The only concern here is that Young has never won at the PGA Tour level (much less the major championship level) before. He drives the hell out of the ball (only Rory McIlroy has been longer so far in 2023), and this is a course that should fit him perfectly. He finished T3 at last year's PGA, solo second at last year's Open and T7 at this year's Masters. Cameron Young (T3 in 2022): Young's recent major record is a joke. Regardless, you have to respect the resume and the way he's playing right now, and he's earned the right to be among the top five favorites in this field.Ħ. The case against him is just as obvious - moody and inconsistent at majors over the last year, hasn't really closed anything of massive importance since that 2019 PGA victory and in fact has kicked a handful of them away (like this year's Masters). Positive strokes gained in six straight events. ![]() Top five in five of eight PGAs (two wins).Here's the case for him winning major No. Brooks Koepka (Won in 20): I'm surprised Koepka isn't getting more run going into this week. A good list to be on, to be sure, but certainly not the one he wants.ĥ. A great pick for your fantasy lineup this week if you're looking for consistency, but he tops the "I really, really need to see it, just once, before I start making him my pick" list. Of course, to make it to the top two on this list, wins are needed, and Schauffele hasn't notched any in 2023 nor any at major championships despite a sterling record at the four big ones. In the short, short term, Schauffele has been better than the two guys ahead of him on this list. He finished T5 at Match Play, T10 at the Masters, fourth at the Heritage, T4 at the Zurich and solo second at the Wells Fargo Championship. ![]() Does it feel like he's been the best player in the world of late? No, but the stats tell a different story - and so do the results. Xander Schauffele (T10 in 2020): Here's a stat that surprised me: Schauffele has been the best player in this field over his last 20 rounds. “Reminds me of Winged Foot.”- No Laying Up May 15, 2023ģ. It would require the perfect storm, of course, but he is truly the perfect storm-maker.įeedback received from players on Oak Hill so far: Then there's this: The inkling of an idea that perhaps Rahm could take the grand slam into the summer and even toy with winning them all. 1 that's a full stroke more than all but five other players in the world. ![]() Second, he's gaining 3.1 strokes per round since Jan. First, he's won six of his last 15 worldwide starts, which is a laugh-out-loud number. You can go anywhere you want with Rahm's numbers this year, of course, but I'll highlight three items. Jon Rahm (Best finish: T4 in 2018): Rahm narrowly gets the nod over Scheffler, mostly because I trust his putter slightly more than that of Scheffler. That's an impossible task, of course, but also a fun one. They are the only players at this year's PGA at Oak Hill with single-digit odds to win the tournament.Īfter those top two, the field gets much murkier - particularly in the middle of the pack as we try to sort through past performance, current form and estimated fit for a course that hasn't been played at this level for 10 years. They have earned over $27 million in official money and nobody is even within $4 million of Scheffler's second-place total of $13 million. Rahm and Scheffler have combined for six wins and gobbled up five of the eight toughest fields of the year, including the Players Championship and Masters. Except this field has a problem, and that problem is the top two golfers in the world, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler. The 2023 PGA Championship has arrived, and the field is as loaded as it gets in professional golf.
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