Major season is in full swing as we make our way up to Philadelphia for this year's playing of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. The trip to Aronimink brings professional men's golf back to the Donald Ross design for the first time since 2018, a happy return to the classic venue that the famed course designer once deemed his greatest creation.
Look, last week was not good for the rankings for either event that was played, as the win streak was snapped. However, we tend to step up when the chips are down, as we've hit four of the five majors since starting the rankings last season. Granted, it was Scottie twice and Rory twice, so how hard can it really be?
I'll be honest, though. I don't see a long shot winning this week. I think there will be surprising names in the top 10, but when it comes to actually winning, it's going to be one of the big names. Let's stop delaying the inevitable and get to what everyone came here for.
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland
9. Jordan Spieth
Okay, this probably won't happen, but hear me out. Jordan Spieth has been experimenting with a new driver setup, and that led to him having his best driving performance by strokes gained since 2024 last week at the Truist.
The issue with Spieth at the PGA was always going to be his driving distance, but now that he's finding it off the tee again? Anything is possible. In all seriousness, if he can just get things to click, Spieth can truly be a factor this weekend.
8. Brooks Koepka
One of the few making the flight from Myrtle Beach to Philly this week, Koepka put up a respectable T11 last week, bringing his count to five top-20 finishes in his return campaign on the PGA Tour.
While the putting hasn't quite been there for the five-time major winner this year, his overall ball-striking has been really solid this year, and his Saturday 64 this past week shows that Brooks Koepka, the ultimate competitor, is still there. A win would still be a shock this week, but remember, he won at Oak Hill in 2023 after his move to LIV, so who knows what Brooks will have in store for us this week.
7. Collin Morikawa
If you look at the 2018 BMW Championship, the last PGA Tour event hosted at Aronimink, the leaderboard reads like a who's who of great iron players. Despite the lengthening of the course since then, Aronimink should still play like a second-shot golf course, and Collin Morikawa is the first name that comes to mind for any course that sets up this way.
Yes, he had a really bad Cadillac Championship, but I still think his iron play should put him squarely in the mix this weekend for major number three.
6. Ludvig Aberg
In his last six starts, Ludvig Aberg's worst finish was a T21 at The Masters. Outside of that, Aberg has been a mainstay in the top ten of leaderboards for the last couple of months, seemingly returning to the form he showed in 2024, where it felt like he would turn into a true world-beater.
Aberg's irons have been driving his resurgence, as they have finally returned to 2024 levels in terms of strokes gained. I was high on Aberg last year while he fought through all sorts of injury issues, and now it feels like the train is back on the tracks for Ludvig.
5. Matt Fitzpatrick
Despite my picking of the wrong Fitzpatrick brother last week, I still think that Matt Fitzpatrick deserves to get into the rankings for this week. His play in the PGA Championship has been a mixed bag throughout his career, but he's coming off of a T8 finish at Quail Hollow last year.
At the same time, Fitz is currently averaging right around one stroke gained per round in approach play this season, so his iron play around Aronimink should yield great dividends.
4. Xander Schauffele
The 2024 PGA Champion did not have his best game at the Truist last week, but a return to Aronimink should prove fruitful for Xander. Schauffele finished T3 at the 2018 BMW Championship here, one shot out of the playoff between Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley.
The iron play has continued to be a major strength; his putting has just failed him more this year than it has in previous seasons. If he can find a strong weekend with the putter, then Xander should be finding himself at the top of the leaderboard.
3. Cameron Young
Yes, there is clear cause for at least a tiny bit of concern after losing over five shots to the field putting on Sunday, but I'm going to take it as just a tiny blip for Cameron Young. His numbers in all other aspects of his game (including his putting throughout this year) have been great, and his growth into a true world-beater has been great to see.
Sure, last Sunday was a massive disappointment, but this version of Cameron Young can bounce right back and get right into the mix of things this week.
2. Rory McIlroy
Rory's Truist experience was a mixed bag to say the least, as he drove the ball extremely well but had no short game to speak of en route to a T19. Considering it was his first start since The Masters, I'm willing to chalk things up to Rory shaking off some rust before the PGA.
We enter this year with Rory looking to continue his chase for a Grand Slam this year, and I think Aronimink should set up well for McIlroy this weekend. A non-American hasn't won the PGA Championship since Jason Day in 2015, but Rory feels like the player best positioned to break this stretch of American dominance.
1. Scottie Scheffler
Outside of his one missed cut in 2022, here are Scottie Scheffler's career finishes at the PGA Championship: T4-T8-T2-T8-win.
I wanted to find a way to be cheeky and not have Scottie as the No. 1 player in the rankings for this week (it worked for last year's rankings), but I just couldn't find it. Even though he hasn't won as much as he maybe should have this year, he's still the best player in the world.
Don't be surprised by Scottie shaking off a disappointing spring and having another run to the end of the season like he did last year.
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