The PGA Championship is finally upon us, with the world’s best golfers en route to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina for the second major of the year.
Last year it was Xander Schauffele who managed to claim the title as champion by going -21 to get a score of 263, one shot clear of Bryson DeChambeau to earn $3.3m for himself.
We’ll take a look at the field and and provide you with our best free golf picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch a major tournament.
It’s no surprise at all that Rory McIlroy comes into the PGA Championship as the favorite to claim success after he ended his 11-year drought in majors by winning The Masters last month.
His season so far has been strong too, with the Northern Irishman winning The PLAYERS tournament for the second time in his career, while he also has three wins and two further top-five finishes.
McIlroy has already won on this course four times in the past, and when you combine that with how good his form has been in recent months then there is a fantastic chance for him to go back-to-back.
His last outing at the Truist Championship saw him finish T7 at -10 for a fourth consecutive top ten finish and to continue the streak of not finishing below T17 all season. At +500 there is good value in McIlroy finding more success in this historic year for himself.
The world number one ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler has had a fantastic 2025 so far, and he will be looking to claim his first win at the PGA Championship this weekend.
Having competed at the tournament on five occasions before, Scheffler has earned four top eight finishes, including finishing as the runner-up in 2023. But he comes into this tournament in fantastic form, having dominated the field in his Byron Nelson and recently claimed his first victory of the season.
The American was incredible in his last performance at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and, after taking a week off prior to the PGA Championship, it now looks as though he will be coming in fully charged and ready to make a statement against the best players in the world.
Last year’s PGA Championship couldn’t have been crazier for the 28-year-old as he finished T8 on -13 after a poor start to the competition, and he will be keen to avenge that in 2025. At +500 there is terrific value in getting the world’s best player to win a tournament he is super motivated to win.
31-year-old DeChambeau is coming into this tournament in great shape and with great value from the bookmakers.
The American ranks in the top 15 in both driving distance and putting for this season, and since 2020 Bryson has two major wins and a total of seven top-six finishes in 19 starts in major competitions. If we narrow that down to the two majors that fit his game the best (U.S. Open and PGA Championship), he has five top-four finishes, including two wins in nine starts.
That includes the PGA Championship in 2024 where he finishes as runner-up by just one shot, and he will be keen to go one better this time around.
At odds of +900 there is great value in backing him, considering he knows the course very well, has experience in majors and is playing well. This course suits to him to a tee, so this is a bet to pay serious attention to.
A rib injury at the start of 2025 has made a lot of people forget about Xander Schauffele, but he is a consistently good player and his experience means he absolutely has a chance to win the PGA Championship for a second year in a row.
He has finished 18th or better in his last 12 majors, including two wins last year at the PGA Championship and Open Championship, while he has also finished 18th or better in each of his last four starts in 2025.
Xander ranks top 20 in putting and driving distance, which explains why his last two outings on this Quail Hollow course has seen him finish as runner-up in the last two years.
There’s no doubting that there is big competition on the field though, with Scheffler and McIlroy in particular in great form. But the course doesn’t suit Scheffler’s game as much as some of the others, while it’s rare that any player wins back-to-back majors in the same year.
At +2200 there is ridiculous value in Schauffele, who is playing well and has great history at this event. He’s definitely not four times worse off than the previous mentions, so it’s worth a punt at the worst.
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.