Can Scottie Scheffler lift off at the PGA Championship?

By his inexorably high standards, Scottie Scheffler has had a quiet campaign by all accounts. There has been just the solitary trip to the winner’s circle arriving at the start of the season at the American Express in January.

Of course, emulating the feat of 2024 where he chalked up seven PGA Tour wins, as well as trousering Olympic gold at Paris, was always going to be a tall order.

That said, Scheffler has remained a model of consistency, and he has enjoyed seven other top-10 finishes this term, so he’s not exactly flying under the radar. Nevertheless, as the reigning PGA Championship winner, Scheffler will have a target on his back.

But can he add another Major to his burgeoning collection at Aronimink for the 108th edition of the tournament in May? We have assessed his credentials and identified where the likely challenges will come from.

As the World No.1, Scheffler always strikes fear into the rest of the field. 12 m months ago, he tore things up at Quail Hollow, shooting an overall score of -11 (273), and over the weekend, he scorched the back nine, firing a 32 on the Saturday a 34 on Sunday.

It was a masterclass by Scheffler, and he is often cool and collected in the clutch moments. Perhaps it’s not surprising that many of the top crypto betting platforms have offered very short odds for Scheffler to mount a successful title defence.

At Velobet bookmaker, for example, Scheffler is available at the 4.20 mark, much lower than Masters champion Rory McIlroy. Aronimink is more of a thinker’s course, as you don’t need to be the longest hitter or the best putter; rather you will be rewarded for precision.

Although Scheffler has seen a slight drop-off in his scrambling stats this term, he still ranks top for Strokes Gained Total (SG: Total), and he is seventh for Greens in Regulation (GIR), which should hold him in good stead at Aronimink. When he’s in the zone, it’s hard to derail him.

The Europeans have been experiencing a resurgence, and although there is plenty of time to go until the next edition of the Ryder Cup next year, form counts for a lot.

Matt Fitzpatrick, for example, has been prolific recently. A T18 at Augusta was sandwiched in between wins at the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage.

After coming through a tense play-off against Scheffler at the RBC Heritage, the Englishman prevailed in a unique team event (Zurich Classic of New Orleans) with his brother, Alex, denoting a very sweet moment.

It seems that Fitzpatrick is peaking at just the right time, and he has an unshakeable belief in his game. With the wind in his sails, a T8 at the PGA Championship last year should fuel motivation for Fitzpatrick to do better this time around.

A price of 31.00 supplied by Betpanda.io bookie seems inviting, even if he has been slightly undervalued. 

There is always a perennial question mark over Rose and whether he can add more Majors to his tally. His 2013 win at the US Open seems scant return for a player of his calibre.

After experiencing further pain at Augusta, where he briefly held the lead before coming home in T3, Rose continues to knock at the door.

Rose will rekindle fond memories of playing at Aronimink, having won the AT&T National in 2010, and he came agonisingly close to winning the 2018 BMW Championship there.

Ranking well in the birdie average metric this season, Rose, who is currently valued at around 26.00 with most reputable bookmakers, could put himself in the frame again.

Usually, betting on golf can be eminently difficult. Picking a winner can be akin to picking a needle out of a haystack.

Invariably, Scheffler is a go-to option, and his record in the Majors speak volumes about the type of player he is. That said, there will be a strong English contingent in the field, including Fitzpatrick and Rose, who could ruffle Scheffler’s feathers.

We can’t wait to see how things unfold, but given Scheffler’s pedigree and being the defending champion, perhaps it’s unsurprising to see him command such a short price.