Previewing the Four Cal Golfers at the PGA Championship

Collin Morikawa

Age: 28
Odds to win: +2200
OWGR: 4 Data Golf: 5
PGA Championship 2024: T-4
PGA appearances/cuts made: 5/5
Best finish: Won (2020)

The two-time major winner is included by ESPN as one of 20 Tier II players (The guys who can win), along with the likes of Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. McIlroy and Scheffler are rated as the lone Tier I players (The clear favorites).

The world’s fourth-ranked player, Morikawa won this event in 2020. He has a pair of runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour this year and three top-10 performances. But he hasn’t won since the Zozo Championship in October 2023. Golf Digest has him at No. 7 in its ranking of every player in the field.

Morikawa is first on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy at 73.01, but he is just 156th in driving distance (293.6 yards). Will that be an issue on a course that favors long hitters?

Also, he recently changed caddies, splitting with J.J. Jakovac, the only caddie he’s had since turning pro in 2019. Morikawa is now paired with Joe Greiner, who was Homa’s long-time sidekick until they parted earlier this year.

Max Homa

Age: 34
Odds to win: +15000
OWGR: 78 Data Golf: 179
PGA Championship 2024: T-35
PGA appearances/cuts made: 6/4
Best finish: T-13 (2022)

The six-time tour winner, mired in a year-long slump, has missed the cut in five of 10 events this year. But Homa showed some signs of progress when he tied for 12th at the Masters. 

CBS Sports included Homa as one of five golfers who could surprise this week, noting his victory at Quail Hollow in the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. He also had back-to-back top-8 finishes on the course in 2023 and ’24.

“We saw at the Masters how a return to a course he’s had some success on can bring some of the positive vibes that have been missing from his game over the last year,” CBS wrote. “Now, he gets to go back on a course he’s not only played well on but won at.”

Unless he goes on a tear the next couple weeks, this could be the last major Homa plays this year. Because of his world ranking, he’s currently not qualified to play at either the U.S. Open, set for June 12-15 at Oakmont, or The (British) Open Championship, which will be contested July 17-20 at Royal Portrush.

To land a berth in the U.S. Open (short of gaining a spot through qualfying), Homa must climb back into the top 60 in the OWGR by June. To get an invite to Great Britain, he needs to be in the 50 by the 21st week of the season.

Byeong Hun An

Age: 33
Odds to win: +12000
OWGR: 39 Data Golf: 55
PGA Championship 2024: T-43
PGA appearances/cuts made: 8/5
Best finish: T-22 (2020)

Along with Homa and Kim, An is included in ESPN’s Tier III (If everything goes right).

“The South Korean golfer might be a sneaky pick for a top-10 finish this season. He won the Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour in October and was solo third in the Wells Fargo Championship last year,” ESPN wrote.

Michael Kim

Age: 31
Odds to win: +15000
OWGR: 54 Data Golf: 29
PGA Championship 2024: DNP
PGA appearances/cuts made: 2/0
Best finish: MC

Kim has enjoyed three top-10 finishes this season including a runner-up performance at the Phoenix Open in February. But he withdrew from the Truist Championship after two rounds last weekend due to a back injury, leaving his wellness for this week in question.

Here’s ESPN’s assessment: “Kim’s remarkable comeback from golf's abyss continues; he tied for 27th at Augusta National, his first made cut in a major since tying for 35th at The Open in 2018.”

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