The 2024 PGA Championship is returning to Valhalla Golf Club in Lousiville, Kentucky where it has previously hosted three PGA Championships (1996, 2000, and 2014) and the 2008 Ryder Cup.
In 1996, Mark Brooks won in a playoff over Kenny Perry after both players were 11 under after 72 holes. It was Mark Brooks’s first and only major he would win in his career.
In 2000, Tiger Woods and Bob May famously dualled in a playoff after both players finished 18 under. During the infamous playoff, one of the greatest golf conspiracies occurred on the 18th hole, which was the third hole of the three-hole playoff. Tiger Woods pulled his drive left and you see the ball land behind trees and some long grass while a fan goes running after in. Seconds later, the ball reappears but is rolling down the hill at a rapid pace which has prompted fans and even the broadcasters in real time to question what happened to the ball. Joel Beall of Golf Digest did a deep dive on the conspiracy which can be found here. Tiger Woods eventually would win the playoff by one shot, which was the third of four consecutive majors that Tiger won and giving birth to the “Tiger Slam”.
In 2014, Rory McIlroy collected his fourth major and second PGA Championship by outlasting Phil Mickelson by one shot and finishing nearly in the dark at 16 under. It was McIlroy’s second straight major of the year, however, he hasn’t won a major since while Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at age 51.
In the 2008 Ryder Cup, the United States won convincingly, 16.5 to 11.5 over Europe to take back the Cup after the Europeans won the previous three Ryder Cups.
With all three PGA Championships at Valhalla being very close and competitive I anticipate another close one this year. Here are some players I think could bring home the Wannamaker Trophy in 2024.
Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka is the defending PGA Champion and gave LIV Golf their first major last year at Oak Hill. Brooks is a three-time winner of the PGA Championship and has won five majors overall. He has six top-fives in the PGA Championship alone and when it comes to the majors, Brooks elevates his game and is always a threat. Koepka struggled at Augusta, finishing T-45 but followed up by recording a top 10 finish at LIV Adelaide, then winning LIV Singapore earlier this month. Koepka has the fourth-best odds right now to win the PGA Championship at +1400 and I like his chances to continue his hot streak and win back-to-back PGA Championships for the second time in his career.
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler is the hottest player in the world right now. In Scheffler’s last five starts, he’s only been beaten once, which was Stephan Jaeger at the Texas Children’s Houston Open where Jaeger won by one stroke over Scheffler. Scheffler ran away with The Masters as he won by four strokes and is the betting favorite to win this week at Valhalla. Scheffler also has finished in the top 10 at three of the last four PGA Championships. Only he and Rory McIlroy have odds under +1000 to win this week and Scheffler is +400. With how well Scheffler is playing, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be towards the top of the leaderboard on Sunday to win his second major in a row.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig is the new kid on the block but he plays like a season vet. Aberg has taken the golf world by storm, already picking up a win on the PGA Tour, finished 8th in The Players, and was runner-up at The Masters last month. which was his first-ever major. There’s a lot to like about his game with how consistent he is and how he is unflattered by the big moment. He’s at +1800 to win the PGA Championship and could bring Sweden their second-ever major championship after Henrik Stenson won the 2016 Open Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood is still in search of his first PGA Tour win and major championship but this could be his week. He’s finished in the top ten of the last three majors and has finished inside the top 20 of the last two PGA Championships. Fleetwood has seven top fives in majors, including T-3 at The Masters last month. The PGA Championship tends to produce a lot of first-time major championship winners and he seems to be due for a win sooner or later and at +3500, maybe this year could be his time.
Patrick Cantlay
Like Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay is searching for his first major championship of his career. The track record isn’t good for Cantlay in the majors as he only has four top tens total in his career but two of those have been at the PGA Championship. Last year he finished T-9 at the PGA Championship and has made the cut in seven straight majors. He’s also at +3500 and could be good value to win his first major.
+5000 Or Higher To Keep An Eye On
Tyrrell Hatton (+5000)- Hatton is coming off of a top-five finish at LIV Singapore and T-9 at The Masters. Hatton has finished inside the top 20 in the last two PGA Championships and is also searching for his first major championship.
Sepp Straka (+6500)- Straka has become familiar with the first page of the leaderboard over the last year, finishing T-7 at last year’s PGA Championship and T-2 at the Open Championship. After a top-20 finish at The Masters last month, he could be a first-time major winner come Sunday.
Shane Lowry (+10000)- I’ll admit, Lowry is a bit of a reach but he’s one of the rare players teeing it up this week that was here at Valhalla in 2014. He finished T-46 a decade ago but since 2017, has made the cut at every PGA Championship including top 10 finishes in 2019 and 2021. He finished T-12 last year and with his recent track record would be good value to at least make the cut and finish inside the top 20.