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5 Things We Learned on Saturday of the 2018 PGA Championship

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8 years ago

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Round 3 has concluded at Bellerive, and golf could not ask for a finer leader board as Saturday evening falls. In fact, a populace could not be better served than the teaching professionals of America. The organization that introduces a majority of golfers to the game, polishes swings, refines etiquette, has a star-studded cast on stage for Sunday’s final round. The weather problems have left the region, and St. Louis and Bellerive are prepared for an unforgettable 4th round. We learned a few things on day 3, so let’s move along with 5 things we learned on Saturday at the PGA Championship.

5) Does the viewing public care about quality architecture more than a quality field?

Complete transparency: I’m an architecture junky and know the difference between Trent Jones and Travis, Dye and Doak, and Coore and MacDonald. Sometimes there isn’t much, other times, there is. The runway tees, constant same-direction doglegs, and fairway-pinching bunkering of the Trent Jones influence were certainly a reaction to the quality architecture that came before World War 2 in the USA, and a lightning rod for the renaissance that began in the early 1990s. Here’s the rub: Koepka, Scott, Rahm, Fowler, Woods Day, Thomas, Molinari, Kisner, Cink are in the top 15 after 54 holes. You have U.S. Open, British Open, Masters and PGA champions in that roll call, recent challengers and the best of a young generation. What’s not to like about that, whether the architecture is our finest or not? One thing’s for certain: the PGA of America set up the Bellerive course to challenge (but not burden) the field, and the superintendent and crew executed the plan to perfection.

4) What does it mean to be Under The Radar?

Andy North won 2 U.S. Opens and not much else. One other PGA Tour event, in fact. He wasn’t due any more attention than that, as he didn’t demonstrate any staying power or diversity in his wins. Eerily similar is the case of Brooks Koepka: a standard tour win (Phoenix) followed by … 2 U.S. Opens. You can’t say that Brooks Koepka is any better than Andy North, at this stage of his career. Therefore, he doesn’t merit any more attention or respect than other major winners in the field. How about Adam Scott, Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson or Jason Day? One major for each of them, and like Koepka, ready to break free of whatever distinction they currently have. All great players, but not yet part of a legendary pantheon.

3) Who are these young guys, yet to win a major?

Jon Rahm is the most heralded of the younger generation. 23 years old, already a winner, already tabbed to perform in a legendary manner. Unfair burden, perhaps, but those who desire the mantel of greatness, must accept such an onus. Kevin Kisner has challenged so often in majors, these last 15 months. On Saturday, he played an un-Kisner like round of +2, dropping 5 shots off the pace set by Koepka at -12. Will the chance to come from behind suit him more than being a front-runner, as he was in July at Carnoustie? How about Gary Woodland? He’s 34, not a young guy by any stretch, but he needs a feature victory of his own. He fits the image of a PGA champion: hard-grinding journeyman who stays out of the spotlight, but has the game to produce at any moment.

2) How about the defending champion and the Jarrod Lyle factor?

Justin Thomas had 68 on Saturday for a total of 8-under. He’s a quartet of shots off the lead and not keen on giving up the Wannamaker trophy he won in 2017. He knows how to win from behind, and how to hold a lead. He’s awfully tough to beat when the stakes are high. On a completely-different plane, Adam Scott and Jason Day have the entire nation of Australia on their shoulders, as they try to win one for their fallen comrade, Jarrod Lyle. So many forms of motivation, only one winner.

1) Woods

The elephant in the room is a tiger. Tiger Woods had a chance in July at the British Open. He has consecutive 66s after opening with 70. Another 66 will get him to 12-under, but it won’t be enough to win. He’ll need 64, and he’ll need to do it in the company of Gary Woodland, in the 3rd-last pairing. Before he arrives at the first tee, Woods will have the information he needs on who is making a move, which holes offer an opportunity to save strokes, and what he might need to do. The rest will be up to Tiger 4.0, a mash-up of 2000, 2005 and 2008 Tiger Woods. If he shoots another 31 on the front nine, as he did on Saturday, watch out. I can’t wait. I CANNOT WAIT!!

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. joro

    Aug 13, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    What a bunch of really stupid comments. There is no comparison to Brooks and Andy, the guy is for real and will win a lot before he becomes another announcer who can’t compete anymore,,, Hear that Trevor ? You went to David runtime Leadbetter and now you are out. As for Tiger, he is coming along but the public still adores him, so be it. Maybe he will win something, maybe not.

    Reply Report comment

  2. RocketBall

    Aug 12, 2018 at 2:21 am

    I’m going to go out on a limb and call you on one point. The Brooks Koepka / Andy North compare. I think even Andy North would agree that Koepka is better than he was at this stage.

    Reply Report comment

  3. sid

    Aug 12, 2018 at 12:58 am

    Tiger will be prowling in the rough and plummet down down down… wanna bet?!!

    Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Aug 12, 2018 at 12:06 pm

      I’m not a betting man. I certainly don’t want anyone in the rough, plummeting. It will be a learning experience for 4.0, so here’s hoping we have an unforgettable finish to this event.

      Reply Report comment

    • Jerrod

      Aug 12, 2018 at 5:40 pm

      Typical hater comment. Your rally is in DC while the PGA Championship is going on. Wanna bet I’m right?!?!

      Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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