Scottie Scheffler's Back at Aronimink and He's Coming for History

The PGA Championship is rolling into Philadelphia this week, and defending champ Scottie Scheffler is showing up with something to prove. He's got three straight runner-up finishes under his belt, including a heartbreaker at the Masters, and now he's stepping up to do something nobody has pulled off since Brooks Koepka in 2019: win back-to-back at golf's toughest major.

The Setup at Aronimink

The 108th PGA Championship hits Aronimink Golf Club from May 14-17, a Donald Ross design from 1926 that's only hosted this event once before. Last time the championship came here? 1962, when Gary Player won it. Since then, they've stretched the course out by 114 yards from when Keegan Bradley won the 2018 BMW Championship here, beating Justin Rose in a playoff.

The field is stacked at 156 players, and they're cutting to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes. Par is 70, and the course is playing at 7,394 yards. You're looking at a serious grind.

The Storylines That Matter

Beyond Scheffler's defense, Rory McIlroy has a real shot at something wild: becoming the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win the first two majors of the year. Jordan Spieth is also in the field, making his 10th attempt to finally complete the career Grand Slam.

Adam Scott is entering his 99th consecutive major championship appearance. Only Jack Nicklaus has ever cracked 100 straight starts in majors. This year's field spans 26 different countries, the deepest international makeup we've seen, yet Jason Day's 2015 PGA Championship win remains the last victory by an international player at this major. That's the longest drought for a non-American winner at any of the four majors.

Cameron Young, the FedEx Cup leader, has two wins on the season and was in the mix last week before a rough final-round 74. He's still hunting for his first major. Jon Rahm finished T8 last year with his best previous showing a T4 back at Bellerive in 2018. Bryson DeChambeau has been runner-up the last two years straight and just grabbed third at LIV Golf Virginia. Matt Fitzpatrick is already a three-time winner this season.

What's Next

TV coverage starts Thursday at noon ET on ESPN, with streaming on ESPN+ beginning at 7 a.m. The weekend shifts to CBS for late afternoon action. After this, the tour heads to The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas on May 21-24.

Jake Knapp withdrew Monday with a thumb injury and was replaced by Tom Hoge. Scheffler's at plus 385 odds at DraftKings. This is the real deal. Watch what he does.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.