For a tournament long considered the fourth wheel among golf’s major championship slate, the PGA Championship has developed an identity all its own in recent years.
The Masters has Augusta National. The U.S. Open has golf’s toughest test. The British Open has the finest links courses in the world.
The PGA Championship just has fun. And the party is about to get underway May 18-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
The PGA of America’s annual course setup philosophy is now akin to the very best officials on the basketball court or gridiron. Keep it fair. Let the players shine. Stay out of the damn way.
The USGA and R&A have too often been at the forefront of discussion during their respective Open weeks, facing scrutiny for all sorts of issues like fairness, playability, inclusivity, and overly-tricked-up courses.
At the year’s second major, thrilling golf betting finishes and engrossing venues have made a lasting impression in recent years.
Justin Thomas’ comeback playoff victory at Southern Hills. Phil Mickelson’s historic win at Kiawah Island. Brooks Koepka going shot-for-shot with Tiger Woods to emerge victorious at Bellerive.
There doesn’t seem to be an intent to manipulate scoring relative to par, and winning scores have fallen anywhere from 5-under-par to 20-under-par over the past eight years. The setup largely depends on what makes the most sense for the course at hand rather than the final number at the end of the week.
It’s all about giving players the chance to make spectacular moves down the stretch and seize the opportunity rather than simply outlasting the rest of the field. That risk/reward, pedal-down approach certainly favors some players more than others.
PGA Championship Scoring Average of 2023 Field
While the PGA Championship is played at different courses every year, there is an overall set of best practices and mindset that allow players to consistently rise to the occasion at this major specifically. And the list of the career-scoring average leaders is a who’s-who of golf’s most ruthless risk-takers and clutch finishers.
- Cameron Young – 69.0, 4 rounds
- Mito Pereira – 69.0, 4 rounds
- Brooks Koepka – 69.53, 40 rounds
- Justin Thomas – 69.69, 26 rounds
- Seamus Power – 69.75, 4 rounds
- Jason Day – 69.9, 48 rounds
- Davis Riley – 70.0, 4 rounds
- Rory McIlroy – 70.17, 54 rounds
- Collin Morikawa – 70.17, 12 rounds
- Hideki Matsuyama – 70.2, 40 rounds
- Scottie Scheffler – 70.3, 10 rounds
- Jordan Spieth – 70.42, 36 rounds
- Tiger Woods – 70.44, 79 rounds
- Patrick Reed – 70.44, 32 rounds
- Jon Rahm - 70.5, 22 rounds
- Matthew Wolff – 70.5, 6 rounds
- Abraham Ancer – 70.56, 16 rounds
- Dustin Johnson – 70.59, 44 rounds
- Rickie Fowler – 70.6, 48 rounds
- Tyrrell Hatton – 70.64, 28 rounds
- Tony Finau – 70.67, 30 rounds
- Matt Wallace – 70.75, 16 rounds
- Sam Burns – 70.75, 8 rounds
- Xander Schauffele – 70.8, 20 rounds
- Keegan Bradley – 70.82, 44 rounds
- Patrick Cantlay – 70.86, 22 rounds
- Luke List – 70.94, 16 rounds
- Bryson DeChambeau – 70.94, 16 rounds
- Francesco Molinari – 70.96, 48 rounds
- Phil Mickelson – 71.0, 110 rounds
- Justin Rose – 71.0, 68 rounds
- Branden Grace – 71.03, 30 rounds
- Brendan Steele – 71.03, 30 rounds
- Adam Scott – 71.05, 76 rounds
- Webb Simpson – 71.07, 42 rounds
- Viktor Hovland – 71.08, 12 rounds
- Gary Woodland – 71.15, 40 rounds
- Sungjae Im – 71.17, 12 rounds
- Shane Lowry – 71.18, 38 rounds
- Billy Horschel – 71.24, 38 rounds
- Jimmy Walker – 71.24, 34 rounds
- Matt Fitzpatrick – 71.27, 22 rounds
- Tommy Fleetwood – 71.31, 26 rounds
- Russell Henley – 71.34, 32 rounds
- Ryan Fox – 71.36, 14 rounds
- Tom Hoge – 71.42, 12 rounds
- Marc Leishman – 71.43, 40 rounds
- Harold Varner – 71.44, 18 rounds
- Russell Knox – 71.44, 18 rounds
- Jason Dufner – 71.5, 40 rounds
- Jason Kokrak – 71.5, 30 rounds
- Harris English – 71.5, 22 rounds
- Joaquin Niemann – 71.5, 16 rounds
- Aaron Wise – 71.5, 14 rounds
- Talor Gooch – 71.5, 10 rounds
- Matt Kuchar – 71.55, 42 rounds
- Chris Kirk – 71.58, 24 rounds
- Louis Oosthuizen – 71.61, 46 rounds
- Ian Poulter – 71.72, 20 rounds
- Cameron Smith – 71.73, 26 rounds
- Sergio Garcia – 71.76, 68 rounds
- Charl Schwartzel – 71.77, 56 rounds
- Martin Kaymer – 71.83, 40 rounds
- Daniel Berger – 71.88, 26 rounds
- Brian Harman – 71.92, 26 rounds
- Chez Reavie – 71.92, 26 rounds
- Bernd Wiesberger – 72.0, 24 rounds
- Paul Casey – 72.05, 64 rounds
- Alex Noren – 72.06, 34 rounds
- Jhonattan Vegas – 72.06, 18 rounds
- Lee Westwood – 72.07, 76 rounds
- Erik Van Rooyen – 72.17, 12 rounds
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout – 72.25, 8 rounds
- Lucas Herbert – 72.29, 14 rounds
- Si Woo Kim – 72.41, 17 rounds
- Padraig Harrington – 72.49, 68 rounds
- Cameron Champ – 72.5, 12 rounds
- Max Homa – 72.5, 12 rounds
- Thomas Pieters – 72.6, 20 rounds
- Kurt Kitayama – 72.6, 10 rounds
- Sepp Straka – 72.63, 8 rounds
- Adam Hadwin – 72.65, 20 rounds
- Bubba Watson – 72.73, 52 rounds
- Robert MacIntyre – 72.75, 12 rounds
- Corey Conners – 72.75, 12 rounds
- Sebastian Munoz – 72.75, 8 rounds
- J.T. Poston – 72.9, 10 rounds
- Y.E. Yang – 72.92, 39 rounds
- Mackenzie Hughes – 73.1, 10 rounds
- K.H. Lee – 73.33, 6 rounds
- Shaun Micheel – 73.42, 50 rounds
- Sam Horsfield – 73.67, 6 rounds
- Rich Beem – 74.09, 56 rounds
- John Daly – 74.19, 29 rounds
- Maverick McNealy – 74.33, 6 rounds
- Tom Kim – 75.25, 4 rounds
- Steven Alker – DEBUT
- Nico Echavarria – DEBUT
- Nick Hardy – DEBUT
- Kazuki Higa – DEBUT
- Sihwan Kim – DEBUT
- Taylor Moore – DEBUT
- Trey Mullinax – DEBUT
- Ockie Strydom – DEBUT
- Adam Svensson – DEBUT
Career PGA Championship Scoring Average Betting Tips
The first thing we should do here is reconsider players in the top 10 with less than eight rounds under their belt. Cameron Young, Mito Pereira, Seamus Power and Davis Riley are crowding the top of the board with just a few rounds played. Impressive performances at Southern Hills aside, they have a ways to go before being considered among the top PGA performers.
However, that does show players can seriously contend in their PGA Championship debuts if they’re up for the challenge. Don’t discount the first-year players on betting apps at Oak Hill.
As for players with 10 or more rounds under their belt, the top 11 in PGA Championship scoring average are all major champions. It may seem redundant to note that major champions perform better at the majors, but it’s not the case elsewhere – players like Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele and Corey Conners are all in the top 10 of Masters scoring average without having ever won one of the big four.
That brings intangibles into play a bit. Winning a major is all about keeping the nerves in check and executing in the most nerve-wracking situations. That can be even more true at the PGA with plenty of scoring opportunities for the chasers on Sunday, and it takes nerves of steel to hold off the field for a victory – see Mito Pereira’s final-hole collapse at Southern Hills.
That’s why it’s not surprising to see the most clutch major performer of the past decade in two-time PGA winner Brooks Koepka on top of the list among those who’ve played more than four rounds.
As far as discernible skills go among the top average scorers, it’s hard to pin it down. Koepka, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler are among the most well-rounded players in the game. A versatile game and mindset seem to play a bigger factor at the PGA Championship than any one individual area.
Overall, the list shows that the most consistent PGA Championship performers are not the guys looking to par their ways to a top-10 finish with a fairways-and-greens approach. That might work at a U.S. Open, but this major is all about stepping up to the plate, taking on risk and never backing away from the moment.
