🏌️Scheffler vs McIlroy vs Koepka

Good Morning! Round 1 of the PGA Championship is underway after an initial delay due to fog. You can watch all the live action on Espn+.

47% of us are backing Scottie Scheffler to win the tournament while 27% voted for Rory McIlroy in our poll yesterday.

McIlroy will tee off at 8:30 am ET while Scheffler tees off at 2:15 pm ET.

Today's Trivia: Which golfer from this year's field won the PGA Championship in his first time playing a major? Answer at the end of the email.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1982, Kathy Whitworth won the Lady Michelob LPGA event in Roswell, Georgia, at nine under par, by four shots. It was her 83rd victory, putting her in the all-time lead.

19TH HOLE
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ALBATROSS
Scheffler vs Koepka vs McIlroy Showdown @ Valhalla

The PGA Championship has returned to Valhalla Golf Club, ten years on from Rory McIlroy's famous victory and his last Major Championship title.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Brooks Koepka are tipped to be the hot favorites alongside Rory as the year's second Major gets underway.

⛳️ The Course: Valhalla is a ball-striker's paradise.Length off the tee is crucial, with McIlroy ranking first for driving distance on his way to victory in 2014.

McIlroy also ranked in the top-5 for Strokes Gained: Around The Green, and 12th for SG: Putting, suggesting that whoever wants to win around this track will need to be near perfect in every area of their game.

⛳️ PGA Championship Record: Scheffler has made just four PGA Championship starts, making three cuts and finishing in the top-8 three times while McIlroy has made the most starts in this event, with his 15 attempts yielding two victories.

Koepka bosses this category though as he has won the tournament three times in 11 starts and finished in the top-5 six times.

⛳️ Recent Form: Scheffler has five wins and a runner-up finish in his last six starts, including a second Major Championship victory, in what can only be described as a mesmeric run of unfathomably good form.

McIlroy also arrives in some of the best form we have seen from him in a while time, with two PGA Tour victories in succession. Koepka's recent form doesn't quite live up to his competition form, although he did win on his most recent start at LIV Singapore.

Based on their statistical superiority, it's hard to see anyone other than McIlroy, Scheffler or Koepka winning the 2024 PGA Championship.

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Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Hovland Reunites With Former Coach To Arrest Slump

Viktor Hovland has changed swing coaches again. He's back working with Joseph Mayo, the coach who notably helped him win the FedEx Cup.

Despite the best season of his career in 2023, Hovland took the surprise decision to part ways with Mayo at the start of the year after feeling like his swing wasn’t as good as it had been previously.

He hired Grant Waite and has also been seen on the range with renowned teacher Dana Dahlquist, but his results so far in 2024 represent something of a mixed bag. And, he's now back to square one heading into the PGA Championship.

📌 Aberg's Injury Worry: While Hovland's form is concerning, another emerging superstar, Ludvig Aberg, is having troubles with his knee. He's wearing a brace around his knees this week at Valhalla after the injury forced him to withdraw from the Wells Fargo Championship last week.

Aberg finished runner-up at the Masters last month and he'll be hoping to go one better at the year's second Major.

📌 Mickelson's Unique Gear: Phil Mickelson was spotted donning a pair of ProAim Putting Training goggles while striking some putts on the practice green at Valhalla.

The glasses work by light entering the yellow plastic beside the right eye, with it then essentially creating a putting alignment grid in the field of your vision. The product is priced around $60, and has reportedly been used by the likes of legendary coach, Butch Harmon.

Mickelson will be hoping that this unique gear helps him improve his short game this week.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Happy Gilmore: Adam Sandler to reprise role as 'Happy Gilmore' nearly 30 years later as Netflix confirms sequel in works.

New Launch: Nike releases new NRG golf shoes for the 2024 PGA Championship. Click here to check them out.

Masters Theft: A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club pleaded guilty to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia and historic items, including one of Arnold Palmer's iconic green jackets.

Caddie Corner: Ian Poulter's regular caddie - who has also worked for the likes of Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, and Michelle Wie West - will loop for Tommy Fleetwood at Valhalla this week.

Welcome Change: PGA Championship reduces Beer prices for 2024 following criticism.

BIRDIE
These Stars Are Missing The 2024 PGA Championship

The PGA Championship boasts the strongest field in recent times, but these big names haven't made it.

🏌‍♀Louis Oosthuizen: Oosthuizen has finished runner-up in all four of the Majors and he's been T-2 at the PGA on two separate occasions. He did receive an invite into this year's event but declined due to personal commitments, thereby missing his second consecutive PGA Championship.

🏌‍♀Zach Johnson: The most recent US Ryder Cup captain surprisingly didn't receive an invite. Two-time Major champion Johnson misses this championship for the first time since 2003, with his world ranking down at 229th.

🏌‍♀Bubba Watson: Watson notably finished runner-up at the 2010 PGA Championship but is not a part of the field this year. He misses the championship for the second straight year.

🏌‍♀Matt Kuchar: Another PGA Tour veteran who failed to make the field, with the World No 109 missing the PGA Championship for the first time in 10 years.

🏌‍♀Sergio Garcia: Garcia misses his second consecutive PGA Championship after 24 appearances in the event. He is currently outside of the top-700 in the OWGR.

DRIVING RANGE
3 Tips for Great Transition

In today's video, we bring to you three tips that will help you make a great transition in your swing.

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