The second Major Championship of the season takes place this week as the world's best gather at Quail Hollow Club for the US PGA Championship. Here are your five things to know.
World's best gather at Quail Hollow
It is often said the US PGA Championship gathers the strongest field in golf and the injured Billy Horschel is the only player in the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking not teeing it up this week. There are 30 Major champions, and 14 US PGA champions teeing it up, with 25 different nations represented in the 156-man field. Among those 156 are a host of DP World Tour members searching not only for Major glory but vital Race to Dubai points as the season heads towards a busy summer. Part of that summer is the European Swing which will resume next week at the Soudal Open, with no Race to Dubai points earned this week counting towards the Swing Rankings.
All eyes on McIlroy
Just over a month after securing his historic victory at the Masters Tournament, Rory McIlroy will once again take centre stage at a course where he has enjoyed remarkable success. The Northern Irishman's victory at Augusta National saw him complete the career Grand Slam and while talk of a calendar Grand Slam in some quarters may feel premature, there is a feeling he will rarely have a better chance to compete the first two legs. Since winning at Quail Hollow for his first PGA TOUR victory in 2010, he has three other wins and five top tens at the North Carolina layout in his subsequent 13 appearances. Add that to the fact he already has three worldwide wins in 2025 and it is clear to see why much of the focus will be on the World Number Two this week.
Schauffele defends
American Xander Schauffele was the winner in 2024 as he won his first Major Championship at Valhalla. He became the first player in history to card two record-equalling 62s in Major Championships in round one and never looked back, breaking out of a tie for the lead on the first on Sunday and claiming a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau. His 21 under total was the lowest in men's Major Championship history and he went on to add another of golf's biggest prizes at The Open two months later. The 31-year-old will be looking to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Brooks Koepka in 2019 and also the first player to win three Majors in a stretch of five since Brooks Koepa won this event in 2018 and 2019 and the 2018 U.S. Open.
Asian Swing stars look to shine
Among the 156 players teeing it up this week are three who earned their place in the field via finishing in the top three on the Asian Swing Rankings. Japan's Keita Nakajima will be making his second US PGA Championship appearance after topping the Swing Rankings with the help of two-runner up finishes, while the two men who finished behind him both claimed their maiden DP World Tour victories in the third of the five Global Swings. Eugenio Chacarra will be making his US PGA Championship debut after his win at the Hero Indian Open, as will Marco Penge who sealed third place on the Swing after winning the Hainan Classic. Harry Hall, Tom McKibbin, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Niklas Nørgaard, John Parry and Elvis Smylie are the other DP World Tour members making their debuts at this week's event, with the two Danes experiencing their first taste of Major golf.
Back-to-back Grand Slams?
McIlroy joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in golf's most exclusive club last month and Jordan Spieth could become the latest member this week. After his victories at the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open and 2017 Open, he is just a Wanamaker Trophy away from the career Grand Slam, with a tie for third in 2019 the closest he has come to completing the set. A disappointing 2024 by his high standards saw him enter this year outside of the top 50 in the world but he has three top tens in 2025 with just one missed cut as he shows signs of getting back to something like his best. After reportedly referring to Quail Hollow as "Rory McIlroy Country Club" last week, it appears he does not fancy his own chances but the American knows how to perform on the very biggest stage.
