The 2025 PGA Championship starts on Thursday! Here are some bold predictions ahead of the tournament.
The Masters produced one of the most entertaining major championships in recent memory, and this one is shaping up to deliver the same.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and several other top players are in excellent form heading into Quail Hollow.
The Golfing Gazette’s experts have assessed seven aspects of the PGA Championship, from the winner to dark horses and much more.
Seven PGA Championship 2025 predictions
PGA Championship winner
James Shearman: McIlroy and Scheffler are the two best players in the world at the moment, and it’s likely to come down to those two on Sunday. With the career Grand Slam in the bank, at a course he absolutely loves, we could see an amazing performance from McIlroy.
Peter Lynch: I really think the European success story on the PGA Tour will continue this week, with Ludvig Aberg clinching the first of many major championship wins in the years to come.
Jordan Harris: This golf course seems to be set up for either McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau to win. And with McIlroy not yet in top gear again after his amazing Masters triumph, it is DeChambeau who gets the nod. His form of late has been amazing.
How will Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Bryson DeChambeau play?
James Shearman: Scheffler is in great form, having won by eight shots at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and will surely be in contention at Quail Hollow.
I expect a quieter week from DeChambeau than at The Masters last month, though he’ll probably still finish in the top 20 or so.
Peter Lynch: McIlroy has enjoyed a phenomenal season, and I can see him contending at Quail Hollow but ultimately just falling short.
After an early disruption due to injury, Scheffler is looking like his old self again, but I think he will just miss out on returning to major glory, finishing just off the winner.
DeChambeau is certainly a man in form, with such form set to see him contend at Quail Hollow, but no more.
Jordan Harris: I think McIlroy is set up for another top 10, where it does not ever quite feel as if he’s in contention to win over the weekend.
Scheffler will be in the top five, and avoid getting arrested this year!
Dark horse to win PGA Championship
James Shearman: Daniel Berger is quietly having an excellent season on the PGA Tour. He finished in the top 20 at all five Signature Events so far and came 21st at The Masters. It would be his first victory since the 2021 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Peter Lynch: Keegan Bradley will be firmly focused on the upcoming Ryder Cup, but that could afford him plenty of freedom this week, which may work in his favour to produce a surprise display.
Jordan Harris: Considering it is so difficult to look past the favourites, I will back Wyndham Clark to have a really good week. He has won at Quail Hollow previously. Given his form, however, this could just as easily be a truly terrible shout with the 2023 US Open champion missing the cut by some distance.
Best LIV Golfer at the PGA Championship
James Shearman: Patrick Reed is a major champion and has seven other top-10 finishes in the biggest events. If he plays anything like he did at The Masters earlier this year, he’ll be in the mix at the PGA Championship, too.
Peter Lynch: It’s hard to look beyond DeChambeau to fly the flag for LIV Golf, given his form and his suitability for Quail Hollow.
Jordan Harris: Obviously, DeChambeau is my pick to win. So I will back Patrick Reed to be the best of the rest. Reed loves the big occasion and played really well at The Masters.
Top players to miss the cut
James Shearman: High-profile LIV golfers Dustin Johnson and Cam Smith both missed the cut at Augusta National and appear likely to suffer the same fate at Quail Hollow this week.
Peter Lynch: Justin Rose produced a superb display at The Masters, pushing McIlroy all the way, but a withdrawal from the Truist Championship was the worst possible preparation for another attempt at major success.
Jordan Harris: Masters runner-up Rose and Jon Rahm may be surprise names to have poor weeks. Rahm did not like Quail Hollow on his previous visit and has yet to perform in the majors since joining LIV. That third major will come at some point, but hard to see it this week.
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