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Rory McIlroy goes into any tournament with extra attention on him due to his reputation, talent and performances over the years. That attention is magnified further at major tournaments due to the fact he has now gone nine years without winning one.
The last time McIlroy, who is a four-time major champion, won one of golf’s premier events was at the PGA Championship in 2014. The Northern Irishman is a big fan of the event and the last time it was played at Oak Hill, in 2013, he also played admirably and finished in a tie for 8th.
McIlroy has often spoken about his desire to add more major championships to his collection and for a player of his ability, four really isn’t enough. Can he add a fifth this week at the PGA Championship? Let’s take a look at his chances.
Rory Mcilroy’s Form this Season
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McIlroy enjoyed a good end to 2022 at the start of the golfing season but has had a very disappointing 2023 to date. He entered the year as the number-one ranked golfer in the world but has since slipped to third in the world due to a combination of poor results and the great form of Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm.
McIlroy’s only win in 2023 came in the DP World Tour in January when he had a titanic tussle with Patrick Reed at the Dubai Desert Classic. Since then, however, McIlroy has performed poorly at the biggest events – most notably the Players Championship and the Masters where he missed the cut on both occasions.
He has only played once since the Masters, at the Wells Fargo Championship, and came very close to missing the cut there too. However, he did eventually make it through to the weekend although he never threatened the leaders.
Best result
Victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
Last result
Tied for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Rory Mcilroy’s PGA Championship Record
Rory Mcilroy has a good record at the PGA Championship and it was the second major championship that he won back in 2012. It’s also his most recent major triumph after he came out on top in the 2014 edition at Valhalla.
Last year, he also was in contention for the championship and held the first-round lead after a stunning round of 65. Unfortunately, he failed to capitalise on his good start and played himself completely out of contention on day three when he shot a disappointing 64.
He pulled himself together on the final day with a round of 68 which secured him a top-ten finish in a tournament that swung all kinds of ways over the weekend.
Odds on Rory Mcilroy to Win the PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy is going into the PGA Championship slightly under the radar due to his poor form over the past couple of months. This is somewhat unusual for McIlroy who was the favourite going into the previous major at Augusta National.
Despite his form, he is still among the favourites with the bookmakers for this one. His natural ability and pedigree in the sport are too good to place him in the middle of the pack and his pre-tournament odds stand at 14/1 behind Scheffler (15/2) and Jon Rahm (15/2).
Despite recent struggles at the Masters and Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy remains a strong contender for the PGA Championship with +1100 odds to win. #PGAChampionship #RoryMcIlroy
pic.twitter.com/7RTwCdj8js— Golf Please (@golf_please) May 16, 2023
Who is Mcilroy playing with at the PGA Championship?
The tee times at the PGA Championship are usually interesting and this year is no different. Historically, when the tournament was held in August, organisers would place the three previous major winners from that year in the same group over days one and two, however, that is no longer possible with the tournament taking place in May.
Over days one and two, McIlroy will be playing alongside Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa in a star-studded grouping. Between the three men, they have won eight major championships, and each man is a previous winner of the PGA Championship. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the eventual winner come out of this group.
First round tee time
- 15:01 UK time
Second round tee time
- 18:36 UK time
Rory Mcilroy Masters Prediction – top 10 finish
While we don’t believe that the 34-year-old will end his major drought this week, we do have confidence that he will turn his form around and put in a good performance. We expect him to make a quick start to put any worries about missing the cut to bed early on but don’t think he has the form to carry it through over four days at a major.
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