An unforgettable PGA Tour season reaches its second major championship this week, as the best of the best golfers in the world congregate in the oil capital of the world, better known as Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Southern Hills Country Club hosts the 2022 PGA Championship.

A year ago, 50-year-old Phil Mickelson turned back the clock to become the oldest major champion in PGA Tour history. Unfortunately, a number of unflattering stories regarding the defending champion has kept Mickelson off the Tour the past several months, and he made news last week when he withdrew from this tournament.

Phil will not be there, but everyone else will be teeing it up. Who do we like to follow up Mickelson’s masterpiece? Here are our top 15 heading into the week:

15. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods 2022 PGA Championship Southern Hills
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Tiger Woods on from the 14th green during a practice round at Southern Hills CC on May 16, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ahead of the 2022 PGA Championship. (Photo by Andrew Redington via Getty Images)

Easily the most watched player in this field, the 46-year-old has recorded four of his 15 career major victories at the PGA Championship, winning in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007. Among his last five starts in this major, Tiger has missed the cut three times and finished T37, but he was solo-second to Brooks Koepka at Bellerive in 2018. At last month’s Masters Tournament, Tiger was a surprise addition to the field, having not played on Tour since a horrific car accident in February of 2021. He did extremely well to make the cut, something Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau all failed to do, but on the weekend, he looked like someone who hadn’t competed in a year, shooting two rounds of 6-over 78 to finish T47. Still, it’s Tiger. He cannot be counted out anywhere.

Odds: 66-1
Odds Rank: 22nd
World Rank: 818th
Last 6: N/A
Best at the PGA: 1st (4x)
2021 Majors: DNP, DNP, DNP, DNP
2022 Masters: 47


14. Max Homa

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Max Homa wins 2022 Wells Fargo Championship
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Max Homa celebrates with his caddie Joe Greiner after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm on May 8, 2022 in Potomac, MD. (Photo by Gregory Shamus via Getty Images)

The affable 31-year-old now has four career Tour victories, after he prevailed two weeks ago at the Wells Fargo Championship, his second win on the Tour season. As phenomenal as Homa has been in the past few years, however, he has been a complete no-show at the majors, having failed to finish better than T40 in any of his ten major starts. At the PGA Championship, he has been especially bad, chasing a T64 in his 2019 maiden event with missed cuts in the last two editions. So, why give Homa any acknowledgement in these rankings at all? His confidence should be sky-high and there isn’t any real reason why he shouldn’t be much better in the majors. He is currently sixth in the FedExCup standings and ranks 28th or better in five of the six strokes gained categories. Homa tallying his best major finish this week is probably the safest bet in the field.

Odds: 50-1
Odds Rank: 18th
World Rank: 29th
Last 6: 1, 48, 35, 13, 17, 10
Best at the PGA: 64th (2019)
2021 Majors: MC, MC, MC, 40
2022 Masters: 48


13. Hideki Matsuyama

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Hideki Matsuyama Wins Sony Open 2022
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Hideki Matsuyama walks off the 1st green during the final round of the Sony Open at Waialae CC on Jan 16, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared / PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

With two wins on the 2022 PGA Tour season, Matsuyama has again asserted himself as one of the best in the game. He also comes into Southern Hills hot, closing last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson with a 10-under 62 that catalyzed a T3 finish. In his previous start, he was T14 in the championship defense of his victory at the 2021 Masters. The 30-year-old has twice finished in the top-5 at the PGA Championship, including a T5 in 2017 where he was just one stroke off the 54-hole lead. His $4.8 million in season earning is third best on Tour, and he ranks inside the top 10 in strokes gained: approach-the-green, strokes gained: tee-to-green, and greens in regulation, all of which are strong indicators of future performance.

Odds: 22-1
Odds Rank: 7th
World Rank: 11th
Last 6: 3, 14, 20, 39, 8, 30
Best at the PGA: 4th (2016)
2021 Majors: 1, 23, 26, DNP
2022 Masters: 14


12. Viktor Hovland

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Viktor Hovland
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Viktor Hovland lines up a putt during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2022 in Augusta, GA. (Photo by David Cannon via Getty Images)

One of the youngest star players in the field, the 24-year-old Norwegian currently ranks 6th in the OWGR and has been as high as third this season. Already with three Tour victories in just three full-time seasons, Hovland has done everything in his career except contending in a major, as his best finish was the T12 he recorded at last year’s Open Championship. On the season, Hovland won the World-Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and was T2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He has not been quite as stellar the past two months, but he is one of the few players in the field where we can say that his first major championship victory is just a matter of when.

Odds: 25-1
Odds Rank: 8th
World Rank: 6th
Last 6: 27, 18, 33, 9, 2, 4
Best at the PGA: 30th (2021)
2021 Majors: 21, 30, WD, 12
2022 Masters: 27


11. Brooks Koepka

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Brooks Koepka Wins 2019 PGA Championship
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Brooks Koepka prepares to play his shot out of the rough on the 13th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 19, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Koepka does not need help getting himself hyped for majors, as he has consistently excelled on the biggest stages, winning four times in the past five-plus seasons, including back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2018. The 32-year-old was also among those who finished runner-up to Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island a year ago. So, why is he not higher on this list? Well, he was a dud in missing the cut at The Masters last month and has just one top 10 in a stroke-play event this season (T3 at February’s WM Phoenix Open) and has missed six cuts in 13 starts this season. However, he can never be counted out in majors, and has been especially impressive at the PGA Championship. In his last eight starts in this event, he has finished outside the top 15 just once, and even in that edition, he was just two strokes off the 54-hole lead before an uncharacteristically poor final round.

Odds: 33-1
Odds Rank: 13th
World Rank: 18th
Last 6: MC, 5, 12, MC, 16, MC
Best at the PGA: 1st (2018-19)
2021 Majors: MC, 2, 4, 6
2022 Masters: MC


10. Will Zalatoris

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Will Zalatoris AT&T Byron Nelson
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Will Zalatoris watches his tee ball on the 2nd hole during round two of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 14, 2021 in McKinney, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Stockman via Getty Images)

A missed cut at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson should not be weighed too strongly when considering the chances of this week being Zalatoris’ first career major, and first career PGA Tour victory. The 25-year-old has more than proven that the biggest stages are not too much for him, with four top-10s in his last five major championship starts, including a T8 last year at Kiawah Island. And before last week’s gaffe, Zalatoris was on a T5-T6-T4 streak. Currently ranked first on Tour in strokes gained: approach-the-green and second in strokes gained: tee-to-green, do not be surprised if Zalatoris finds himself in the rare company of players who had their Tour breakthrough victory in a major.

Odds: 33-1
Odds Rank: 13th
World Rank: 30th
Last 6: MC, 6, 5, 26, 38, 26
Best at the PGA: 8th (2021)
2021 Majors: 2, 8, MC, WD
2022 Masters: 6


9. Xander Schauffele

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Xander Schauffele Leads Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: USA’s Xander Schauffele tees off on the 5th tee in round 2 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kasumigaseki CC in Kawagoe on July 30, 2021. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images)

Schauffele had not been looking quite himself, and shockingly missed the cut at The Masters last month, but his best version re-appeared in Dallas last week, exploding in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson to the tune of an 11-under 61 to finish the week 25-under after sinking to 3-over at one point on Thursday. He had an incredible nine birdies and an eagle over his final 14 holes to take a lead in a tournament that looked considerably out of reach before the late groups caught up. While he has yet to win a major, Schauffele has consistently finished well in the biggest events, with nine top-10s in 19 major starts. However, just one of those, a T10 in 2020 was at the PGA Championship. Is this finally his major? He sure looked like someone on the verge of a win last week.

Odds: 25-1
Odds Rank: 8th
World Rank: 10th
Last 6: 5, MC, 35, 12, MC, 13
Best at the PGA: 10th (2020)
2021 Majors: 3, MC, 7, 26
2022 Masters: MC


8. Shane Lowry

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Shane Lowry The PLAYERS
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Shane Lowry plays a shot from the 1st tee during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Mar 14, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Photo by Patrick Smith via Getty Images)

The world’s best Irish golfer has proven himself to be a major problem for the world’s best in the majors. Everyone remembers his six-stroke romp at the 2019 Open Championship, but he has continued to be relevant since, and even has top-12 finishes in three of his last four major starts. The PGA Championship has been especially good for him, as the 35-year-old has four top-10s in his last seven majors, including a T4 at Kiawah Island last year. Lowry has been in stellar form the past several months, finishing T13 or better in his last five individual stroke-play events, a T3 at last month’s Masters being among them. He sports the Tour’s third best scoring average, and ranks 4th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, sixth in strokes gained: total, and 13th in strokes gained: putting.

Odds: 40-1
Odds Rank: 15th
World Rank: 27th
Last 6: 3, 3, 12, 13, 2, 14
Best at the PGA: 4th (2021)
2021 Majors: 21, 4, 65, 12
2022 Masters: 3


7. Patrick Cantlay

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Patrick Cantlay: The Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Patrick Cantlay walks with his caddie on the 1st hole during the first round of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC on Feb 18, 2021 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Photo by Steph Chambers via Getty Images)

The reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year has not been particularly stellar in majors, with just two top-10s in 20 starts, and went through about a two month slump earlier in February through mid-April, but the 30-year-old UCLA product seems to be close to his best self finishing solo-second in his last individual stroke-play event, losing a playoff to Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage, and won the Zurich Classic in his last start, in which he teamed up with Xander Schauffele. His current hot play should have him among the favorites at Southern Hills this week, as he sports an all-around game that has him inside the top 30 in five of the six strokes gained categories.

Odds: 25-1
Odds Rank: 8th
World Rank: 5th
Last 6: 2, 39, 26, MC, 33, 2
Best at the PGA: 3rd (2019)
2021 Majors: MC, 23, 15, MC
2022 Masters: 39


6. Justin Thomas

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Justin Thomas The Northern Trust Round 3
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Justin Thomas tees off on the 2nd hole during round 3 of The Northern Trust on Aug 21, 2021 at Liberty National GC in Jersey City, NJ. (Photo by Rich Gra essle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Surprisingly, the 14-time Tour winner has not landed in the winner’s circle since claiming the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March of 2021, but the 2017 PGA Championship winner looks very, very close with six top-10s in nine starts in the 2022 calendar year, including a T5 at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. Also among those top-10s was a T8 at last month’s Masters Tournament, in spite of opening with a 4-over 76. Ranking third on Tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green and fifth in strokes gained: approach-the-green, Thomas’ shot-making has been elite, as he currently has the Tour’s third-best birdie average and fifth-best scoring average.

Odds: 16-1
Odds Rank: 3rd
World Rank: 9th
Last 6: 5, 35, 8, 3, 33, 6
Best at the PGA: 1st (2017)
2021 Majors: 21, MC, 19, 40
2022 Masters: 8


More coverage of the PGA Championship:

5. Jon Rahm

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Jon Rahm 2022 Mexico Open Primer
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Jon Rahm on the 10th hole during the second round of the WGC-Mexico at Chapultepec in Mexico City on Feb 21, 2020. (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images)

The man who had a stronghold on the No. 1 spot in the world rankings before Scottie Scheffler went crazy, Rahm currently holds the No. 2 position, and is coming off his first victory of the Tour season, winning the Mexico Open at Vidanta at the beginning of the month. Rahm was also second at the Sentry Tournament of Championship, where he finished 33-under-par, and T3 at the Farmers Insurance Open. The reigning U.S. Open Champion has finished inside the top 13 in three of his last four PGA Championship starts, including a T8 at Kiawah Island last year. Rahm currently leads the Tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee, strokes gained: tee-to-green, and greens in regulation.

Odds: 12-1
Odds Rank: 1st
World Rank: 2nd
Last 6: 1, 27, 9, 55, 17, 21
Best at the PGA: 8th (2021)
2021 Majors: 5, 8, 1, 3
2022 Masters: 27


4. Cameron Smith

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Cameron Smith wins THE PLAYERS Championship 2022
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Cameron Smith hits a shot on the 15th hole during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Mar 14, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Photo by David Cannon via Getty Images)

At times, the 26-year-old Aussie has looked like the best golfer on the planet, winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and THE PLAYERS Championship in March, and he was in second place through 54 holes at The Masters. We all know he can go low: he reached a Tour record 34-under-par in that January victory and currently leads the Tour in both birdie and scoring average, but can put together four rounds? An untimely triple-bogey on Sunday’s 12 hole ended his Masters hopes. Shockingly, a T25 at the 2015 PGA Championship was his only top-40 finish in this event. We would put good money on him bettering that this year though.

Odds: 25-1
Odds Rank: 8th
World Rank: 4th
Last 6: 26, 5, 9, 68, MC, 2
Best at the PGA: 25th (2015)
2021 Majors: 10, 59, MC, 33
2022 Masters: 3


3. Collin Morikawa

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Collin Morikawa TPC Sawgrass PLAYERS Championship
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Collin Morikawa on the 17th green as Dustin Johnson looks on during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass Stadium on Mar 12, 2021, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Photo by Stan Badz / PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The world No. 3 has proven himself to be unflappable on the major stage, having won twice in just nine starts, including a victory at TPC Harding Park at the 2020 PGA Championship, where he hit a number of ridiculously clutch shots down the stretch to emerge from an elite leaderboard. On the current season, the 25-year-old has six top-10s in just ten starts and shot a final round 67 last month to finish fifth at The Masters. The best shotmaker on Tour when he is at his best, Morikawa is almost a cheat code when his putting is even just average, which has been more than the case this season, as he ranks a respectable 63rd on Tour in strokes gained: putting. He was T8 at Kiawah Island a year ago, which is actually his WORST finish in his last four major starts.

Odds: 20-1
Odds Rank: 6th
World Rank: 3rd
Last 6: 26, 5, 9, 68, MC, 2
Best at the PGA: 1st (2020)
2021 Majors: 18, 8, 4, 1
2022 Masters: 5


2. Scottie Scheffler

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Scottie Scheffler Wins 2022 WGC Dell Match Play
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Scottie Scheffler walks off the 7th green during the finals of the WGC-Dell Match Play at Austin CC on Mar 27, 2022 in Austin, TX. (Photo by Ben Jared / PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The runaway world No. 1 has been so prolific in the 2022 season, that his T15 finish at last week’s AT&T Bryson Nelson had us wondering what was wrong with him. In his previous start in an individual event, Scheffler won The Masters by three strokes, which was his fourth victory in his last six starts. The 25-year-old has made just 10 major starts in his career, and the PGA has been arguably his best, finishing T4 and T8 the past two years respectively. And that T8 somehow tied for his WORST finish in his last four major starts. It seems unlikely that Scheffler doesn’t factor into the mix at Southern Hills this year. He’s just too good.

Odds: 12-1
Odds Rank: 1st
World Rank: 1st
Last 6: 15, 1, 1, 55, 1, 7
Best at the PGA: 4th (2020)
2021 Majors: 18, 8, 7, 8
2022 Masters: 1


1. Jordan Spieth

2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Jordan Spieth AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch
2022 PGA Championship Power Rankings: Jordan Spieth on the 5th tee during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 14, 2022 in McKinney, Texas. (Photo by Sam Greenwood via Getty Images)

Looking to become the sixth golfer in Tour history to complete the career Grand Slam, the winner of the 2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open, and 2017 Open Championship could not be coming into the week any hotter. Emerging valiantly from a slump, in his last two starts Spieth won the RBC Heritage in a gutty playoff effort over Patrick Cantlay and finished runner-up to K.H. Lee at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. The 28-year-old has twice finished inside the top 3 at the PGA Championship, finishing solo runner-up to Jason Day in 2015 and T3 in 2019. Spieth had at least eight birdies in three of four rounds at Craig Ranch last week and was second in strokes gained: tee-to-green.

Odds: 16-1
Odds Rank: 3rd
World Rank: 8th
Last 6: 2, 1, MC, 35, 35, MC
Best at the PGA: 2nd (2015)
2021 Majors: 3, 30, 19, 2
2022 Masters: MC


Next Five: Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Dustin Johnson, Corey Conners, Joaquin Niemann


Advertisement

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your name here