2022 PGA Championship: Complete Breakdown and Betting Guide
By Matt Hupfer
Augusta National, Saint Andrews, The Country Club, and Southern Hills. It’s hard to ask for better homes for major championships. Out of all the legendary courses hosting majors this year, Southern Hills just might be the best.
Southern Hills will be hosting its eighth major championship this week, the PGA Championship. If you’re not the lead dog at Southern Hills, the view never changes. Five of the seven winners at Southern Hills won wire-to-wire. The winner at Southern Hills has led after 26 of 28 rounds and all seven champions have held the 36 and 54-hole lead.
PGA Championship: The Field
The last time the PGA Championship did not have the strongest field in golf for the entire season was in 2014. The only players in the top 50 of the OWGR who are not playing are Sungjae Im, Paul Casey, and Harris English.
Sungjae had COVID last week and due to South Korea’s strict protocols was unable to travel back to the United States in time. Harris English had surgery to repair a torn labrum in February and Casey has a back injury.
Finally, Paul Casey has withdrawn from an event before the first groups have teed off on Thursday. Notably absent is defending champion, Phil Mickelson.
Tiger Woods won the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Woods made headlines when he played with Southern Hills Director of Golf, Cary Cozby, at the end of April and is in the field. Some people (Patrick Reed’s wife???) were not pleased.
I wonder what it’s like to have the Director of Golf at Southern Hills give you ALL the course notes you need for the upcoming @PGAChampionship Do all players get this treatment @PGA? For @TigerWoods this is just embarrassing that @PGA posted this photo & it’s very telling. pic.twitter.com/TAf3siYsHO
— GolfFACTS (@useGolfFACTS) May 1, 2022
The PGA of America can invite anyone they wish but the field is capped at 156 players. Players below 70 in the OWGR are the first alternates in the field. Every player who did not receive a special invitation is in the field via one of these qualifications.
· Former PGA Champion.
· Winners of the last five U.S. Opens.
· Winners of the last five Masters.
· Winners of the last five Open Championships.
· Winners of the last three The Players Championships.
· The current Senior PGA Champion.
· The low 15 scorers and ties in the previous PGA Championship.
· The 20 low scorers in the last PGA Professional Championship.
· The 70 leaders in official money standings on the PGA Tour.
· Members of the most recent United States and European Ryder Cup Teams (if inside the top 100)
· Any tournament winner co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour since the previous PGA Championship
Here’s a look at the entire field and their OWGR. The P means they are one of the 20 low scorers in the PGA Professional Championship.
