Rory McIlroy battles Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and more at Quail Hollow in the second men’s major of the year

Picks for even more 2025 PGA Championship golfers and the PGA Championship favorite to win ahead of the year's second major at Quail Hollow

While Rory McIlroy is clearly the man to beat at the 2025 PGA Championship, he faces a solid group of contenders.

The PGA Championship has long been the major that has struggled to find an identity outside of getting the top 100 players in the world

The 2025 PGA Championship returns to Quail Hollow in Charlotte for the second major of the golf season. This North Carolina course last hosted in 2017 when Justin Thomas won by two strokes, and as luck would have it for J.T., he's playing some of his best golf of the last few years entering this edition of the tournament.

Charlotte, N.C., has endured several inches of rain recently but PGA officials made a point of saying preferred lies would not be in effect at Quail Hollow.

This decision stands in stark contrast to the PGA Tour's regular season protocol, where "lift, clean and place" rules are routinely implemented after heavy rainfall. Under these conditions, players can pick up their ball in the fairway to remove mud and find a cleaner lie—a practice that significantly eases the challenge for competitors.