Rory McIlroy hits a tee shot last month at the Zurich Classic.
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Rory McIlroy’s mood, three weeks ago at the pre-Zurich Classic press conference, was as easy-going as what you’d run into on Bourbon Street about a half-hour drive away.
“Rory,” the reporter started, “I’d imagine a couple big goals that you may have formally set out for yourself at the beginning of the season have now been checked off. Will you wait until the end of the year to reestablish what goals you would have for the remainder of 2025? And Shane, you’re also going to be defending champion when we go back to Portrush [for the Open Championship]. What are some of your goals for 2025?”
Here, Lowry answered first.
“I think Rory’s goals are — who cares anymore.”
Laughter then followed. He was joking. Of course, he’ll care, especially this week, at the PGA Championship, the next major after the Masters.
Right?
Winning back-to-back majors is one thing. But doing so just over four weeks after winning your first Masters, winning your first major in 11 years and becoming just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam will be laborious. It’ll be something to wonder as you try to find a winner.
Or not. McIlroy says he’s ready.
Immediately, after Lowry’s crack, McIlroy said two words:
“I care.”
With that, members of our staff have each made a to-win selection to assist you with your own weekly picks, whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league, or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook. It’s an enjoyable endeavor for us. Deploy it as you wish.
On to our analysis.
2025 PGA Championship picks to win
PGA Tour golfers aren't the only ones who can make some 💰 starting next Thursday. You can too! Here are a few tips. https://t.co/uldLYRZvRh
To-win: Scottie Scheffler, +500. Whoever wins the PGA Championship will make a ton of birdies, and Scottie Scheffler is hitting the ball so close to the hole right now it’s impossible for him not to make birdies. His game was ‘off’ to start the year, but he figured it out and is hitting Quail Hollow full of confidence. That’s dangerous for the rest of the field (outside of McIlroy, of course).
Connor Federico
To-win: Ludvig Aberg, +1600. The Swedish star played his way into contention again at Augusta National. His putter was hot, and his driver was on fire. Although he has no professional history at Quail, the 25-year-old has too much talent to ignore. Justin Thomas was just 24 when he launched into stardom with his first major win here in 2017. I expect Ludvig to walk a similar, multiple-major-winning road, starting this week by lifting the Wanamaker.
Jessica Marksbury
To-win: Scottie Scheffler, +500. I’m actually hoping for an epic Scheffler-McIlroy Sunday duel, but ultimately casting my vote for the World No. 1. Fresh off a big win in Texas and with a week of rest, Scottie will be the man to beat at Quail Hollow, and I believe this will be the week where he gets his major mojo back on track.
Maddi MacClurg
To-win: Bryson DeChambeau, +1050. Coming off a recent win at LIV Golf Korea, DeChambeau is my pick to win the PGA Championship. Quail Hollow is a course that rewards length off the tee, and no one leverages power like Bryson. The layout entices players to take aggressive lines — a challenge he welcomes — and pays back dividends to those who succeed. If his irons are dialed, I think he’s got this one in the bag.
Kris McCormack
To-win: Rory Mcllroy, +500. Rory has won four times at Quail Hollow. He also finished T22 when it hosted the 2017 PGA Championship. This is one of his favorite tracks — long, demanding and perfect for his aggressive driving.
To-win: Scottie Scheffler, +500. It’s not the sexiest pick, but it’s the most sensible. After being a bit off to start the year, Scottie found his old form two weeks ago in Texas. If he can continue to hit the ball like he did there, it’ll be major No. 3 for Scottie come Sunday evening.
Nick Piastowski
To-win: Rory McIlroy, +500. Boring, I know. But I picked this way back in December, if that counts for anything. If you want to go a little deeper, Sungjae Im (+6600) is also a solid play at Quail.
Josh Schrock
To-win: Bryson DeChambeau, +1050. I had Rory earmarked for this one before he won the Masters so I’ll zag a bit. Bryson has been playing good but not great golf over the past month. He blew leads in Miami, Augusta and Mexico before finally getting over the line in Korea. This course should suit him well, and he has been a fixture at majors over the past year. Easy to see the slightly less big golfer getting it done this week. If you want to look slightly down the board, I like Shane Lowry at +5000.
Josh Sens
To-win: Scottie Scheffler, +500 If he plays so-so, he contends. If he plays well, he wins. The latter seems more likely. This is one of those rare cases where the odds are a pretty fair reflection of a guy’s actual chances.
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
