LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A brief look at the 106th PGA Championship:
Dates: May 16-19
Site: Valhalla GC.
Length: 7,609 yards.
Par: 71.
Field: 156 players (21 PGA professionals).
Prize money: TBA ($17.5 million in 2023).
Winner’s share: TBA ($3.15 million in 2022).
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka.
Last year: Brooks Koepka restored his reputation as a player to beat in the majors when he ran off three quick birdies, never lost the lead amid a duel with Viktor Hovland and closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory at Oak Hill. His third PGA title was his fifth major. Among active players, only Tiger Woods (15) and Phil Mickelson (6) have won more.
Last time at Valhalla: Rory McIlroy won his second straight major in a back-nine thriller in the dark in 2014 in which Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson all had a share of the lead at some point. Rain delays nearly forced a Monday finish. McIlroy joined the twosome ahead in the 18th fairway to finish. Fowler missed a long eagle putt and Mickelson nearly holed an eagle chip from the fairway that would have forced a playoff. McIlroy made par for a 3-under 68 and a one-shot win.
Major winners at Valhalla: Mark Brooks (1996 PGA Championship), Tiger Woods (2000 PGA Championship), United States (2008 Ryder Cup), Rory McIlroy (2014 PGA Championship).
The odds ( BetMGM Sportsbook ): Scottie Scheffler (+350), Rory McIlroy (+1200), Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg (+1400), Tiger Woods (+15000).
Homecoming: Justin Thomas gets the rare occasion of playing a major championship in the city where he grew up. He was at Valhalla as a 7-year-old when Tiger Woods won his third straight major of 2000, and he was there as a 15-year-old when the United States won the Ryder Cup.
Tiger Tales: Tiger Woods is playing for only the third time this year. He made the cut at the Masters for a record 23 consecutive time. He won at Valhalla in 2000, missed the Ryder Cup at Valhalla in 2008 recovering from knee surgery and missed the cut in 2014 while trying to return from back surgery.
Grand Slam: Jordan Spieth, who has gone two years without winning, tries for the eighth time to complete the career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship.
LIV and let live: The field has 16 players from LIV Golf, compared with 18 players a year ago. Nine LIV players were exempt and seven were given special invitations.
Key statistic: None of the five players with the career Grand Slam went more than three tries at winning the final leg.
Noteworthy: Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and John Daly are the only players in the field who have competed at every PGA Championship at Valhalla. Mickelson finished in the top 10 the previous three times.
Quoteworthy: “If he putts decent, he’s going to win. If he putts great, he blows away fields. He’s just that good a ball striker.” — Tiger Woods on Scottie Scheffler.
Television (all times EDT): Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon (ESPN+), noon to 8 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS).
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This version corrects ESPN weekday times.
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