The golfing world always experiences a little bit of a lull after The Masters wraps up. There have been five tournaments played since Jon Rahm claimed his first green jacket and second career major at Augusta, two of which were designated events won by Matt Fitzpatrick (at Harbour Town) and Wyndam Clark (at Wells Fargo). But now it’s time to get back to the crown jewel of the sport: Major Championship golf. Most, if not all golf fans will agree that the PGA Championship is lowest on the totem pole, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. In fact, the last six or so PGA Championships have produced drama and intrigue on Sundays, which is all you can ask for. As the world’s best descend on Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, the feeling seems to be that this is a golf course where the cream rises to the top.
Let’s take a look at how to watch the PGA Championship and our favorite storylines to follow at Oak Hill. DISH subscribers can enjoy the event starting on Thursday, May 16th at 1pm ET on ESPN. The full PGA Championship TV schedule is as follows:
2023 PGA Championship TV Schedule
Round 1 Thursday: 1-7pm ET on ESPN
Round 2 Friday: 1-7pm ET on ESPN
Round 3 Saturday: 1-7 pm ET on CBS
Round 4 Sunday: 1-7pm on ET CBS
*Additional coverage of the PGA Championship on ESPN+. This includes earlier coverage, featured groups, and featured holes.
The Course
The East Course at Oak Hill has a rich pedigree of hosting big time golf events. For the golf nerds out there, when you hear that Donaldo Ross, Robert Trent Jones and George and Tom Fazio all have their fingerprints on a course, you know it will be a test. Architect Andrew Green was the latest to put his touch on the course. There will be a premium on hitting fairways this week. Players around Oak Hill have mentioned that the rough this week isn’t only thick, but referenced the actual blades of grass being thicker than they are used to. Eyes will be on the monstrous 503-yard par 4 6th hole and a ridiculous 628-yard par 5 13th hole. Ball strikers will rise to the top, which means we should have a fun leaderboard come Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler & Jon Rahm vs the Field
It’s not often a player is +750 to win a golf tournament, it’s even less so when two players get those odds. Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have shown this year they are the two best players in the world and it’s hard to bet against either of them. Between the two of them this season they have six wins and 12 top 10s and have finished inside the top 20 in 22 out of 24 tournaments. So, yeah, these two have been a dominant pairing. Can past winners like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa hoist another Wanamaker Trophy? What about Jordan Spieth trying to complete the career grand slam after skipping last week due to a wrist injury? What about the LIV crew who had a solid showing at Augusta? There are plenty of players that have the game to win here, but it feels almost certain that they’ll have to take down the number one and two ranked players in the world.
LIV Players
We mentioned the LIV players above. As time has gone one, Dustin Johnson won last week at the Tulsa, Oklahoma event and Brooks Koepka has played steady golf since his top 5 finish at The Masters. Based on the criteria that Oak Hill is asking for, those two names definitely have the game to contend. It almost feels inevitable that a LIV player will win a major at some point, and the fall out from it is yet to be determined.
2023 PGA Championship Odds
Top 20 Via DraftKings
Scottie Scheffler +700
Jon Rahm +750
Xander Schaeuffele +1600
Rory McIlroy +1600
Patrick Cantlay +1800
Brooks Koepka +2000
Tony Finau +2200
Jason Day +2800
Matt Fitzpatrick +3000
Justin Thomas +3000
Dustin Johnson +3000
Collin Morikawa +3000
Cameron Young +3000
Viktor Hovland +3500
Tyrell Hatton +3500
Sungjae Im +3500
Cameron Smith +3500
Max Homa +4000
Sam Burns +5500
Jordan Spieth +5500
