2025 PGA Championship odds, favorites: Why you should cheer on, pick these nine golfers at Quail Hollow

As we arrive at the 2025 PGA Championship, the top of the golf world feels as competitive as ever. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have been dominant on the PGA Tour, Bryson DeChambeau has become a monster at majors for LIV Golf, and a host of other players are constantly knocking at the door of that elite tier. 

We have been spoiled recently with major championships that have featured some incredible battles between top players, and as they all make their way to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte this week, there is hope for another stacked leaderboard entering the weekend.

That is what golf fans should be rooting to see week as Quail Hollow has been friendly to a lot of the favorites in the field. It’s a venue that should produce a strong leaderboard, and as we shift our attention to what golfers to cheer this week, we’re focused on a lot of the best names. 

There are others deserving of some love and attention from fans, headlined by another career grand slam quest, but the biggest rooting interest this week is getting as many of the best players in their top form all at once.

With that in mind, here are nine golfers you should be rooting for at the 2025 PGA Championship. Odds via DraftKings

1. Jordan Spieth (50-1): What if we saw two players complete the career grand slam in back-to-back majors after having no one do so across a quarter of a century? That’s a legitimate, even if unlikely, possibility, as Spieth is just one PGA Championship away from collecting one of each major himself. Spieth still seems pretty far from the guy that racked up majors early in his career, but we have seen some glimpses of that guy this year. This does feel like the year of redemption on the PGA Tour, and now that Rory has his Masters, there wouldn’t be a bigger breakthrough win than seeing Spieth add another major (especially a PGA Championship). If nothing else, you will never be bored when you sign up to ride the Spieth rollercoaster.

2. Justin Thomas (22-1): Speaking of guys who could return to that elite tier, Thomas appears to be all the way back after falling way down the world rankings over the last two years. The last thing he needs to certify himself as one of the game’s best is another major, and he gets to return to the course where he won his first back in 2017. Golf fans should always root for more players at the top of the sport playing their best because that’s what creates great tournaments, and Thomas regaining that elite form would be fantastic for golf. 

3. Rory McIlroy (9/2): Once Rory won the Masters to complete the career grand slam, one couldn’t help but look at the way this year’s major schedule laid out and believe that the actual calendar grand slam was potentially in play. No one has dominated Quail Hollow quite like McIlroy, winning four times in Charlotte, including last year. If he wins this week, he’ll be halfway home. Oakmont for the U.S. Open will be the toughest test, but The Open will be a home game for him in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush. Rooting for McIlroy this week would be rooting for a chance at legitimate history. 

4. Jon Rahm (16-1): We haven’t seen Rahm contend seriously in a major since 2023 when the debate was about him, McIlroy and Scheffler as the best players in the world. He’s slipped out of that conversation and has looked rather juice-less in the majors since leaving for LIV Golf, which is a shocking turn of events for a player who was once among the game’s fiercest competitors. Rahm can be as good as anyone out there, and it would be nice to see him find that dominant form again. 

5. Scottie Scheffler (4-1): It doesn’t seem right that Scheffler has never won a major other than the Masters, but that’s what he’s trying to change this week. We just saw him destroy the field at TPC Craig Ranch, which isn’t exactly a major venue but was the kind of performance we hadn’t seen from him this year at any event. We didn’t get the Rory-Scottie duel at the Masters, but it would be a lot of fun if we get those two (and Bryson) at their best and in the mix this week. 

6. Bryson DeChambeau (10-1): Where Rahm has disappointed since joining LIV, DeChambeau has thrived. He is as polarizing a figure as exists in golf right now, but he’s now firmly established himself as one of the three best golfers on the planet alongside McIlroy and Scheffler. He does have to show some resilience this week after the way things ended at the Masters, where he wasn’t even a factor on the second nine, but he has consistently put himself in the mix at majors over the last two years and will likely be there again this week. Quail Hollow should set up well for him, and even if you’re rooting for someone else, DeChambeau being in the mix on Sunday unquestionably makes for better theater. 

7. Max Homa (150-1): Homa is by far the longest shot on this list, but he’s got a great track record at Quail Hollow. If there were ever a time for him to get the vibes right again, it’s this week. Speaking of this being the year of redemption, Homa was ascending in the world of golf over the last two years with winning a major the last step he needed to take; however, he tumbled all the way back down the proverbial stairs last year and has spent this year struggling to claw his way back up. Homa found a little something at the Masters and will look to build on that at another course where he has a great track record. 

8. Shane Lowry (60-1): Lowry has been painfully close to wins on two occasions this year, falling short last week in Philadelphia and at Pebble Beach back in February. He is as likable a figure as there is in the golf world, and after a catastrophic end to his Masters, it would be great to see him get in the mix at the PGA Championship and close strong on Sunday, with or without a win. 

9. Xander Schauffele (20-1): The reigning champion of this event is just kind of lurking right now. Schauffele hasn’t looked quite right this season after missing the start of the year with injury, but he’s showing signs of getting back to form. It won’t hurt him that he’s going back to a course where he’s thrived with back-to-back runner-up finishes at Quail Hollow. He showed last year he has the gear needed to win in majors, and perhaps this is the week he gets it back.

Who will win the PGA Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets, all from the model that’s nailed 14 golf majors, including the past four Masters, and is up over $9,000 since June 2020.