𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Recent history suggests a star will win the PGA Championship. Gone are the days of a Shaun Micheel, Y.E. Yang or Jason Dufner winning this major.

Since it moved to May in 2019, only stars have won the PGA. Six of the last seven winners had odds of 35-to-1 or lower. Four of them were 16-to-1 or shorter. And the only “long shot” was 200-to-1 Phil Mickelson who was, you know, one of the greatest golfers of all time.

When it comes to this year’s course, Aronimink Golf Club currently seems set up for a certain type of golfer. As Rory McIlroy put it Tuesday:

💬 “Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent. It’s basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there.”

There’s not much trouble off the tee, meaning the longest players can send it without concern and leave themselves a wedge into these tricky, difficult greens. While most major tests are really about being dialed with those 150-200-yard shots, Aronimink is kind of the opposite. Players will have more long 200-plus-yard approaches than your average tour stop and far more shots inside 150.

But because long shots rarely win this event, there is some value to be had in a handful of golfers this week — here are some worth keeping in mind.

Of the favourites:

The sneaky mid-tier plays:

• Chris Gotterup
• Sam Burns
• Min Woo Lee

The long shot: