Major Power Rankings: 2024 PGA Championship Field

This article is part of our Major Power Rankings series.

2024 PGA Championship Power Rankings

Below are RotoWire's rankings for the 2024 PGA Championship.

This list is an asset for any fantasy or gaming format, including wagers, season-long fantasy leagues, PGA DFS -- even office pools.

The 106th PGA Championship will be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. It is a 1986 Jack Nicklaus design.
 
The course will play as a par-71 at an extremely long 7,609 yards on the scorecard. And that's without a 600-yard hole. There are three par-5s and they range from 570 yards to 597. There are two par-4s of at least 500 yards and three par-3s exceeding 200, including one at an unreal 254 yards. Not only will the golfers be hitting approach shots from far back in the fairway, they'll be aiming at small bentgrass greens averaging just 5,000 square feet. These rankings will reflect the skill set needed to succeed at Valhalla.

The PGA Championship was played at Valhalla in 1996, 2000 and 2014, all in August. The club's fourth PGA Championship will tie it for second most with Oak Hill behind only the five at Southern Hills. Valhalla also played host to the 2008 Ryder Cup, won by the United States.

Rory McIlroy won the 2014 Wanamaker Trophy for his fourth major championship, and it was unfathomable at the time to think that a decade later he would still be stuck on four. He shot 16-under to defeat Phil Mickelson by one stroke. The course played as a par-71 at 7,458 yards and the cut was 1-over.

Tiger Woods won in 2000 at Valhalla for his second PGA Championship victory, epically dueling and defeating Bob May in a playoff after they tied at 18-under. In 2011, Mark Brooks shot 11-under to edge Kentucky native Kenny Perry. In both 2000 and 2011, the course length was in the 7,100s.

Twenty-seven players who played in 2014 will be in this 156-man field, including Woods, who missed the cut then. There are three players from the '08 Ryder Cup playing this week: Mickelson, Justin Rose and Padraig Harrington. Woods had been hurt while winning the U.S. Open earlier that year and did not play. Four players remain from the 2000 PGA: Woods, Mickelson, Harrington and John Daly. Mickelson and Daly also played in 1996.

This year's field will be a maxed-out 156 and includes the top-103 golfers in the world rankings.

There is the usual complement of 20 club pros. One or two could make the cut, as Michael Block famously did last year, but oftentimes none make it and they are not a factor. There are also 15 former PGA Championship winners in the field, led by defending champion Brooks Koepka.

Unlike regular PGA Tour events, the cut will be the top 70 and ties.

These rankings were compiled before the completion of the Wells Fargo Championship, though a mention of McIlroy's victory was added at the last minute.

Any field changes or important news will be noted in the comments section below.

And with that, here are our rankings for the PGA Championship, which are broken down into the following categories:

• Favorites
• Contenders
• Making the Cut
• Borderline
• Long Shots
• Club Pros

FAVORITES

1) Scottie Scheffler
The question, of course, is not whether Scheffler should be No. 1 but by how much (maybe we should skip No. 2 and put the next guy at No. 3 just to make a point). Really, the biggest impediment to Scheffler winning his second straight major is his personal life – it was still not known as of this writing whether his wife, Meredith, had given birth to their first child. Scheffler has said he'd withdraw from any tournament for the birth. He skipped the Wells Fargo. He has won four of his past five starts, including THE PLAYERS and the Masters. As for his PGA Championship history, Scheffler tied for fourth in his 2020 debut, then went T8 and MC before sharing runner-up to Koepka last year.  [Update: Scheffler is on the interview schedule for Tuesday at Valhalla -- draw your own conclusions.]

2) Brooks Koepka
Koepka was a stunning non-factor at the Masters. He said he was embarrassed by his play at Augusta, so now he has even more incentive to defend his championship. A sixth career major would vault him into rarefied air, tying for the top-12 all-time alongside Mickelson, Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo. On top of all the motivation to win, Koepka arrives having won LIV Singapore two weeks ago, which should cause concern for every other golfer in the field -- including Scheffler.

3) Jon Rahm
Maybe the biggest shocker of the Masters was Rahm tying for 45th in his title defense. He surely did not look happy putting the Green Jacket on Scheffler. He has been playing well all year on LIV – top-10 in every tournament, though without a win – so it probably was just more of a rare occurrence of Rahm not contending. That should fire him up even more this week. The PGA has been Rahm's worst major, never finishing higher than T4 in 2018 and being far back the past two years.

4) Rory McIlroy
This PGA serves as the 10-year anniversary/reminder of McIlroy last major. Yes, it was the 2014 PGA right here at Valhalla. The When-Will-McIlroy-Win-Another-Major storyline is now officially and painfully long and bordering on cringeworthy. Imagine how he feels! He has eight top-10s in 15 careers PGAs. He has top-10s in half his 60 career majors. He has 17 top-5s. So we forge on. It had been a subpar season for McIlroy until he won the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry. Sure, it was a team victory, but it's hard to discount the sheer joy that McIlroy showed in the aftermath, and how it could leave him in a much-needed good headspace. And then that became evident when he ran away from Xander Schauffele on Sunday to win the Wells Fargo again at Quail Hollow. McIlroy loves Quail Hollow. He loves Valhalla. Hmmmm?

5) Ludvig Aberg
It surely was a surprise that Aberg was a late WD from the Wells Fargo citing a previously undisclosed knee injury. We're proceeding under the assumption the WD was precautionary. Taking a look at Aberg's career history in the majors, his average finish is runner-up. Of course, he's played in only one, last month's Masters, where he was solo second behind Scheffler -- and Augusta National is much harder to negotiate for a first-timer than Valhalla. Aberg's prowess off the tee should prove to be even more valuable this week. He tied for 10th at the RBC Heritage a week after the Masters, his fifth top-10 of the season.

6) Xander Schauffele
Schauffele's never-ending game of How High Can You Finish At A Major Without Actually Winning One continued at the Masters, where he was solo eighth. He's had two major top-10s in every year since 2018 except one (2022) and has finished 18th or better in 10 straight majors. The consistency is simply remarkable. So is the inability to close out even one of those tournaments. Schauffele has four top-5s and seven top-10s already in 2024, which is about the only way you can be No. 4 in the world rankings without having won a tournament of any kind in almost two years.

7) Wyndham Clark
Clark tied for third at the RBC Heritage, offering proof he had recovered from his Augusta National face-plant. He chided LIV golfers for playing only 54 holes, then managed only 36 of his own. (Karma remains undefeated.) The big surprise at the RBC was that he finished third behind Scheffler, not second, which is where he wound up at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS. Throw in a signature win at Pebble Beach, and it's fair to argue that Clark has been the second best player on the PGA Tour this season after Scheffler.

8) Cameron Smith
After a surprising off-year at Augusta in 2023, Smith showed how good he can be by placing T6 there last month. The Masters is the major best suited for his game, followed by the Open Championship, with the long tracks usually in play at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open exposing Smith's biggest weaknesses. That said, he finished top-10 at both of them last year, and he was T13 at the PGA the year before. With his elite game from 100 yards and in, Smith can win on any course.

9) Bryson DeChambeau
Before tying for sixth at the Masters, DeChambeau had never shown a propensity to play well at Augusta. That hasn't been the case at PGA Championship tracks. He has tied for fourth twice at PGAs, including last year at Oak Hill. And we all know what he did at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. DeChambeau's sheer talent is probably as good as anyone's in golf. The key for him could come down to avoiding the one big bonehead mistake at a critical moment.

10) Max Homa
After never finishing in the top-10 of his first 16 career majors, Homa has now done it in each of his past two – T10 at the Open Championship last July and T3 at the Masters last month. There definitely is a learning curve at majors, though usually not quite as, um, curvy, as it's been for Homa. His previous best at a major had been a T13 at the 2022 PGA. He has proven to be at this best at long, difficult tracks, having won at Quail Hollow, Riviera and Torrey Pines.

CONTENDERS

11) Collin Morikawa
The 2020 PGA champion's elite approach numbers have been way off from past years. But he showed at the Masters and then the RBC Heritage that he's still capable of being Morikawa, tying for third and then ninth. The list of players who can win majors doesn't go very deep, and Morikawa's still-woeful putting stats may indicate he isn't one of them right now, but the rest of his game is quite capable of rendering a top-10. (Or top-11!)

12) Will Zalatoris
Very few golfers have been so impressive in majors at the beginning of their careers as Zalatoris has been. He was runner-up at the Masters, the PGA and U.S. Open – all in his first nine majors. And he had three other top-8s, as well. Then after missing all four majors in his injury-shortened 2023, Zalatoris returned with another top-10 at the Masters last month. The concern, though, is that his back flared a couple of weeks ago, resulting in him WDing from the Byron Nelson.

13) Justin Thomas
Thomas hasn't finished in the top-35 at any major since winning his second PGA in 2022. While he has had some high-profile missed cuts in 2024 – Riviera, THE PLAYERS and the Masters – he also has five top-12 showings in his six other tournaments. That includes a T5 at the RBC Heritage. It's important to note that Thomas is going through a caddie change, having split with Bones Mackay and aligning with veteran bagman Matt Minister, at least for now. As mentioned with Morikawa, the list of possible winners this week is short. Thomas is on it, even if there's not much recent evidence and a putter even colder than Morikawa's.

14) Patrick Cantlay
While good buddy Schauffele may be the master of the top-5 or top-10 at majors, Cantlay might be the master of the top-15. We don't need a calculator to tell us that's not optimum for a top-10 OWGR player. Cantlay tied for 22nd at the Masters – most definitely outside the top-15. But in his nine majors before that? Six top-15s. His ability to reside just off the first page of the leaderboard without ever contending (other than at the 2019 Masters) is becoming more than a trend.

15) Cameron Young
Young still does not have a huge body of work in majors – only 11 starts. Yet his major record the past three years is among the best in the world with a runner-up, a third and three more top-10s, including last month at the Masters. He tied for third at the 2022 PGA Championship. Young remains winless in his PGA Tour career but has seven runners-up in 62 career starts.
 
16) Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick has been good not great in majors since winning the 2022 U.S. Open. He has four top-25s in six starts but only one top-10. His best PGA was a tie for fifth the month before he won the Open. Fitzpatrick turned around his 2024 season a couple of months ago after discovering and removing a small weight in his driver, leading to a top-5 at THE PLAYERS, a top-10 at the Valero and a top-25 at the Masters.

17) Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama has never missed a cut in 11 PGA Championships. He's missed only two career cuts in 35 starts in the three U.S.-based majors. Unless your name is Tiger, that's off-the-charts unheard of. Matsuyama has two top-5s and four other top-25s in those 11 PGAs, though none of them since 2021. That void coincides with his longstanding neck/back issues. Matsuyama has had a great season with a win at Riviera and he has the best SG: Tee-to-Green numbers on Tour for anyone not named Scheffler. But he withdrew from the Wells Fargo at the last minute – citing his back. As of this writing, we are proceeding as if that WD was precautionary and not dropping Matsuyama in the rankings.

18) Tommy Fleetwood
For someone who has never won a PGA Tour title, Fleetwood sure does do well in the majors. He has four top-5s in his past eight majors, including T3 at last month's Masters and T5 at the 2022 PGA. He tied for 18th last year at Oak Hill. That said, Fleetwood went into the Wells Fargo ranked 174th on Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach (yes, there is a 1 in front of the 74). He ranked 27th last season (no, there is no 1 in front of the 27). Despite those horrible numbers, Fleetwood has proven many times, including last month, how he can come through at majors, thanks in large part to elite wedge play.

19) Shane Lowry
In the past five PGA Championships, Lowry has a top-5, a top-10, a top-12 and a top-25. He has the skills to compete on virtually any type of course anywhere in the world. This season, he was ranked third on the PGA Tour in SG: Approach and 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green before the Wells Fargo. Outside of two top-5s in Florida, the 2024 results haven't been outstanding, though Lowry did team with McIlroy for the Zurich Classic title.

20) Joaquin Niemann
Niemann's arrival last month at the Masters – following a special invitation from Augusta National Golf Club -- was greatly anticipated after his fast start to the LIV Golf season. He had won two of the first three tournaments. He was merely okay at Augusta in tying for 22nd. His Masters history was and is far better than at the PGA, where he's made only three of six cuts with one top-25. But there's no doubt Niemann has turned a corner in his career of late. He is still only 25 years old.

21) Sahith Theegala
Since winning his first PGA Tour title in the fall at the Fortinet, Theegala has kept his foot on the gas. He has two runners-up, including at the RBC Heritage, plus a top-5 at Phoenix and top-10s at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS. He was ranked 12th in the world for a reason. Theegala doesn't have much of a major history, just seven starts. He tied for 40th last year in his lone PGA. 

22) Viktor Hovland
This has been a perplexing free fall for Hovland in a very short time, so perplexing that he might be ranked too high. But it's also so short a time that a turnaround could come swiftly and soon. After a breakthrough 2023, Hovland started tinkering, perhaps not satisfied by winning the Memorial, the BMW and the Tour Championship. It's resulted in season-to-date with a finish no better than T19. He missed the cut at the Masters, then withdrew from the RBC Heritage.

23) Jordan Spieth
Spieth's major vacuum isn't quite as long as McIlroy's, but it's getting on in years. It's been seven years since Spieth won the Open Championship, meaning this will be his seventh attempt to complete the oh-so-rare career grand slam (just six golfers have done it). The thing is, Spieth hasn't come close in the PGA in five years and has won only two tournaments of any kind in seven years. He has three top-10s this season but hasn't really contended. Spieth has had a wrist issue that's been lingering for about a year now and we just don't know how seriously it's affected his game.

24) Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton just recorded his first top-10 in a major in five years. He tied for ninth at the Masters. That gave him nine straight major made cuts, and weekend play at majors was far from a given earlier in his career. Among those nine are top-15s in the past two PGAs. Hatton has had a decent debut season with LIV, finishing in the top-25 of every tournament with three of top-10s.

25) Patrick Reed
Reed tied for 12th at the Masters last month to move comfortably inside the top-100 in the world rankings and thus earn an invite here. While Augusta has been his best major by far, he's done well at the PGA and, really, all of the majors. He's made eight of 10 cuts at the PGA with five top-25s, including three of the past five years. Reed hasn't done anything special at LIV this year, but he almost always rises in the majors.

MAKING THE CUT

26) Keegan Bradley
Bradley became one of the rare golfers to win the first time he played in a major, taking the 2011 PGA Championship. He finished third in his title defense but hasn't finished in the top-15 since. Still, he's gone on to make 11 of 13 cuts. He tied for 29th last year and is coming off a T22 at the Masters. Bradley was runner-up at the Sony in January but hadn't been able to crack the top-10 since then.

27) Min Woo Lee
Lee has played in only 10 career majors, yet he has at least one top-25 each of them, including a T18 last year at the PGA. He tied for 22nd last month at the Masters. Lee shared runner-up at the Cognizant in March, his only top-20 on Tour this season.

28) Corey Conners
If you believe in numerical patterns, this might not be the year to play Conners. In the past four PGAs, he's gone MC-T17-MC-T12, with last year's result his best in a major outside of the Masters. He's been his typical self in 2025: fourth in SG Approach, 137th in SG: Around-the-Green and 160th in SG: Putting, which is why he has five top-25s and zero top-10s. He hasn't missed a cut in 12 starts this season.

29) Jason Day
It's hard to remember how good Day was in the majors in a four-year span from 2013-16. He won his lone major at the 2015 PGA, was runner-up the next year, runner-up at the 2013 U.S. Open and amassed 10 total top-10s in that span. But only one top-25 in the past four years and nothing even inside the top-40 at the past three PGAs. But Day's game resurfaced last year with a win at the Byron Nelson, he's moved into the top-25 in the world and he's coming off a tie for 30th last month at the Masters.

30) Tony Finau
Finau's approach and tee-to-green numbers (ranked fifth in both) are still elite. But his results have not been. He has six top-25s in 11 starts, which is fine, but just two top-10s and he's contended only once (T2 at Houston). Equally or perhaps more troubling is that he hasn't had a top-25 in his past nine majors – after being a top-10 machine, with three of them in PGAs. He just tied for 55th at the Masters.

31) Harris English
English has been a pretty steady performer in majors, making the cut in 22 of his 28 lifetime, including a tie for 22nd at last month's Masters. He's five of seven overall at the PGA. In 11 events in 2024, English has seven top-25s and missed only one cut. He consistently is among the best bargains in DFS pricing.

32) Chris Kirk
Kirk played in a bunch of majors early in his career with poor results. In the past couple of years, since he embraced sobriety, he's been far better. He finished T5 at the 2022 PGA, his best major finish ever, and T29 a year ago. He's also had top-25s the past two Masters. He's among many guys who are great tee-to-green, ranked sixth, yet not so great on the greens, ranked 149th.

33) Russell Henley
Henley's overall major record is a mixed bag, but far better if you remove the Open Championship. He's made seven of 10 cuts at the PGA, albeit with only two top-25s. They came earlier in his career yet he's a far better player now, so it is a bit confounding. PGA Championship-type tracks should align nicely with Henley's strength off the tee and from the fairway. He missed the cut at last year's PGA, then turned around and tied for 14th a month later at the U.S. Open, further muddling the diagnosis.

34) Stephan Jaeger
Jaeger famously was the only golfer to beat Scheffler during his recent stretch of four wins in five starts. That came at the Houston Open for Jaeger's first PGA Tour win. He missed the cut at the Masters but followed that up with a pair of top-20s. Jager is ranked top-20 on Tour in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green and top-10 in Around-the-Green. At age 34, he has played in only five majors. He tied for 50th last year in his lone PGA. 

35) Nicolai Hojgaard
Hojgaard was leading on the weekend at the Masters last month. The fact that he tied for 16th in his first go-round at Augusta National shouldn't diminish the accomplishment. He also had a top-25 at last year's Open Championship and made the cut at the PGA. Remember, he's only 23, and barely at that. The pressure Hojgaard experienced on Europe's Ryder Cup team last fall should prepare him for just about anything in golf. He was runner-up at Torrey Pines in February but other than that and the Masters, he doesn't have a top-30 on Tour this season.

36) Adam Scott
Scott is set to play in his 91st straight major. Since 2020, he's missed only two cuts, though both have come at the PGA. Overall, he's made 17 of 23 cuts there through the years with 13 top-25s and six top-10s. Scott is coming off a T22 at the Masters, one of six worldwide top-25s he has in eight starts in 2024.

37) Talor Gooch*
Maybe we should start off with an asterisk. The PGA of America issued a number of special invites to LIV golfers. But all those players had made an effort to play outside of LIV somewhere in the world to accrue OWGR points. All but Gooch. So this is quite a precedent set here, one LIV should be elated with but one the PGA Tour cannot be pleased with. It's clear Gooch thinks very highly of himself, despite zero top-10s in 11 career majors and one win in 123 total PGA Tour starts. He missed the cut in two of three majors last year, including the PGA. Gooch has won three times on LIV, but all of them were last year. This year, he's eighth in the LIV standings with four top-10s.

38) Dustin Johnson
Johnson is a month shy of turning 40. His recent record in majors has aligned with getting older. His past five majors since the start of last year have gone: T48-T55-T10-MC-MC. Even before leaving for LIV, he had missed the cut at the 2021 and '22 PGAs. Johnson won at LIV Las Vegas earlier his year -- someone who had the otherworldly talent that he had is still capable of summoning it once in a while. But recent history has shown that's a rarity.

39) Tom Hoge
Hoge is a late bloomer. He's 34 years old yet has been playing majors regularly for only two years. He tied for ninth at the 2022 PGA and for 58th last year. That was the only major cut he made last year. This season, he's been quite good; in his past 12 starts leading to the Wells Fargo, he had a pair of top-10s and five other top-25s.

40) Sepp Straka
Straka had a slow start to the season, missing three of his first five cuts. He's rebounded with top-16s in four of his past five starts, including the Masters. Straka tied for seventh at last year's PGA and hasn't missed a cut there in three tries.

41) Sam Burns
Burns has far too much physical talent to play so badly in majors. He's made just eight of 15 cuts. His best is a T20 at the 2022 PGA, and he also tied for 29th there in 2019. He missed the cut last year and also missed last month at the Masters. Burns raced out of the gate to start the season with four top-10s in five starts. But he didn't have a top-25 and missed two cuts in his five ensuing starts.

42) Dean Burmester
The LIV player won two DP World Tour events late last year in his native South African, moving him back inside the top-100 OWGR. He's now 130th. Burmester has been among the best LIV golfers this season. He has a win and two T3s to sit third in the individual standings. He played in last year's PGA and tied for 54th. This will be his fourth PGA and eighth major with just one top-35 – a T11 at the Open two years ago. 

43) Rickie Fowler
Fowler has not been able to sustain last year's rebound season. He has just one top-25 in 11 starts in 2024. But it came at the RBC Heritage (T18) and followed a tie for 30th at the Masters. He's done well at the PGA through the years, with 11 made cuts in 14 tries that have included two top-5s, three top-10s and six top-25s. 

44) Matthieu Pavon
The Frenchman stunningly won at Torrey Pines in just his third start as a PGA Tour member. Almost as surprising, he continued to play well. He was third at Pebble Beach and tied for 12th in his first Masters. He's missed only cut, and that was at THE PLAYERS. Pavon has played in four other majors in his career, but this will be his first PGA.

45) Tom Kim
Kim shared runner-up at last year's Open Championship, tied for eighth at the U.S. Open, tied for 16th at the Masters – and missed the cut at the PGA. In fact, he's zero for three in PGA Championship cuts. This has not been a good season to date for the still-only 21-year-old Kim – his best finish was T17 at Phoenix. He's making cuts but without high finishes, with only two top-25s in 12 starts, and he's outside the top-100 in almost every strokes-gained metric.

46) Brian Harman
Since last year's PGA, Harman has become a major champion and moved into the top-10 in the world rankings. But overall, he's been mediocre, at best, in majors. He's made the cut only 17 of 31 times, including five of nine at PGAs. He's had only one top-25 there, a T13 in 2017. Harman's overall game says he should be doing better, but his results are more than a small sample size.

47) Si Woo Kim
Kim has been outstanding in every strokes-gained metric but putting this season. He was ranked fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green and 143rd in SG: Putting. Still, there's a lot worse out there considering there are more than 200 golfers in the rankings. But it's why Kim had eight top-25s in 12 starts this season but only one top-10. (The fact that it came at THE PLAYERS gives you the full Kim Experience.) As for majors, Kim has been inexplicably terrible throughout his career. He's missed half his 28 cuts and is only two for eight at the PGA. One of those was a tie for 13th in 2020.

48) Cam Davis
Davis has been around for six PGA Tour seasons, yet this will be only his eighth major. He's coming off a T12 at the Masters and tied for fourth at last year's PGA. He's had only one other top-40 in a major, so those are far and away his two best. This season, the Masters was his top finish all season and he's made eight of 10 cuts, but Davis is ranked outside the top-100 in every strokes-gained metric.

49) Keith Mitchell
Mitchell is ranked sixth in SG: Off-the-Tee and 12th in Approach. That should be enough to reach the weekend in any tournament. He's also ranked 150th in SG: Putting. That adds up to 11 made cuts in 13 starts with seven top-25s and two top-10s. The putting limits his upside. Mitchell made the cut in all three of his majors last year and has made three in a row at the PGA, with a best of T34 two years ago.

50) Denny McCarthy
McCarthy has played in the PGA Tour Championship four times without missing a cut and with a best of T29 last year. He went on to tie for 20th at the U.S. Open. And he also made the cut in his first Masters last month. Clearly, he's become a very good player, albeit one still looking for his first PGA Tour title. McCarthy was a heartbreak playoff loser to Akshay Bhatia at the Valero Texas Open. He's made 10 of 11 cuts this season.

51) Byeong Hun An
An played the PGA Championship every year from 2015 to '21 but hasn't been back since. He made the cut four times with one top-25. He's coming off a tie for 16th at last month's Masters and also recorded a top-25 at last year's U.S. Open. An has three top-10s this season, including a playoff loss to Grayson Murray at the Sony, the Sentry and Bay Hill.

52) Austin Eckroat
Eckroat broke through with his first PGA Tour win at the Cognizant earlier this year, which got him into his first Masters (MC). He is ranked in the top-25 on Tour in SG: Approach, Tee-to-Green and Total, but his putting has been a weak spot. Eckroat has missed only one other cut besides the Masters in 12 starts. This will be his first PGA Championship. He tied for 10th last year at the U.S. Open.

53) J.T. Poston
Now 30, Poston keeps getting better. He's coming off a tie for 30th at the Masters, his best finish in 13 major starts. He's made three of four cuts at the PGA, with a best of T40 last year. This season, Poston has four top-10s and six top-25s in 11 starts, missing only one cut.

54) Eric Cole
Since the longtime mini-tour star burst upon the scene at the PGA Tour a little more than a year ago, he's played in three majors, including T15 at the PGA and made cuts at the U.S. Open and Masters. He's already played a lot in 2024, with 15 starts. He's missed five cuts, including THE PLAYERS, but also has six top-25, among those a T10 at Riviera.

55) Akshay Bhatia
Six years ago, then-16-year-old Bhatia won the Junior PGA Championship at Valhalla. Now 22, he tied for 35th last month at the Masters in his second career major; he also made the cut at the 2021 U.S. Open. Bhatia got to Augusta with his riveting playoff win over McCarthy at the Valero Texas Open. Overall, he has seven top-25s in 12 starts but also has missed four cuts, including at THE PLAYERS. 

56) Alex Noren
Noren has terrific stats so far this season with not a whole lot to show for it. He's ranked ninth on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green and an incredible sixth in SG: Total. Yet he has only two top-10s (and three top-25s) in 10 starts. Noren is coming off his best finish of the year, a solo third at the Byron Nelson. He's made every cut and has made seven of 11 lifetime at the PGA, albeit with just one top-25.

57) Taylor Moore
Following last year's breakthrough season in which he won his first title at the Valspar, Moore has had a good 2024 to date. He's missed only one cut in 12 starts with four top-25s and a runner-up at the Houston Open. Moore made his majors debut last year, played all four, made the cut at the Masters and PGA, then tied for 20th at last month's Masters.

58) Phil Mickelson
In the past few weeks, the 53-year-old Mickelson hinted at retirement without saying when. This will be his 123rd major and 31st PGA. He's made the cut in 27 of the 30, including a tie for 58th last year and his incredible win in 2021 (he skipped 2022 amid the backlash from his LIV comments). For what it's worth, Mickelson was runner-up last time the PGA was played at Valhalla in 2014, tied for ninth there in 2000 and for eighth there in 1996. He tied for 43rd last month at the Masters.

59) Jake Knapp
Knapp was the surprise winner of the Mexico Open in February. Very often after a maiden win, the experience is so life-altering with cash and attention that a player's game slides in the immediate aftermath. Not with Knapp. He tied for third the next week, missed only one cut since, cashed at both THE PLAYERS and the Masters and had another top-10 at the Byron Nelson. The Masters was his first career major (T55).

60) Adam Hadwin
Hadwin has made the cut in his past five majors and his past five PGAs. He tied for 40th last year and has a best of T29 in the 2019 PGA. On the season, Hadwin has three top-10s and missed three cuts in 11 stroke-play starts. He tied for 53rd at the Masters.

61) Thomas Detry
The 31-year-old Belgian is having another good season on the PGA Tour. He has two top-5s, including a runner-up at the Houston Open. He's missed three cuts in 11 starts. Detry has played in seven career majors with four made cuts, including last year's PGA.

62) Billy Horschel
Horschel had not missed a major in six years before not qualifying for the Masters last month. A week later, he won his eighth career title at the Corales Puntacana opposite-field event. Through the years, Horschel has made the cut in nine off 11 PGAs with three top-25s, making nine cuts in a row before MCing last year. Before winning in the Dominican Republic, Horschel had missed four of nine cuts this season but also had three top-12s.

63) Sungjae Im
Im missed the cut at the Masters -- which has been his best major. He's missed in three of his past five majors and five of his past seven. He's made only two of five at the PGA, with a best of T17 in 2021. Im recently won a tournament in South Korea for the second year in a row, the only worldwide events he's won in three years. Since a season-opening T5 at the Sentry, Im has no top-10s on Tour.

64) Kurt Kitayama
Kitayama has missed only one cut all season. He finished top-20 at THE PLAYERS and tied for 35th at the Masters. His major record is pretty bad but for one exception: last year's PGA, in which he tied for fourth. Kitayama has made three of four cuts in PGAs.

65) Adrian Meronk
As the most recent addition to LIV Golf back in January, Meronk remains inside the top-100 in the world rankings. He qualified for the Masters and missed the cut. Before departing the DP World Tour, he finished as runner-up to McIlroy in January in Dubai. Meronk tied for 40th last year in his lone PGA. He's had three top-10s and two top-20s on the LIV circuit.

66) Justin Rose
Rose has had a remarkable career in the majors. Of the 54 cuts he's made, 42 have resulted in top-25s and 20 have been top-10s. Alas, at age 43, only one of those top-10s has come in the past three years. But it was in last year's PGA, and in the past four editions he's gone 9-T8-T13-T9. So that terrific streak will collide with a pretty rough 2024 season on the PGA Tour: nine starts, six made cuts, one top-25, zero top-10s, MC at THE PLAYERS and Masters.

67) Lucas Glover
Glover is good at making cuts – 9 of 11 this season – but has only three top-25s. That's because the out-of-nowhere great putting that materialized last summer has evaporated. He's ranked 168th in SG: Putting. But he's also ninth in SG: Approach. Which is why he always has a puncher's chance to do some damage in a tournament. One of the top-25s was at the Masters (T20). Glover has also finished top-25 in two of his past three PGA Championships, though they came in 2019 and '22.

68) Victor Perez
The Frenchman missed his first two cuts of the year as a PGA Tour member but has stabilized, making six of his next seven with a top-10 and two more top-25s. He's also been getting better in majors. He's made three of his past five cuts, including a tie for 12th at last year's PGA. He also tied for 23rd at the 2020 PGA.

69) David Puig
The 22-year-old Spaniard has admirably been busier than any other LIV golfer. He's won twice in Asia since October plus a runner-up and two other top-5s. That moved Puig to 105th in the world, resulting in a special invite from the PGA of America. Inside of LIV, however, he's only 43rd in the individual standings. Puig tied for 39th last year at the U.S. Open in his first major.

70) Matt Wallace
Wallace has been pretty good at reaching major weekends. He's made the cut in 10 of his past 12 majors and is five for five in his career at PGA Championships. He tied for 65th last year but also tied for third in 2019. He's struggled mightily this season with seven made cuts in 12 starts and just two top-25s.

BORDERLINE

71) Ryan Fox
Fox's first year as a PGA Tour member has not gone well. He missed six of his first 11 cuts with just one top-25. But he reached the weekend at the Masters (T38), as he did in all four majors last year, including a tie for 23rd at the PGA.

72) Tiger Woods
Woods has played 5+ rounds of golf this year – four at the Masters and 1+ at his Genesis Invitational. In 2023, he played six rounds, making the cut at Riviera and WDing after making the cut at Augusta. In 2022, the last time he played in the PGA, he withdrew. Woods won the 2000 PGA at Valhalla and missed the cut there in 2014. 

73) Andy Ogletree
The 2019 U.S. Amateur champion is now on the LIV circuit. Last year, he played 11 times on the Asian Tour, winning twice, to secure the Order of Merit and receive a berth here in the PGA. He's also finished top-25 in two Asian Tour events this year. Ogletree has played in two career majors, winning low amateur at the 2020 Masters before missing the cut later that year at the U.S. Open. He tied for third at LIV Adelaide, but that's his only LIV top-25 this season.

74) Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Bezuidenhout has had a good PGA Tour season to date. He's made nine of 11 cuts with six top-25s, including a runner-up to Nick Dunlap at the Amex. His major history has not been great. His best in 13 starts has been T30 at the 2021 PGA. That's his lone made cut in four PGA Championships.

75) Erik van Rooyen
The South African tied for 55th at the Masters to end a stretch of six straight missed cuts at majors, including the 2021 and '22 PGAs. He also tied for eighth at the 2019 PGA, by far his best major showing. van Rooyen has made nine of 12 cuts this season, with six top-25s, including a runner-up at the Cognizant.

76) Emiliano Grillo
How's this for wacky: Grillo has missed the cut in four of his past five majors, with the outlier being a tie for sixth(!) at last year's Open Championship. He's coming off a missed cut at the Masters and also missed last year at the PGA. But overall he's six for eight at the PGA with two top-25s, clearly his best major. Grillo has missed only one cut in 11 starts this season – at the Masters. He has five top-25s and has somehow become a very good putter overnight, ranked 22nd on Tour in SG: Putting.

77) Adam Schenk
Schenk is coming off his best career major finish by far – a T12 at the Masters. It came during a season in which he has been, oh, mediocre. He's made 10 of 13 cuts with five top-25s but only one top-10. That was a tie for fifth at the Valero. He was in the mix much more often last year. Schenk has played two PGA Championships, missing the cut last year and tying for 41st the year before.

78) Nick Taylor
Taylor has turned his career around in the past two years, winning two tournaments on the PGA Tour. But that has not translated into success in the majors. He's missed his past five cuts, including the Masters last month and the final three last year. Alternatively, Taylor won the Phoenix Open in February, finished 26th at THE PLAYERS and has made 10 of 12 cuts overall.

79) Lucas Herbert
Herbert is with LIV but inside the top 100. He played the two big Australia events annually played late in the year, the PGA and the Open, and was seventh in each of them. He also has a pair of top-10s in Asia this year. Herbert was 41st in the LIV individual standings with a best of T14 at Adelaide. He's made the cut in four of his five PGAs, with a tie for 40th last year.

80) Thorbjorn Olesen
Olesen won a DP World Tour even in the United Arab Emirates in January. He's made six PGA Tour starts this season with three made cuts and a best of T14 at the Valero. He has played in 25 majors but only four in the past five years. One of them was last month's Masters after receiving a special invitation, and he tied for 58th. Another was last year's PGA, where he missed the cut. Through the years, Olesen has made six of eight PGA Championship cuts.

LONG SHOTS

81) Taylor Pendrith
5th major. 2nd PGA. T29 in 2023. Won CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks ago.

82) Jordan Smith
9th major. 4th PGA. Best PGA: T9, 2017. MC last year. Finished T20 in last year's U.S. Open.

83) Maverick McNealy
7th career major (5 MCs). 3rd PGA. Best PGA: T75 in 2022.

84) Brendon Todd
18th major. 6th PGA. 4 MCs at PGA. T17 in 2020.

85) Adam Svensson
4th major. 2nd PGA. T40 in 2023.

86) Mackenzie Hughes
18th major. 6th PGA. Best PGA: T58, 2020. MCs past three years.

87) Nick Dunlap
4th major. 3 MCs. 1st PGA. 20 years old.

88) Grayson Murray       
5th major. 2nd PGA. T22 in 2017. T51 at last month's Masters.

89) Lee Hodges
5th major. 2nd PGA. T55 in 2023.

90) Aaron Rai
5th major. 2nd PGA. MC in 2021.

91) Luke List
19th major. 6th PGA. Best PGA: 6th, 2019.

92) Mark Hubbard
4th major. 3rd PGA. Bet PGA: T51, 2022.

93) Patrick Rodgers
7th major. 3rd PGA. Best PGA: T29, 2023.

94) Taylor Montgomery
5th major. 2nd PGA. T65 in 2023.

95) Robert MacIntyre
13th major. 5th PGA. Best PGA: T49, 2021

96) Beau Hossler
10th major. 5th PGA. Best PGA: T36, 2019

97) Andrew Putnam
13th major. 5th PGA. Best PGA: T59, 2018.

98) Rasmus Hojgaard
5th major. 3rd PGA. Best PGA: T79, 2021.

99) Ryo Hisatsune
2nd major. MC last month at Masters. 21 years old.

100) Sebastian Soderberg
3rd major. 1st PGA. Qualified by finishing first in DP World Tour's recent Asian Swing – three straight runners-up 

101) Thriston Lawrence
5th major. 2nd PGA. T62 in 2023.

102) K.H. Lee
13th major. 4th PGA. Best PGA: T29, 2023

103) Adrian Otaegui
7th major. 4th PGA. Best PGA: T65, 2018. MC last year. Qualified via top-3 finish during DP World Tour's recent Asian Swing – won Volvo China Open.

104) Charley Hoffman
39th major. 13th PGA. Best PGA: T17, 2021

105) Doug Ghim
3rd major. 1st PGA. Got in as first alternate.

106) Keita Nakajima
5th major (4 MCs). 1st PGA. Qualified by finishing second on DP World Tour's recent Asian Swing – won Hero Indian Open.

107) Tim Widing
1st major. Two-time winner this season on Korn Ferry Tour.

108) Vincent Norrman
2nd major. MC at 2023 U.S. Open.

109) Peter Malnati
5th major. 3rd PGA. MCs in 2016, '21.

110) Alex Smalley
3rd major. 2nd PGA. T23 last year in PGA. Got in a second alternate.

111) Gary Woodland
49th major. 13th PGA. Best PGA: T6, 2018. Has made only 4 cuts in 11 starts this season coming back from brain surgery.

112) Brice Garnett
4th major. 2nd PGA. T50 in 2018

113) Keita Nakajima
5th major. 1st PGA. Qualified as Order of Merit winner on Japan Tour

114) Alexander Bjork
7th major (6 MCs). 3rd PGA. T41 in last year's Open Championship.

115) Takumi Kanaya
9th major (8 MCs). 3rd PGA. MCs in 2021, '22.

116) Camilo Villegas
28th major. 8th PGA. Best PGA: T4, 2008.

117) Ben Griffin
3rd major. 2nd PGA. MC last year.

118) Zac Blair
4th major. 2nd PGA. MC in 2016.

119) Sami Valimaki
4th major. 2nd PGA. MC, 2021.

120) Luke Donald
57th major. 16th PGA. Best PGA: T3, 2006. MC in last year's PGA.

121) Francesco Molinari
54th major. 14th PGA. Best PGA: Runner-up, 2017. MC all four majors last year.

122) Padraig Harrington
84th major. 25th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2008.

123) Jesper Svensson
1st major. 28-year-old Swede. Won DP World Tour's Singapore Classic earlier this year.

124) Alejandro Tosti
1st major. Shared runner-up at Houston Open.

125) Martin Kaymer
54th major. 15th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2010.

126) Michael Block
8th major. 6th PGA. Best PGA: T15, 2023. The darling of last year's PGA qualified again by finishing in the top-16.

127) S. H. Kim
1st major. Got in as the 3rd alternate.

128) Ryan van Velzen
1st major. Order of Merit winner on Sunshine Tour.

129) Chris Gotterup
2nd major (T43 2022 U.S. Open). 1st PGA. Qualified after winning Myrtle Beach Classic.

130) Kazuma Kobori
1st major. 23-year-old New Zealander won on Australasia Tour earlier this year.

131) Jimmy Walker
39th major. 13th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2016.

132) Jason Dufner
45th major. 15th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2013.

133) Y.E. Yang
37th major. 17th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2009.

134) Rich Beem
41st major. 22nd PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2002.

135) Shaun Micheel
37th major. 21st PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2003.

136) John Daly
79th major. 31st PGA. Best PGA: Win, 1991.

CLUB PROS

Ben Polland won the PGA Professional Championship (commonly called the "Club Pro Championship") by three strokes over Andy Svoboda and Jared Jones on May 1 at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. The top 20 finishers, listed in order of finish below, qualified for the PGA Championship. Last year, just one of the 20, Block, made the cut. Block tied for 15th to earn a return invite this year. He competed in the Club Pro Championship and tied for 39th.

Ben Polland, Shooting Star of Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole, Wyo. 4th PGA Championship. 3 MCs, lastly in 2021. 

Andrew Svoboda, Butler National Golf Club, Oak Brook, Ill. Former PGA Tour player and Korn Ferry Tour winner. 6th major. 1st PGA. Made U.S. Open cut in 2008.
Jared Jones, River Oaks Country Club, Houston. MC at 2022 PGA Championship.
John Somers, Southern Hills Plantation Club, Trinity, Fla. MC at 2023 PGA Championship.
Jesse Mueller, Grand Canyon University Golf course, Phoenix. 2022 Club Pro winner. Missed cut. Played six PGA Tour events last year and missed every cut. T66 at this Year's Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Tyler Collet, John's Island Club, Vero Beach, Fla. Made cut at 2024 Puerto Rico, MC at Cognizant. MC at 2021, '22 PGA Championship.
Brad Marek, Corica Park, Berkeley, Calif. Made cut at 2021 PGA Championship. MC at 2022 Pebble Beach.
Evan Bowser, LaPlaya Golf Club, Naples, Fla. PGA Tour Canada in 2017-19.
Jeremy Wells, Cypress Lake Golf Club, Estero, Fla. MC at 2023 PGA Championship.
Jeffrey Kellen, North Shore Country Club, Glenview, Ill. 1st PGA Tour event.
Josh Speight, The Club of Viniterra, Locust Hill, Va. MC at 2016, '23 PGA Championship.
Larkin Gross, Westwood Country Club, Center Cros, Va. MC at 2021 PGA Championship and 2022 Wells Fargo.
Preston Cole, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C. 1st PGA Championship.
Tracy Phillips, Cedar Ridge Country Club, Tulsa, Okla. Age 61. Made cut at 2014, '22, '23 Senior PGA and '22 Senior U.S. Open.
Josh Bevell, Profectus Golf, Nashville, Tenn. First PGA Tour event.
Matt Dobyns, Meadow Brook Club, Jericho, N.Y. 2012 and '15 Club Pro champion. MC at 2012 and 2015-18 PGA Championships and 2014 U.S. Open. Made 3 PGA Tour cuts in 2016.
Zac Oakley, Bidermann Golf Club, King of Prussia, Pa. MC at 2022 PGA Championship.
Kyle Mendoza, Hacienda Golf Club, Oceanside, Calif. Made cut at 2021 Farmers Insurance Open. MC at 2022 Amex and PGA Championship.
Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green Golf Club, Ashton, Pa. Was defending Club Pro champion. MC at 2023 PGA, 2024 Cognizant and Puntacana.
Wyatt Worthington II, Eastside Golf, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. MC at 2016, '22, '23 PGA Championship.

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