Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm highlight favorites at PGA Championship | Golf Today | Golf Channel

How about the odds to win the PGA presented by bet MGM? There's John Rom and Scotty chef. They really defined the odd seemingly week after week, especially the majors, there's Rory at plus 1100. So with more on players to watch next week, check out this week's edition of the Golf Channel podcast, Rex and Lav. All right, Lav, your second major is looming. We went through this for the masteries. I'm sure both of us did awful, but we're going to do our top five heading into the PGA championship. Let's start with you.

Number five, Rex, we first poor one out for Jordan's beef. He definitely would have been in my top five favorites for the PGA championship, but I cannot in good conscience do so with a severe pain that he's now experiencing in his left wrist. In absence of that, I'll go with Roy McRoy as my number five pick for the PGA championship. His last three stroke play starts not good. Miscut, the players championship. Miscut at the Masters and a T 47 last week at Quell Hollow, predictably rusty at a place that is one three times. I would think that he's putting the screws to it this week back home in South Florida, knowing what it needs to work on ball striking wise.

Unfortunately, that was just about everything. The PGA was kind of always the major that I'd circled this year for Roy McRoy. Familiar with, areated with the golf course, PGA set up, certainly favor him. It's just not in the form that he was hoping for right now. I went with Roy at number five as well. I thought you were going to come in and give me some heat on that one. I think everything he's going through right now, when we talk about it on this week's golf channel podcast with Rex and La, please check that out.

This is just mental. I don't know if there's anything physical about his swing. That's just not right. I think there was a lot of pressure going into the Masters and he's having a hard time even after that mental health break afterwards, sort of getting over that, but I'll go to 2013. The last time the PGA was played at Oak Hill, he finished tied for eight. And I think you're right. The game sets up really, really well for him.

Number four for me is Xander Shafley. And he didn't get it done on Sunday at the Wells Fargo championship, but I was taken by the idea that he loves every part of his game right now. He talked at length all week long about the idea that there's nothing I need to work on. I don't need to focus. I don't need to tinker. Everything is perfect. I feel good.

Again, didn't get it done on Sunday, but I love his chances going into the PGA. Maybe we should have talked about this. Xander Shafley is my number four pick as well. It was another missed opportunity, right? At Kuala Hala, he was up with one shot with 11 holes to go, wound up losing by four. He does have a tour leading eight tot tens this season. So he certainly put himself in contention to get a victory. He's just not been able to do so.

I'm a little bit concerned when it comes to Xander. This is the worst that he's driven it since he's been on the PGA tour. We saw that cost me the final round of the Wells Fargo, but the other parts of his game are so good that I'm just going to keep willing this into existence. Xander Shafley is going to win a major championship. So why not at the PGA? For number three, this is where I'm bringing in big, bad Brooks Kepka, the two-time PGA champion, is playing some great golf. Does not matter the tour, does not matter the tournament that he is playing in. The way that he played through 54 holes, the Masters was no fluke.

That's what we had come accustomed to seeing Brooks Kepka doing, smart, calculating, punishing golf. I would expect that to continue at Oak Hill at a venue that should suit all of his immense gifts. So Brooks Kepka is following in the number three hole for me. I got really nervous when you said big, bad because I'm going with Tony Finoe, and I thought, there's no way we're three for three to start this out. I like Tony going into Oak Hill, coming off a victory in Mexico. He went head to head with John Rom. That's always impressive.

But I feel like Tony Finoe at this stage in his career, there's only one next step. There's only one place for him to go. He's going to continue to win. The Mexico opens in the events that he has won. He's sort of flashed that unbelievable game that puts him into that hierarchy. However, he hasn't done it in the major championships. You talked about this golf course.

It's a big, bad golf course. I think it fits Tony perfectly. For number two, this one, there's no way you and I have the same, because I'm going with John Rom, even though he's world number one. I have another idea from my top pick. But when you look at what he has done this season, even in Mexico where he didn't win, but he still played very, very well, I think he's going to be rested. I think he's going to be ready, having taken some time off, following that victory at the Masters. And I really, really like him at the PGA.

I have no idea where you're going with number one, if you do not have John Rom number one. But my number two pick is Scotty Sheffa. Look, if it's a big tournament, like he is absolutely going to be there. He has not finished worse than 12th since October. If he just has like an average putting week, his ball striking is so good right now that he's going to have another great opportunity to win. He finished top 10 at the Masters. When he was nearly last in the field in putting, that's been a major point of emphasis for Scotty Sheffa between the years first and second major.

I'm very curious to see how he plays this week at TPC Craig Ranch and what is going to be a shootout. He's going to need to put the ball well. So Scotty Sheffa is my number two, which of course, obviously, I don't know why you would have anyone other than John Rom in your number one spot. He probably needed more than two weeks off, right? After the Mexico tournament, kind of debriefing from the Masters that he never was able to do. So Rex, he is gaining an absurd 2.6 strokes per round on the field. That's like pretty tiger-esque.

Not quite tiger territory, but it's certainly approaching that if he can continue that for the rest of the season. It's been a minute since we've seen these kind of numbers. John Rom is an overwhelming favorite for me heading in to the PJ Championship. Who could you possibly have at number one? I like that. You brought it up with Scotty. I mean, I am kind of concerned about his putting. And when we talk about putting and putting issues at Augusta National, you always have to take that with a grain of salt because it is one of the year's most demanding tests on that particular part of your game.

But it seems to me he's a little streakier than I would like. So I need to see something better for number one. For me, I'm going with Justin Thomas. He is the defending champ. Last time I checked at the PGA Championship, he played really well at Wells Fargo. I think when you look at his ball striking, everything was there. But probably the part that pushed him over the top for me is he just started using Aimpoint last week.

And I feel like this is something that's going to help him simplify the process. I'm not quite sure if this is the answer for his inconsistent putting. But when we spoke with him last week, the idea is, I just need to come up with a better routine. I need to get into the ball, see the line, see the speed, and step in. Instead of spending a lot of time thinking about it, I talked with his dad, Mike Thomas, they feel like this is going to put him in the right direction. I like JT too. He also doesn't have a finish better than 10th in the past three months.

He's out to the top 130 and putting his approach play, his falling off, compared to last year. He'd be in my top 10, but I certainly wouldn't put him right now, unfortunately, inside my top five. For more on next week's PGA Championship and all the news in golf, check out the Golf Channel podcast with Rex and LaF.

golf, sports, golf channel, golf channel news, golf today, golf today golf channel, golf news 2023, golf highlights, golf news today, golf news today live, golf highlights 2023, golf highlights today, golf tournament, golf channel live, golf news now, golf today show, golf today on nbc, pga championship, rory mcilroy highlights, rory mcilroy, xander schauffele highlights, xander schauffele, brooks koepka highlights, brooks koepka, jon rahm, justin thomas