KSR Golf: 2024 PGA Championship

The second major championship of the 2024 golf season is here. The 2024 PGA Championship will crown a champion this weekend at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

The Wanamaker Trophy will be handed out on Sunday evening in Western New York at the 106th edition of this event one year after Brooks Koepka brought home his third PGA Championship.

From Thursday to Sunday, we will have some major championship golf on the tube with both ESPN and CBS on the call. Let’s get ready for the event by finding some winners.

Broadcast Schedule

Scott Van Pelt and Jim Nantz will headline coverage for their respective companies this week. ESPN will have control in the mornings before CBS begins its coverage on the weekend. Unlike the Masters, traditional television coverage will cover more ground with ESPN going live just after lunch on Thursday and Friday.

— Round One (Thursday): 7 a.m.-12 p.m. (ESPN+), 12 p.m.-8 p.m. (ESPN)

— Round Two (Friday): 7 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN+), 1 p.m. -8 p.m. (ESPN)

— Round Three (Saturday): 8 a.m.-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m.-7 p.m. (CBS)

— Round Four (Sunday): 8 a.m.-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m. -1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m.-7 p.m. (CBS)

A weekend full of championship golf in the Bluegrass.

PGA Championship Layout

Valhalla Golf Club will host the PGA Championship for the fourth time since 1996 but the first time since the tournament moved up to May from August in 2019. That could cause the birdie-friendly course to play differently this year.

We will have a Par 71 set up at 7,542 yards. Valhalla includes many hills and plenty of water hazards throughout the 18-hole layout. The tournament will have 156 players participating this weekend with a bunch of star power.

If golfers struggle this week and put some squares on the card it will most likely be due to the rough. Valhalla plays long, and the rough will be treacherous. Players will pay the price for errant tee shots, but distance will be needed to consistently score. The big hitters off the tee box will have plenty of scoring opportunities as long as they are keeping the ball out of the thick rough.

Key Metric

Valhalla is a big hitter’s golf course. The driver will have a big say in who hoists the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening, but players cannot be reckless off the tee. Those who get from tee to green the best will be the ones at the top of the leaderboard on Saturday and Sunday.

Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world, and he leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green by a very wide margin. The two-time Masters champion probably needs to be in all of your daily fantasy lineups and should get top-10 consideration no matter how you are handicapping the event this weekend.

Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim, and Keith Mitchell round out the top five.

Luckett’s Locks: PGA Championship

Ready to find some winners? Here are my best bets for PGA Championship weekend with odds pulled from FanDuel.

Win: Scottie Scheffler (4/1)

Playing the best golfer in the world is a boring wager, but it’s a very good bet right now. Scheffler owns three top-10 finishes in four PGA Championship starts and is at a level no one else in golf is at right now. He feels like a safe bet. Rory McIlroy (+750) and Brooks Koepka (16/1) are also worth contention.

Top 10: Ludvig Aberg (+160)

The 24-year-old from Sweden has only made one major championship start but has proven that he is one of the best players in professional golf right now. Aberg logged top-10 finishes at the Masters and Players this year shortly after winning the European Masters in 2023. The young phenom logged two wins in Europe at the Ryder Cup, owns five top-10 finishes in his last eight starts, and ranks No. 13 in strokes gained tee-to-green. Aberg has real value to win at 22/1.

Top 20: Chris Kirk (+290)

The 39-year-old owns consecutive top-30 finishes at the PGA Championship and just logged a T-16 at the Masters. Kirk ranks in the top 10 in strokes gained tee-to-green and has only missed one cut in 11 starts this season with four top-20 finishes. Kirk’s game fits this course, and he has a chance to be in contention on Sunday.

Matchup: Shane Lowry (-110) over Denny McCarthy

Lowry has made seven consecutive cuts at the PGA Championship with four top-15 finishes. McCarthy has never finished better than T-29 in four starts at this event. The metrics also support Lowry with a No. 14 ranking in strokes gained tee-to-green. This is a short price to pay for a golfer with a much better major championship track record and play style for this course.