🏌️ Rory's Split = Win?

Good Morning! The tee times for Round 1 of the PGA Championship are out.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler has notably been grouped with Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman. Rory McIlroy will tee off alongside Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose.

Check out all the groups and tee times here. 

Fun Fact: Rory McIlroy's strokes gained putting this season on the PGA Tour -Entering The Players: 129th
Since then: 25th

⛳ This day in history: Ken Venturi was born on this date in 1931 in San Francisco. He won the 1964 US Open and was later elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He died two days after his 82nd birthday in 2013.

ODDS AND PICKS
Our Top Picks For PGA Championship

🚩 The 2024 PGA Championship tees off tomorrow, as stars across the globe assemble at the iconic Valhalla Golf Club to battle it out for the year’s second major.

💰 Purse: $17.5 million, winner takes home $3.15 million.

Here are our top picks we’re betting on:

🚀 Most Likely to Win: Scottie Scheffler (+450) is coming to the PGA Championship following a three-week long break due to the birth of his child. Despite the layoff, it's tough to look beyond Scheffler given his consistency in all aspects so far this season. He's expected to face a tough challenge from the likes of Koepka, Schauffele and McIlroy, among others, but we back him to win his second Major of the year.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 5: Joaquin Niemann (+600) is flying under the radar this week despite recent success in Singapore and throughout the season. He has six top-10 finishes and two wins, including strong performances in Dubai and Oman, plus a 22nd-place finish at the Masters. The Chilean excels in total driving, long iron play, and bentgrass putting, which bode well for his chances at Valhalla.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 10: Tyrrell Hatton (+375) is one of the only two players to have top-20 finishes at both the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive and the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill. Hatton's track record on similar courses to Valhalla is strong, especially on longer, challenging courses with thick rough. After a fifth-place finish at LIV Singapore, where he excelled in approach play, and a top-15 finish at the Masters, Hatton is a confident contender in significant events.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 20: Min Woo Lee (+250) thrives on long and challenging courses due to his exceptional driving skills. His quiet top-20 finishes at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open last year highlight his ability to perform well in such setups. Lee's recent performance at the CJ Cup, where he gained 5.6 strokes off the tee, underscores his driving prowess, which will be crucial at Valhalla.

🚀 Underdog Likely to Emerge: Keith Mitchell (+2000) has always been one of the best drivers of the ball on the PGA Tour, but he has also developed into one of the best long iron players, too. Mitchell ranks top 20 in this field in driving distance, recent off-the-tee play, recent approach play, and proximity from 200-plus yards. He has the ability to cause a major upset.

* All odds via BetMGM, at the time of publishing.

ALBATROSS
Will Rory Win Again After His Second Split?

Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll have filed for divorce on the eve of the 2024 PGA Championship. The pair got married at Ashford Castle back in April 2017 before going on to have a daughter together - Poppy - in 2020.

McIlroy - who is labelled as the petitioner of the divorce - is being represented by Thomas Sasser while Cheryl Caracuzzo has been listed as the judge in this case.

🤯 History Repeating Itself? This will not be the first time that McIlroy has played in a big event after a high-profile romantic split. Back in 2014, he cancelled his engagement with Caroline Wozniacki on the eve of the BMW PGA.

Wedding invites had already gone out, but McIlroy was able to put that personal strife to one side and win the tournament. He went on to claim two Majors that summer, including the US PGA.

Can he replicate his success this time around?

🚫 Skips Championship Dinner: McIlroy was absent from the PGA Championship champions dinner on Tuesday night, after documents surrounding his divorce came to light. The golfer's team have called for the 35-year-old's privacy to be respected during the process.

Twenty previous champions attended the dinner though, including Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Padriag Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Collin Morikawa and Phil Mickelson. McIlroy was notably not present in the official picture celebrating the ceremony.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
These Are The Secrets To Scheffler's Success

Scottie Scheffler comes into the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in the midst of the greatest run of golf we've seen since Tiger Woods.

We've analysed 1000+ shots from Scheffler's historic streaks and these are the secrets to his success.

⛳️ Off Speed Driver Specialist: Scheffler is the best overall driver on tour by Strokes Gained and averages just 18 feet from the fairway when he misses the fairway - a clear No 1 in that category.

His Power Percentage, a new statistic which measures how close to a player's maximum speed they're swinging, is only 93 percent. That's one of the lowest on tour, meaning Scheffler tends to swing very within himself.

⛳️ Safely Away From Pin: Scheffler has hit an astonishing 50 shots inside of 10 feet during this historic run, including one hole out.

He leads the PGA Tour in SG: Approach (1.398) and in proximity on shots from 50-125 yards (13 ft), and 150 to 175 yards (21 ft).

⛳️ Not Aggressive On Mid-Range First Putts: Scheffler has gained, on average, more than 0.1 shots per shot to middle pins than other pin locations, and his average proximity to the hole was best (21.1 feet) to these locations, too.

He ranks above average on tour in approach putt proximity, and of the 28 bogeys Scheffler made during this run, only one was a Green in Regulation, three-putt bogey.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Flip Flop: Jon Rahm claims that he is "supportive" of the PGA Tour despite jumping ship to LIV Golf and continues to be a Tour member.

Caddie Corner: Scott Scheffler's caddie, Ted Scott, will fly home from the PGA Championship for his daughter’s high school graduation and hence miss the third round. Brad Payne will take Scott's place on Saturday.

LIV Golf: The Saudi-backed league is relocating to a 28,000-square-foot office in Hudson Yards, NYC, where 100 employees will work. The move, completing by fall, addresses their expansion from 25 to 200 employees globally.

Collab: Justin Thomas becomes the first athlete to sign with betting operator Fanatics Sportsbook ahead of the PGA Championship.

Women's Golf: LPGA Foundation announces inaugural LPGA*USGA Girls Golf National Championship, to be held from June 24-27, 2024 at the iconic Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club.

Ambassador: Former US Open champion, Matt Fitzpatrick, has teamed up with Arccos, the Official Game Tracker of the PGA Tour, as an investor and Tour ambassador.

BIRDIE
Pros Tweak Equipment Ahead Of The PGA Championship

The groups and tee-times of the 2024 PGA Championship are out but it's never too late for the pros to add new gear to their bags - here's how Max Homa and Michael Block plan to counter the challenges at Valhalla.

🏌‍♀Max Homa: Homa has added a new Titleist TSR 2-wood prototype club to his bag which is apparently helping him to draw better.

Homa now has two different options off the tee: A flat-trajectory cut shot with his TSR3 driver, and a “spinny draw” with his new TSR 2-wood, which flies farther than his former 3-wood.

At the 7,609-yard, par-71 Valhalla layout, where driving the ball long and straight is essential, the 2-wood is a welcome addition and might be the game-changer for him.

🏌‍♀Michael Block: Block has added a full set of TaylorMade “Proto” irons to his bag alongside a TaylorMade Stealth UDI driving iron.

He replaced his famous 7-irons (one he used to hit an ace) from the 2023 PGA Championship with this new set and is finding immediate comfort with the new "Proto" irons.

While he has switched the irons, Block continues to use the exact same shaft - Project X Rifle 6.5.

DRIVING RANGE
Drills for Deadly Accuracy

In today's video, we bring to you impact position drills that will help you nail your accuracy.

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