Phil Mickelson defending his improbable (and that word doesn’t do his feat at Kiawah justice) victory at the PGA Championship last year should have been one of the main stories at this year’s edition of the PGA Tour’s Major Championship. But instead, ‘Lefty’ will be nowhere to be found on the grounds of Southern Hills. The fallout from his shocking statements about the PGA Tour and the newly founded Saudi league, LIV Golf, have kept Phil out of the game – but not out of the headlines. His absence has been the talk around Southern Hills this week, but the course itself—located in Tulsa, Oklahoma—has also garnered a lot of attention amongst the golf community. A 2019 restoration has the course playing differently than it did during the last major it hosted in 2007. Players are raving about the track, including Max Homa, who took to Twitter to say, “I’ve only seen 9 holes and Southern Hills is already up there with the best courses I’ve played in my life.” Here is the schedule and what we’re watching for at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Schedule
Thursday, May 19: 2-8 pm (ESPN)
Friday, May 20: 2-8 pm (ESPN)
Saturday, May 21: 10 am-1 p.m. (ESPN) and 1-7 pm (CBS)
Sunday, May 22: 10 am-1 pm (ESPN) and 1-7 pm (CBS)
The Course
Southern Hills will host its eighth Major Championship this week. Tiger Woods won the last one 15 years ago with a score of 8 under, besting Woody Austin (-6) and Ernie Else (-5). But the Perry Maxwell design, restored by Gil Hanse in 2019, will play much differently than it did then. We won’t get too deep into the weeds here, but the first thing viewers will notice is the sheer size of Southern Hills: it’s a massive property that feels even bigger due to Hanse’s tree removals. Viewers will also notice the shaved down areas around the greens, which will punish any off-target second shots and require testy chip shots off of the tight lies. The last noticeable new feature is the vast creek system, which seems to touch every hole. Golf junkies have said the course has a lot of similarities to Augusta National in the design, and that it has all the ingredients to provide drama on the back 9 on Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler
Scorching Scottie Scheffler, the world’s #1 ranked golfer, enters the week after shooting a measly 19-under at least weeks Byron Nelson. That was good for a T15 finish, but the Masters Champion, who has a total of 4 wins this year, was quoted back in 2019 saying, “Southern Hills is probably my favorite,” when asked about his favorite course. Scottie will look to win back-to-back majors for the first time since Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship and US Open in 2018.
Tiger is Playing
If Tiger Woods is playing in a golf tournament, we—and everyone else—will talk about it. However, The Big Cat picked two tough walks for his first tournaments following his brutal car accident over a year ago: We last saw Tiger back in April at The Masters where he orchestrated a phenomenal 1-under 71. Although he made the cut, he struggled mightily with the conditions and his surgically repaired leg on the weekend. Tiger says he’s gotten stronger since then, and he has the brain for the course, but he also admitted he can’t practice as much as he’d like. Make the cut, and then we’ll see what happens.
Spieth Career Grand Slam
Talk about a player trending before the 2022 PGA Championship. Jordan Spieth’s last two starts saw him become RBC Heritage Champion, and finish second at last week’s Byron Nelson. The PGA Championship is the one major that has eluded Jordan, and Southern Hills may have the best layout for his game. The short grass around the greens is a dream for the crafty wedge player, and we don’t need to mention his prowess with the flatstick. Paired with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on Thursday and Friday, this is a must watch group.
Could we See A First time major winner?
We could talk about the Justin Thomas’, Jon Rahm’s, and Collin Morikawa’s of the world, all of whom have a major under their belt, but could Southern Hills foster a first time major winner? Coming off a good week, could Xander Schauffle break through? What about Cam Smith, who has been a top 5 machine but faltered in the final round at The Masters? A calm and steady Patrick Cantlay could lurk come Sunday, and then you have Max Homa, who has four PGA tour victories but has struggled in the Majors. The list goes on, but Southern Hills may bring out the best in one of these players looking to join the Majors club.
Odds (Top 25)
Via DraftKings – Wednesday, May 18th
Scottie Scheffler +1200
Rory McIlroy +1200
Jon Rahm +1400
Jordan Spieth +1400
Viktor Hovland +1800
Justin Thomas +1800
Cameron Smith +1800
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Collin Morikawa +2000
Xander Schauffele +2000
Patrick Cantlay +2200
Will Zalatoris +2800
Dustin Johnson +3500
Shane Lowry +3500
Tyrell Hatton +4000
Billy Horschel +5000
Matt Fitzpatrick +5000
Tony Finau +5000
Max Homa +5000
Sam Burns +5000
Joaquin Niemann +5500
Brooks Koepka +5500
Daniel Berger +6000
Corey Conners +6000
Tiger Woods +6500
