The PGA Championship organisers can now make box-office decision which could get millions of viewers to watch the first round

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For plenty of golf fans, the PGA Championship is a distant fourth when it comes to how prestigious each major is.

While The Masters and The Open Championship are steeped in history and tradition, and the US Open is usually the toughest test on the calendar, the PGA Championship does not appear to be held in the same regard by many.

That is not to downplay the significance of the event. But if you lined every professional player up and asked which major they wanted to win more than any other, you would surely only find Jordan Spieth who would be tempted to say the PGA Championship. Spieth, of course, is in pursuit of the career grand slam.

It is going to take something special for the PGA Championship to move up the rankings. But there is a fantastic opportunity for the tournament, when the latest edition arrives at Quail Hollow later this month.

The decision the PGA Championship must make with Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau all flying

There are several fascinating storylines heading into the second major of the year.

Rory McIlroy whet the appetite for what may be to come by winning The Masters. McIlroy has won the PGA Championship twice before, while he has won four times at Quail Hollow during his career.

The Northern Irishman is good enough to win all four majors this year. And given that he is no longer carrying around the burden of winning the career grand slam, it appears that McIlroy’s career could have a new lease of life.

Elsewhere, Scottie Scheffler has made a real statement with his victory at The CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Scheffler dominated from the first minute at TPC Craig Ranch to secure his first win of the year on the PGA Tour.

And it was a similar story for Bryson DeChambeau, with the 2024 US Open winning LIV Golf Korea on the same day Scheffler triumphed in Texas.

Scheffler and DeChambeau have been impressive for several weeks. So the timing of their first wins of the year could hardly be better with the PGA Championship just around the corner.

And with that, the PGA of America could set the perfect stage for the event by grouping McIlroy, Scheffler and DeChambeau together for the opening two rounds in North Carolina.

Next chapter of DeChambeau’s rivalry with McIlroy could be written at Quail Hollow

Obviously, it would be better for the tournament if two of the three men were in the final group on Sunday. However, the organisers cannot guarantee such an occurrence, particularly after McIlroy and DeChambeau were the last pairing out on Sunday at Augusta National.

Putting the biggest names together is not always a smart strategy given that it can have a negative impact on the rest of the tournament. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were rarely paired together at their peaks.

But Scheffler and DeChambeau are set to go into the PGA Championship having both won on their most recent starts, while it is a similar story for McIlroy when it comes to the majors. This is a moment which is too good to turn down.

McIlroy and DeChambeau appear to be building something of a rivalry. DeChambeau was widely criticised after his comments on McIlroy at The Masters, noting that they did not speak to each other at all.

That dynamic would add a little more spice to the next major, particularly if they find themselves in the same group. But they will both know that they cannot take their eyes off Scheffler either.

Both DeChambeau and Scheffler are looking to prove that they can win various majors, with both winning the same event twice. And McIlroy has rarely had more going for him heading into a major.

If everything goes to plan, this really could be one of the best PGA Championships in a very long time.