The PGA Tour heats up this week as they return to The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island for the 2021 PGA Championship. Read on to see my prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and player to fade predictions.
Winner: Xander Schauffele- Schauffele has played as well as one can without a win this year, with 3 runner up finishes, 6 top 10’s, and 12 top 25’s in 14 starts. Schauffele’s skill set is pretty well rounded, highlighted by his 14th place showing in the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 8th in Strokes Gained: Putting. Pair all of that with 8 top 10 showings in just 15 career major starts and I predict Schauffele to break through in a big way this week with a victory at the 103rd PGA Championship.
Top 10: Viktor Hovland- Hovland has quickly grown into one of the best players on tour, with a win, 6 top 10’s, and 11 top 25’s in 16 starts this season. Hovland is showing great form of late, with 4 consecutive top 25 finishes, including back to back T-3 results. Hovland is also 6th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 4th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. Hovland is a lock for a top 10, but don’t be shocked if he is contending for the win late on Sunday.
Dark horse: Charley Hoffman- Hoffman has quietly had a solid season, with 4 top 10’s, 11 top 25’s, and 17 made cuts in 21 starts. Hoffman is coming off of 4 straight top 20 finishes and has been a mainstay on major leaderboards in recent years. A win would be unexpected, but I believe a top 25 is certainly within Hoffman’s reach.
Player to fade: Shaun Micheel- Micheel may have won the PGA Championship back in 2003, but he hasn’t not been much of a contender of late, last making the cut at the PGA back in 2011. Averaging in at 265 yards per drive, Micheel will be one of the shortest hitters on a course playing at 7,876 yards at it’s longest, setting the record for longest scorecard yardage in the history of majors. All of this adds up to a missed cut for Micheel.