USPGA Championship: Major stats ahead of Oklahoma showdown

With the four major championships now condensed into a 15-week slot between April and mid-July, there has hardly been time to draw breath since the Masters came to a close on April 10.

Second on the list of majors for 2022 is the USPGA Championship, which no longer takes place in early-August, having been switched to mid-May a few years ago.

This year's instalment takes place at Southern Hills which will be hosting a major championship for the eighth time.

Here's a brief rundown of those expected to challenge for the crown in Oklahoma.

Latest betting for this week's PGA Championship

Keegan Bradley: A surprise inclusion in this list but the 35-year-old has played well this year and his form is certainly moving in the right direction again. Tied-second in Maryland last time out.

Sam Burns: Less than five weeks younger than current world number one Scottie Scheffler, Burns is another 25-year-old who has impressed during 2022. His victory in Tampa Bay took him into the world's top 10 for the first time. The one black mark against him has been his record, so far, in the Majors - he is yet to finish inside the top-25, although time is certainly on his side.

Patrick Cantlay: Has quietly gone about his business on the PGA Tour without challenging at many Majors. However, the world number five continues to play well and that breakthrough could certainly take shape at Southern Hills. The 32-year-old has lost a brace of two-man play-offs this year but is playing solidly tee-to-green.

Dustin Johnson: Despite being at No 12 in the world - his lowest ranking for seven years - the two-time Major winner remains a serious threat. Tied-12th at Augusta last month and posted a top-10 finish at Sawgrass.

Brooks Koepka: Has definitely lost the edge that brought him four major titles in eight starts between the 2017 US Open and 2019 PGA Championship. Injury may have caused that, yet it's impossible to write off the 32-year-old from Florida because he's still churning out plenty of Major top-10s.

Latest odds for a Top-10 finish

Shane Lowry: Has played well during 2022 but will feel frustrated at missing out on a PGA Tour victory. There has been three podium finishes this year, which includes the Masters. His short-game expertise should work well over the renovated Southern Hills layout.

Hideki Matsuyama: Warmed up for the PGA Championship by closing with a 62 at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday. This was his second podium finish of 2022, having earlier triumphed in Hawaii.

Rory McIlroy: Although he has failed to win a major championship in over seven-and-a-half years, the 33-year-old will feel upbeat about his chances of claiming Slam title number five. He closed the Masters with a best-of-tournament 64, which left him in second spot - his highest-ever finish at Augusta. Since then he's finished fifth over the testing TPC Potomac layout.

Collin Morikawa: The 25-year-old from California is every inch a championship contender. He's the only golfer during the last dozen Majors to win two of them, and he heads to Tulsa as the world number three.

Jon Rahm: The reigning US Open champion had made a slow start to the year - by his own recent high standards - until his victory in Mexico on the first day of May returned him to the winners' enclosure.

Scottie Scheffler: The current world number one - who this time last year was ranked 24th - has won four times on the PGA Tour since the start of February. This included a maiden Major triumph at Augusta but it wasn't as though we weren't warned. During 2021, Scheffler posted a hat-trick of Major top 10s to prove he could handle tough courses, as well as the pressure of showcase events.

Jordan Spieth: Always a threat in Majors, the 28-year-old is back up to number eight in the world after finishing runner-up in Texas on Sunday.

Major Stroke Averages

Lowest 15 Averages in US-based Majors (Last 12 Events)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.68: Brooks Koepka (40)
70.18: Dustin Johnson (44)
70.45: Xander Schauffele (44)
70.50: Scottie Scheffler (26)
70.55: Jon Rahm (44)
70.89: Rory McIlroy (44)
70.90: Collin Morikawa (30)
70.92: Hideki Matsuyama (48)
71.00: Justin Thomas (40)
71.05: Louis Oosthuizen (41)
71.07: Webb Simpson (46)
71.17: Tiger Woods (30)
71.23: Patrick Reed (44)
71.25: Tony Finau (44)
71.28: Justin Rose (40)
Min. No. of Rounds = 16
Covers period from 2018 US Open thru to 2022 Masters

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