39 - 2* - MC 

PGA Championship Results: 6 - 12 - 23 - 4 - 66 - 8 - 12 - 48 (Quail Hollow) - MC - MC - 46 - 57 - MC

Quail Hollow History:  47 - MC - 65 - 34 - 48 (2017 PGA) - MC

Shane Lowry has been piling up top-20s and knocking on the door at big events all season with a solo second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and sixth through 54 holes at the Masters (before falling off a cliff). A runner-up finish last week at the Truist Championship only further cements that he belongs in the same conversation as the favorites. He’s been elite with his irons all year and enters Quail Hollow particularly hot after leading the field in SG: Approach at the Truist. The Quail Hollow history isn’t much to look at, but I put more weight on the five top-12 finishes he has posted at PGA Championships since 2018. Shane’s in great form, the irons and short game are dialed, and he has the history (and a Claret Jug) to prove he can contend deep at a major.

Collin Morikawa

2025 PGA Tour Results:  17* - 54* - 14* - 10* - 2* - 17* - 17* - 2

PGA Championship Results: 4 - 26 - 55 - 8 -1 

Quail Hollow History:  16 - MC

Recent discussions about Collin Morikawa have focused more on his prickly media presence and his inability to close out golf tournaments. Since winning the 2021 Open Championship, Collin has earned eight runner-up finishes and has coughed up multiple Sunday leads, most recently at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he led by three with five holes to play.

On the course, though, he’s looking a lot like the guy who won two majors in his first three years on Tour. He flirted with having a serviceable short game last season, but the ball-striking dipped. Now, the irons are back to being as sharp as anyone on the planet, but the putter remains inconsistent. He gained over 3.5 strokes putting at the Truist, though, which gives a little more reason for optimism. Off the tee, he remains one of the most accurate drivers on Tour. If the fairway finders that populated the 2017 PGA leaderboard are any indication, Collin should have a great week. If he can find a hot putter again, he is absolutely capable of picking up his second Wanamaker Trophy.

Justin Thomas 

2025 PGA Tour Results:  2* - 1* - 36* - 2 - 33* - 36* - 9* - 6 - 48 - 2 - 26

PGA Championship Results:  8 - 65 - 1 - MC - 27 - 6 - 1 (Quail Hollow) - 66 - 18

Quail Hollow History:  21 - 14 - 26 - 21 - 1 (2017 PGA) - MC - 7 

The 2017 PGA champion at Quail Hollow returns to the site of his first major victory shortly after snapping a three-year winless drought. Justin Thomas had been flashing isolated, super low rounds all season, but finally put four together to grab a big-time win at the elevated RBC Heritage and followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Truist. 

The biggest change has come with the putter. He ranked 174th on Tour in SG: Putting last season, but had climbed to 20th on Tour in putting this season heading into the Truist. He has gained over 4.7 strokes putting in three of his last four starts.

While that’s a positive sign, I strangely have some reservations about how his ball-striking will hold up. Of most concern, he lost strokes off the tee in three of four starts leading into the Truist, which will cap his ceiling if he’s playing from the Bermuda rough all week. And while his approach play has shown spectacular flashes, most of those gains have come with wedges. His long-iron numbers, which will matter at Quail, have been closer to average. That is admittedly a little nitpicky, but it feels like it’s going to take something special to hang with Scottie and Rory (and maybe Bryson) this week.

‍Viktor Hovland 

2025 PGA Tour Results:  54* - 13* - 21* - 1* - MC - MC - MC - 22 - 36

PGA Championship Results: 3 - 2 - 41 - 30 - 33

Quail Hollow History:  24 - 43 - 3

After a very public slump and some swing changes, Viktor Hovland snapped out of it with an unexpected win at the Valspar Championship in March. He followed that up with top-25 finishes at the Masters and RBC Heritage, but I’m not sure the game is sharp enough to contend this week.

The biggest concern remains his scrambling. Hovland currently ranks outside the top 170 on Tour in SG: Around the Green. He used to offset that with elite ball-striking, but while his irons are trending back toward peak form, he’s now regularly losing strokes off the tee—a surprising drop-off for one of the best drivers in the game over the past few seasons.

That Valspar win came on the back of a red-hot putting week—something we haven’t seen since and feels unlikely to repeat. Despite back-to-back top-three finishes at the PGA Championship, it doesn’t look like Viktor is in the kind of form needed to do it again at Quail Hollow

Brooks Koepka 

2025 LIV Golf Results:  17 - 30 - MC* (Masters) - 18 - 2 - 35 - 7 - 33

PGA Championship Results: 26 - 1 - 55 - 2 - 59 - 1 - 1 - 13 (Quail Hollow) - 4 - 5 - 15 - 70

Quail Hollow History: 42 (2018) - 13 (2017 PGA) 

Brooks Koepka has finished 17th or worse in his last three LIV starts, which, given his talent and those top-heavy fields, is wildly mediocre. He has also finished outside the top 25 in six straight majors, including a missed cut at this year’s Masters.

We’re only two years removed from his last PGA Championship win, but that’s also the last time we’ve seen him be even remotely competitive in a field like this. I won’t blame anyone who still thinks he can flip a switch at a major, it’s just been too long since I’ve seen him do it. 

Hideki Matsuyama

2025 PGA Tour Results:  17* - 21* - MC - MC - 22 - 13 - 25 - 48 - 32 - 16 - 1

PGA Championship Results: 35 - 39 - 60 - 23 - 22 - 16 - 35 - 5 (Quail Hollow) - 4 - 37 - 35 - 19

Quail Hollow History:  31 - 76 - 5 (2017 PGA) - 11 - 20 - 38

Not someone you can ever rule out, Hideki Matsuyama has a habit of popping at big events without much warning, but this has been a pretty forgettable run since his season-opening win at the Sentry. He has salvaged some top-25 finishes with elite short game (second on Tour in Scrambling Percentage), but the rest of his game has been a struggle. He’s had accuracy issues off the tee, has been inconsistent with his irons, and, most concerningly, has lost strokes putting in all but one of his last nine starts prior to the Truist. 

If you’re looking for a reason to buy in, the 63 in difficult conditions Saturday at the Truist was special and his irons are trending extremely well. After trailing only Rory McIlroy in SG: Approach at the Masters, he was a top-ten player on approach again last week in Philadelphia. He deserves to be in the conversation coming into this week, but long-term putting issues and erratic driving look like major limitations to his upside.

Jon Rahm 

2025 LIV Golf Results:  7 - 4 - 14* ( Masters) - 9 - 5 - 6 - 6 - 2

PGA Championship Results: MC - 50 - 48 - 8 - 13 - MC - 4 - 58 (Quail Hollow)

Quail Hollow History:  MC - 58 (2017 PGA)

Jon Rahm came into the Masters saying his game had been “unfairly judged” based on his 2024 major finishes, pointing instead to his perfect run of top 10s on LIV. That might speak to a certain level of consistency, but considering his last six LIV finishes have all been between T-4 and T-9, I don’t think it tells us much about whether he’s ready to contend at a major. Yes, there’s still real talent at the top of LIV. But there’s virtually no depth. The original roster leaned heavily on aging players with name recognition. Three years later, those players are even further removed from their prime, and the league still hasn’t found a way to bring in new talent.

To paint the picture: I looked at DataGolf’s rankings, which apply a strength-of-field model across all tours. At LIV Golf Korea, only 10 of 54 players were ranked inside DataGolf’s top 50 (18%) — not great, but at least somewhat competitive at the top. The issue is the bottom of the field: 26 players (48%) were ranked outside the top 200, including 17 below 300. For comparison, last week’s 72-player field at the Truist Championship includes just two players outside the top 200.

In other words, Rahm isn’t beating much top-end talent in these events, and nearly half the field doesn’t seem capable of contending with someone like him even on their best day. When you can rule out half the field of 54 players before the tournament starts, a T-7 feels less like a sign of good form and more like the low end of what we should expect from a recent world No. 1.

Add in a poor Quail Hollow record and three straight bad PGA Championship finishes, and it’s clear to me that there is a well-deserved tier gap between Rahm and the favorites this week.

Xander Schauffele 

2025 PGA Tour Results:  11*  - 18* - 8* - 12 - 72*- 40* - 30

PGA Championship Results: 1 - 18 - 13 - MC - 10 - 16 - 35 - MC (Quail Hollow)

Quail Hollow History:  2 - 2 - 14 - 72 - MC (2017 PGA)

After missing the first two months of 2025 recovering from a rib injury, we’re still waiting for the defending PGA and Open Champion to look like himself. I’ve written a lot of words this season trying to build a case that Xander Schauffele was close or that a breakthrough was coming, but at this point, I’m willing to concede that he just doesn’t have it.

His best finish was a T-8 at Augusta a month ago, but he was never seriously in contention. In six other starts since returning from injury, he also hasn’t come close. At his best, Xander has an elite all-around game and routinely gains strokes in all four major categories. He hasn’t been at his best this year. His approach statistics are down, and his normally steady driver and putter have been a liability most weeks. 

Given his strong history at PGAs and U.S. Opens—and consecutive runner-up finishes at Quail Hollow the last two years—I’d be very willing to give him another look if he showed something at the Truist, but he was out of contention again and only managed to hit 42% of fairways. This would be a perfect setup for Xander with his A-game, but he just doesn’t have it right now.

‍Patrick Cantlay

2025 PGA Tour Results: 4* - 13* - 36* - 33 - 12* - 31* - 5* - 33* - 5 - 15

PGA Championship Results: 53 - 9 - MC - 23 - 43 - 3 - 27 - 33 (Quail Hollow)

Quail Hollow History: 29 - 21 - MC - 33 (2017 PGA)

He won’t be a popular pick, but Patrick Cantlay should be someone to keep an eye on this week. His ball-striking has been excellent over the past two months. Since the Players, he’s been one of the best players on Tour off the tee, gaining over 3.4 strokes in three of his four starts prior to the Truist. He has also gained multiple strokes on approach in seven straight starts. Pair that with a few ceiling weeks and he’s now entering Quail Hollow as one of the best ball-strikers on Tour.

His results have been limited by some uncharacteristic short game struggles, but he’s historically been a top-50 player both around the greens and with the putter. The issues have been more sporadic than sustained, and he’s still more than capable of a good week on the greens, as he showed with a T-4 finish this week at the Truist.

His major record is inconsistent, but it’s worth remembering he finished just two shots behind Bryson at last year’s U.S. Open (T-3). He won’t be exciting, but his ball-striking is trending well enough to factor at Quail Hollow.

Corey Conners 

2025 PGA Tour Results: 11* - 49* - 8* - 18 - 8 - 6* - 3* - 24* - 74 - 65 - MC - 5 

PGA Championship Results: 26 - 12 - MC - 18 - MC - 64

Quail Hollow History: 13 - 8 - 43 - 42 - MC

Corey Conners was one of the most reliable players on Tour for a month-long stretch earlier this season, posting finishes of third, T-6, T-8, T-18, and another T-8 at the Masters. He’s always had the tee-to-green game to contend on major setups, consistently ranking among the Tour’s best in fairways hit and greens in regulation.

Short game has long been the weak link, especially the putter, but since switching flatsticks in early March, he’s consistently gained strokes both around and on the greens. Adding to the optimism, he’s finished T-9, T-25, and T-8 in his last three major appearances, and has been excellent at Quail Hollow—T-13 and T-8 in his last two visits.

If the putter continues to cooperate and if he can steady the nerves on Sunday, he’s more than capable of a breakthrough.

Tommy Fleetwood

2025 PGA Tour Results: 4* - 7* - 21* - 62 - 16 - 14* - 11* - 5* - 22 

PGA Championship Results: 26 - 18 - 5 - MC - 29 - 48 - 35 - 61 (Quail Hollow) - MC - MC

Quail Hollow History: 13 - 5 - 14 - MC - 61 (2017 PGA)

Tommy Fleetwood remains winless on the PGA Tour but continues to deliver high-end results on big stages. In six elite-field starts this year—signature events, the Players, and the Masters – he hasn’t finished worse than 22nd, with five finishes of T-14 or better. He’s been one of the most consistent performers at difficult venues, thanks to accurate driving, elite iron play, scrambling, and bogey avoidance—a formula that’s led to seven career top fives in majors.

The putter has been poor this season, but after switching to a mallet, he’s gained strokes on the greens in back-to-back starts and was the sixth-best putter in the field at the Truist. He’s a reliable option this week with his form, major history, and track record at Quail Hollow. If he continues to make putts, there’s real upside.

Joaquin Niemann

2025 LIV Golf Results:  20 - 1 - 29* (Masters) - 33 - 1 - 12 - 1 - 33

PGA Championship Results: 39 - MC - 23 - 30 - MC - MC - 71 

Quail Hollow History: 18 (2021) - 38 (2019) - MC (2018)

Although I’ve voiced some skepticism about overvaluing top 10s on LIV, I don’t have the same reservations about players who are actually winning those events, which is exactly what Joaquin Niemann does nearly every other time he tees it up. He has three wins in seven LIV starts this season, and those wins have come by a combined 11 shots. He’s not just winning, he’s clearing the field by multiple strokes.

And yet, for all that upside, it’s still puzzling that Niemann has never contended at a major. In 23 major starts, he has just one top-20 finish (T-16 at the 2023 Masters). That’s a hard trend to overlook—but if he’s going to break through, Quail Hollow might be the place.

He hits it long and straight, and his biggest weapon is his long-iron play, which will be extremely valuable this week. His 2022 win at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera may be the best indicator of what he’s capable of on a layout like this. There’s a clear crossover trend between Riviera and Quail Hollow, with breakthrough wins at both from players like J.B. Holmes, James Hahn, and Max Homa.

Despite a lack of major success to date, Niemann feels like a strong course fit and should be capable of making real noise this week on a familiar course. 

Justin Rose

2025 PGA Tour Results:  42* - 2* - 47 - MC - 8* - MC* - 3* - MC

PGA Championship Results: 6 - 9 - 13 - 8 - 9 - 29 - 29 - 19 - MC (Quail Hollow) - 22 - 4 - 24 - 33 - 3 - MC - MC - MC - 9 - 12 - 41 - MC - MC - 23

Quail Hollow History: 52 - 3 - MC (2017 PGA) - 3 - 5 - 28 

Most weeks, Justin Rose looks like a below-average PGA Tour player. Drop him into a big event on a historic course and he transforms into one of the best players in the field.

In his last 22 starts, Rose has nine missed cuts, seven finishes outside the top 40, and just five finishes inside the top 20. Those five? A T-2 at the Masters, T-8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (signature event), T-3 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (signature event), T-2 at the Open, and T-6 at last year’s PGA Championship. He’s finished 13th or better in each of the last five PGAs and has a solid track record at Quail Hollow, with three top-fives in three starts between 2014 and 2019.

He was dead last through two days at the Truist before withdrawing with an illness and finished outside the top 40 last time out at the RBC Heritage, but that’s nothing new. He lost in a playoff at Augusta this year after a missed cut and a T-47 in the two starts prior. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him grind out another strong finish at Quail Hollow.

Jordan Spieth 

2025 PGA Tour Golf Results:  34* - 4 - 18* - 14* - 12 - 28 - 59* - 9 - MC* - 4 - 69*

PGA Championship Results: 43 - 29 - 34 - 30 - 71 - 3- 12 - 28 (Quail Hollow) - 13 - 2 - MC - MC

Quail Hollow History: 29 - MC - 28 (2017 PGA) - 32

Jordan Spieth will be a major storyline this week as he begins his ninth attempt to complete the career Grand Slam. Although he hasn’t finished better than T-29 at the PGA in the past five years, I think he’s capable of going on a run at Quail Hollow.

A big reason for that optimism is his off-the-tee game. We don’t typically associate Spieth with driving prowess—largely because we’ve all seen the recovery shots from deep in nature—but since 2022, he’s consistently gained strokes both in distance and accuracy. He ranked third in the field in SG: Off-the-Tee at the Masters, and seventh last week at the driver-heavy Byron Nelson.

The reasons we haven’t seen him consistently contend have been erratic approach play and streaky putting. But even amid those inconsistencies, the flashes have been brilliant. He’s gained more than 6.6 strokes on approach in three separate starts, and has also gained over 5 strokes putting in three different weeks. The problem is that those performances haven’t aligned. At the Masters, he was third in SG: Putting but lost 5.3 strokes on approach, the worst of any player to make the cut. In his three big approach weeks, the putter didn’t show.

We got a glimpse of what it looks like when it does come together in Sunday’s final round at the Byron Nelson, a season-low 62, gaining two strokes both on approach and putting in a single round.

The range of outcomes is wide, but Jordan has shown he still has the tools to contend. It’s just a matter of bringing them all together. 

Sepp Straka

2025 PGA Tour Results: 1* - 13* - MC - 28 - 5* - 11 - MC - 15 - 7* - 1 - 30 - 15

PGA Championship Results: MC - 7 - 78 - 66

Quail Hollow History: 8 - MC - 54 - MC

Only Scottie Scheffler has hit his irons better than Sepp Straka this season. The big Austrian ranks second on Tour in SG: Approach, led by a stretch of elite ball-striking that’s earned him eight top-15 finishes, a win at the American Express, and a signature event victory at last week’s Truist Championship.

He’s well equipped for the demands of Quail Hollow, where he finished T-8 at last year’s Tour stop. While he’s average in distance off the tee, he hits a ton of fairways and makes up for it with some of the best long-iron play on Tour.

Short game remains the swing factor. He typically treads water around the greens, and the putter has been volatile, as we’ve seen multiple times this season, including last week in Philadelphia, where he was the second-best putter in the field. With his elite ball-striking ability, he could be dangerous if he keeps holing putts at Quail Hollow this week. 

‍Jason Day

2025 PGA Tour Results: 49* - 8* - 27 - 8* - 50* - 13* - 32 - 3 - 40

PGA Championship Results: 43 - MC - 55 - 44 - 4 - 23 - 19 - 9* (Quail Hollow) - 2  - 1- 15 - 8 - MC - MC - 10 

Quail Hollow History: 4* - MC* - MC - 24 - 1 - 9* (2017 PGA) - 9 

While he’s no longer the prodigious tee-to-green force who ran away with the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits, Jason Day has shown he can still grind out strong results in big events. He factored on the weekend at the Masters last month (T-8), and was close to winning at Bay Hill until a mud ball derailed his chances late Sunday. If he is going to win another major, this might be his best shot. He is a member at Quail Hollow, won the Truist Championship here in 2018, finished T-9 at the 2017 PGA Championship, and posted a T-4 last year in a loaded signature event field. That level of course success and familiarity, paired with recent flashes of form, gives him at least a puncher’s chance this week. 

Tyrrell Hatton

2025 LIV Golf Results: 13 - 5 - 14* (Masters) - 33 - 19 - 20 - 23 - 6 - 1 (Hero Dubai Desert Classic)

PGA Championship Results: 63 - 15 - 13 - 38 - MC - 48 - 10 - MC (Quail Hollow) - 10 - 25

Quail Hollow History: 3 - 42 - MC (2017 PGA)

It has been a fairly modest LIV season for Tyrrell Hatton. He posted a T-5 at LIV Golf Mexico City and a T-6 in the season opener, but otherwise, his results have mostly fallen short of what you'd expect from someone of his ability. 

It’s probably more helpful to look at his form outside of LIV, which has been quietly solid. He was in the mix through two rounds at the Masters, and he beat a very strong field at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January—a group that included McIlroy, Rahm, Fleetwood, and Hovland. He also had a great stretch last fall, racking up a win and four additional top 10s in five starts.

He hasn’t quite contended in a major recently, but back-to-back finishes of T-15 and T-13 at the PGA the past two years show he can hang around on this kind of setup. And his T-3 at Quail Hollow in 2023 before he joined LIV suggests he’s plenty comfortable contending in an elite field on this course. 

Russell Henley 

2025 PGA Tour Results: 46* - 8* - MC* - 30 - 1* - 6 - 39* - 5* - 10 - 30 

PGA Championship Results: 23 - MC - 60 - 71 - 37 - 50 - 71 (Quail Hollow) - 32 - 12 - MC - MC

Quail Hollow History: 10 - 72 - MC - MC - 71 (2017 PGA) - MC - 43

Russell Henley doesn’t have elite firepower or a flashy skill set, but he consistently hits fairways, avoids mistakes, and has one of the most reliable all-around games on Tour. That steady formula has led to regular contention in signature events this season, including a huge win at Bay Hill two months back. He has an underwhelming PGA Championship record, but does have three top-10 major finishes since 2023, including a fifth at the 2024 Open and T-7 at last year’s U.S. Open. The win at a long Bay Hill and a T-10 last year at Quail Hollow gives some confidence in his ability to deal with the length this week. He’d need to be near perfect to beat the likes of Scottie and Rory, but he feels likely to at least hang near the front pack. 

Patrick Reed

2025 LIV Golf Results: 4 - 17 - 3* (Masters) - 7 - 25 - 10 - 37 - 44

PGA Championship Results: 53 - 18 - 34 - 17 - 13 - MC - MC - 2 (Quail Hollow) - 13 - 30 - 58

Quail Hollow History: 6 - 28 - 8 - 2 (2017 PGA) - 28 - 58 - 32 - 32

Patrick Reed backed up his solo third at the Masters with a T-4 at LIV Golf Korea, and Quail Hollow should be a great place for him to capitalize on that form. After all, he was the runner-up here at the 2017 PGA Championship and posted additional top 10s in both 2021 and 2018 at Quail. While his recent PGA (and U.S. Open) results lack top-end finishes, he has made the cut in 19 of his last 20 majors and has a long history of grinding out decent results in tough conditions. He feels like a safe bet to play the weekend and has some upside at a comfortable venue.

‍Sam Burns

2025 PGA Tour Results: 30* - 5* - 13* - 46* - MC - MC - MC* - 24* - 49 - 22* - 29 - 8

PGA Championship Results: MC - MC - 20 - 29 

Quail Hollow History: 13 - MC - 55

Sam Burns has leaned heavily on his putter over the past month to notch his three best finishes of the season, but like several other recent American Ryder Cuppers, the tee-to-green concerns are too significant to ignore. He currently leads the PGA Tour in SG: Putting, but has lost strokes on approach in all but one start this season. He lost strokes around the green in five of his last six appearances prior to the Truist, ranking outside the top 100 on Tour in both categories. Even with a solid week in Philadelphia, it’s hard to see him contending on a major layout if the putter is carrying that much of the load.

Wyndham Clark 

2025 PGA Tour Results: 63* - 27* - 47* - 5 - WD - 22* - 31* - 16 - 73* - MC - 15

PGA Championship Results: MC - MC - 75 - MC

Quail Hollow History: 47 - 1 - 43 - MC

While the 2023 U.S. Open champion and winner of that year’s PGA Tour stop at Quail Hollow might seem like a tempting option this week, Wyndham Clark is someone you should probably avoid. He has yet to be competitive in a strong field this season, and the ball-striking numbers are well below his previous year’s form as he ranks outside the top 90 on Tour in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Approach. He has struggled to find fairways all year, and now enters the PGA Championship off a bottom-10 finish at the Truist, where he was one of the worst approach players in the field. 

Tony Finau

2025 PGA Tour Results: 15* - 38* - MC - 56 - 32 - MC* - 36* - 5* - 13

PGA Championship Results: 18 - 72 - 30 - 8 - 4 - 64 - 42 - 44 (Quail Hollow) - MC - 10 

Quail Hollow History: 52 - 23 - MC - 60 - 21 - 44 (2017 PGA) - 28 - 16

Tony Finau finished each of the last two seasons inside the top five in SG: Approach, but he currently ranks outside the top 125 in that category. Without his most reliable weapon, he has been well out of contention in seven starts since February. His current form doesn’t inspire much confidence, and his course history at Quail Hollow is surprisingly average for a player of his ball-striking quality.

Sungjae Im

2025 PGA Tour Results: 23* - 33 - 11* - 5* - 60 - 61* - 19* - MC - MC* - 57 - 33* - 4 - MC - 3

PGA Championship Results: MC - MC - 17 - MC - MC - 42

Quail Hollow History: 4 - 8 - MC - 31 

After another bad week with his irons at the Truist, Sungjae has now lost strokes on approach in 10 of his last 11 events since the start of February. He salvaged decent results at the Masters and RBC Heritage while nearly leading both fields in SG: Around-the-Green, but that isn’t a sustainable formula for success on the PGA Tour, let alone at a major championship. He also boasts a bad PGA Championship record for someone with his talent. 

Cameron Smith

2025 LIV Golf Results: 7 - 5 - MC* (Masters) - 9 - 19 - 20 - 30 - 25

PGA Championship Results: 63 - 9 - 13 - 59 - 43 - 64 - 56 - MC (Quail Hollow) - 25 

Quail Hollow History: MC (2017 PGA) - MC

Smith is in the midst of one of his better stretches on LIV with three consecutive top 10s, but he’s not someone I’d trust. He is more than capable of chipping and putting his way to the weekend, but he’ll likely be hitting too many long irons from thick Bermuda rough to be a factor.

Cameron Young 

2025 PGA Tour Results: 7* - 54* - MC* - 18 - MC - 61* - MC* - MC - MC* - 12 - 72* - MC* - 8 

PGA Championship Results: 63 - MC - 3

Quail Hollow History: 34 - 59

We can mostly just let the results speak for themselves. Young has missed the cut six times this season in just nine tournaments that had a cut and finished 54th or worse in two no-cut events. He has been one of the worst players on Tour in approach play this season (178th prior to the Truist), and while he just had his best finish of the season at the Truist, that performance was almost entirely driven by a hot putter, which isn’t a club he can typically rely on.

Will Zalatoris

2025 PGA Tour Results: 54 - 54* - MC - 47 - 30* - 22* - 24* - 48* - 12 - 26

PGA Championship Results: 43 - 2 - 8

Quail Hollow History: 60 - MC

Short game struggles have kept Zalatoris well out of contention all season. After another rough putting week at the Truist, he’s now lost at least 2.5 strokes on the greens in six of his last seven starts, and has consistently lost strokes around the green as well.

In the past, he could lean on elite ball-striking to stay competitive at majors, but the driver hasn’t been up to his usual standard. He missed the cut by six shots at the Masters, a place where he had never finished outside the top 10, which feels like a telling indicator of where his game is right now.