Majors Value Meter: PGA Championship Rankings

Below are RotoWire's rankings for the 103rd PGA Championship.

This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve other leagues and DFS players as well, no matter the nuance.

The PGA returns to the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, S.C., with an all-time-record length for a golf tournament at 7,876 yards, just a wedge shy of 8,000. In fact, it's longer than 4,000 yards on the back nine. Obviously, length will be a huge advantage, but as we always say, there's more than one way to win a golf tournament. 

The 2012 PGA Championship was played at the Ocean Course and was won by a young Rory McIlroy, who finished at 13-under-par and won by record-breaking eight strokes over -- wait for it -- David Lynn of England. Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Keegan Bradley and Carl Pettersson shared third place. The course at the time played 7,676 yards. McIlroy shot a 75 on Friday that year, but he also carded and closed with a bogey-free 66 for his second major title. The Pete and Alice Dye 1991 design also hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup, forever remembered for the American win in the "War on the Shore."

Remarkably, there are no 600-yard holes. The four par-5s are all longer than 550 yards and the four par-3s, outside of a 198-yard hole, are all 200-plus. But here's the real headline: There are six par-4s in excess of 480 yards.

The field is a maxed-out 156 and includes all of the top 100 in the world rankings, save for an injured Tiger Woods, who was ranked 97th at last week's cutoff point. One berth remains for the winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson if he is not already exempt. There is the usual complement of 20 club pros. One or two could make the cut, but last year none did. There are also 16 former PGA champions in the field, including defending champion Collin Morikawa. A half dozen or so can be considered "legacy" champions with virtually no chance to win or even make the cut.

These rankings were formulated before the completion of the AT&T Byron Nelson. Golfers in the Byron Nelson field have an asterisk next to their name.

Thus, the list is broken down into six categories:

• Favorites
• Contenders
• Making the Cut
• Borderline
• Long Shots
• Club Pros

Field changes and news updates will be noted in the comments at the bottom.

FAVORITES

1) Bryson DeChambeau*
At the all-time longest course, we begin with the all-time longest driver. But he certainly is so much more. He tied for fourth at last year's PGA and soon after followed that up by winning the U.S. Open at beastly Winged Foot. He is currently ranked 4th in the OWGR.

2) Rory McIlroy

It's been seven years since he won a major, which was the the 2014 PGA. He won the 2012 PGA at this very same Ocean Course. Just two weeks ago, he ended an 18-month victory drought at the Wells Fargo Championship on another very long Quail Hollow track. He is ranked 7th in the OWGR.

3) Justin Thomas
The 2017 PGA winner at Quail Hollow is not ranked among the top 50 in driving distance on the PGA Tour. But he's long enough, especially when factoring in the rest of his elite game. Ranked 2nd in the OWGR.

4) Jon Rahm*
At some point, and probably soon, they'll be asking why Rahm has never won a major. This will be his 19th, and his game is perfectly suited to get it done this week. He tied for fourth at the 2018 PGA and for 13th last year. Ranked 3rd in the OWGR.

5) Jordan Spieth*
Yes, he's back. He won the Valero Texas Open and tied for third at the Masters before taking a break since then. It's just a question of whether this track is simply too long, even with all the short-game magic he can deliver. Ranked 28th in the OWGR.

6) Xander Schauffele
One of the longest drivers with an exceptional all-around game, he is also looking for his first major. In fact, he's looking for a win of any kind going on 28 months now. He's had this bad habit of finding water at critical times late in tournaments this year, including at the Masters, in Phoenix and two weeks ago at Quail Hollow. Ranked 5th in the OWGR.

7) Viktor Hovland
He's been a top-6 machine since December beginning with his win at Mayakoba. In all, he has eight top-6s, including just two weeks ago at the Wells Fargo Championship. This will be his sixth major (pro and amateur) and he's still looking for his first top-10. Ranked 11th in the OWGR.

8) Collin Morikawa
The defending champion impressively won at Harding Park in only his second career major appearance. This will be tougher, not only because he'd have to repeat but because Harding Park was short for a typical PGA course and he's outside the top 125 on Tour in driving distance. Of course, his iron game is good enough to make up for that. Ranked 6th in the OWGR.

9) Dustin Johnson
He pulled out of the AT&T Byron Nelson with "knee discomfort." He probably would not have been ranked higher regardless, as he hasn't had a top-10 in his past six starts. He got that elusive second major at the 2020 Masters, and you'd think that would free him up mentally for more. Ranked 1st overall in the OWGR.

10) Brooks Koepka*
This is all about respecting Koepka's major resume. He played the AT&T Byron Nelson, just his second start since the end of February after yet another knee surgery -- this time on his right leg. He missed the cut at the Masters last month but before that had a win and a runner-up in 2021. Ranked 12th in the OWGR.

11) Patrick Reed
He's finished in the top-13 in his past six majors, including T13 at last year's PGA. It goes to show how good his short game is, good enough to overcome clear distance disadvantages. Ranked 8th in the OWGR.

12) Tony Finau
Just a remarkable collection of top-10s in majors through the years, even though he has not been able to win anywhere in five years. He's finished top-10 at the past three majors, including T4 at last year's PGA, and has eight top-10s in his past 12 major starts. So maybe this ranking is too low? Ranked 14th in the OWGR.

CONTENDERS

13) Will Zalatoris*
This ordinarily is a high position for someone who has played in only three career majors., but not when two of them resulted in a tie for sixth at last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot and a runner-up at last month's Masters. He's ranked 21st on Tour in driving distance at nearly 307 yards. Ranked 30th in the OWGR.

14) Hideki Matsuyama*
This is about where he belongs, with an impressive 33-major history of eight top-10s and 20 top-25s, including the past six in a row. The only question is how he'll respond so soon after his breakthrough win at the Masters. Ranked 15th in the OWGR.

15) Daniel Berger*
He has enjoyed a great 2021 to date, with a win at Pebble Beach and five other top-18s, including a tie for ninth at THE PLAYERS, He tied for 13th at last year's PGA and, despite not being a long hitter, for 12th three years ago. Ranked 16th in the OWGR.

16) Joaquin Niemann
This might be the first "reach" ranking. But we are focusing on length and he is long, ranked eighth on Tour in driving distance. He's also a good iron player and putter. The only thing missing is a high finish in a major, as he has just one top-25, which came at last year's U.S. Open. Ranked 29th in the OWGR.

17) Scottie Scheffler*
His three majors since joining the PGA Tour have all resulted in top-20s, including a tie for fourth at last year's PGA. He's perhaps the straightest of the longer drivers on Tour. Ranked 22nd in the OWGR.

18) Paul Casey
It's a lot to ask of a shorter hitter to deliver at the Ocean Course, but Casey is having a great season. He finished co-runner-up at last year's PGA. He has 22 career top-25s in 67 major starts and often figures out how to get the job done, no matter the course. Ranked 20th in the OWGR.

19) Patrick Cantlay
With a major history that is merely "okay" and current form that is troubling, this might even be too high a ranking. He has two top-10s in 16 career majors, both in 2019, including T3 at the PGA. He's uncharacteristically missed four straight cuts in stroke-play events and has slipped to 13th in the OWGR.

20) Tyrrell Hatton
After going 0-for-3 in majors in 2020, the Englishman got back on track with a top-20 at the Masters last month. From 2016 to 2019, he totaled five major top-10s, including a pair of ties for 10th at the PGA. Ranked 9th in the OWGR.

21) Adam Scott
He's been in 79 majors and has top-25s in almost half of them (38), including the past three PGAs. His world ranking is down to 36th, but he can still deliver on occasion (10th at Torrey Pines, 13th at the Honda) and is still super long – 16th on Tour in driving distance. Ranked 36th in the OWGR.

22) Justin Rose
He's now 40 and doesn't have the week-in and week-out success that he used to. But he still shows up in the big tournaments. He was top-10 at the Masters last month after leading much of the tournament and top-10 at last year's PGA. He's finished top-25 five of the past seven years at the PGA. Ranked 41st in the OWGR.

23) Abraham Ancer
He arrives on Kiawah Island riding consecutive top-5 results, notably a runner-up at the uber-long Quail Hollow track. He is far down the driving distance rankings but still sits 10th on Tour in greens in regulation. He has played in two PGAs, tying for 16th in 2019. Ranked 19th in the OWGR.

24) Jason Day*
His world ranking is plummeting -- he currently sits 62nd -- and he has just four top-25s in his past 18 starts. But he apparently lives for the PGA. Since winning it in 2015, he's finished top-25 every year, three of them top-10s, including a tie for fourth last year. He has nine top-25s in 11 career PGAs.

25) Louis Oosthuizen
He has finished in the top-25 in almost half of his 48 career majors (21), and in four of his past eight PGAs. He famously has finished second in all four majors, with his PGA runner-up coming in 2017 at Quail Hollow. He just missed another top-25 at the Masters last month and was eighth last time out at the Valspar Championship. Ranked 32nd in the OWGR.

MAKING THE CUT

26) Webb Simpson
For all the success he has had in his career, his record in majors simply doesn't match up, especially at the usually long PGA. He has just five top-10s and 14 top-25s in 38 career majors. His best at the PGA was a tie for 13th in 2016. Of course, he did win the 2012 U.S. Open. Ranked 10th in the OWGR.

27) Jason Kokrak
He had made four straight cuts in the PGA, with top-25s in 2018-19, before missing at last year's shorter Harding Park. He's better suited for the longer tracks, such as Bay Hill, where he tied for ninth in March. He then followed that up with another top-10 at THE PLAYERS. Ranked 34th in the OWGR.

28) Si Woo Kim*
This is a big upgrade over his No. 50 world ranking, but he has been trending upward in 2021. There was the win at the Amex, then a top-10 at THE PLAYERS and a tie for 12th at the Masters. He tied for 13th at last year's PGA, the first time he made a cut in five tries.

29) Cameron Smith
He has not had any success at the PGA, unless you want to consider one top-25 and making four of five cuts a success for a highly ranked golfer. But he's been on a tear through the early par of 2021, with three top-10s and five top-20s, and that doesn't include his Zurich Classic two-man win with partner Marc Leishman. Ranked 25th in the OWGR.

30) Sungjae Im
He's definitely more of a finesse player, better suited to the shorter, more tactical tracks. He has gone T42-MC-MC in his three PGAs. But there was breakthrough of sorts with a top-25 at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot last year. Ranked 21st in the OWGR.

31) Shane Lowry
The STILL Champion Golfer of the Year has enjoyed recent success at the PGA, making four straight cuts with a tie for 12th in 2018 and for eighth in 2019. He also has a pair of top-10s at U.S. Opens in 2015-16. He's made 14 of his past 16 cuts, with a top-10 at THE PLAYERS and a top-25 at the Masters. Ranked 47th in the OWGR.

32) Matt Wallace
He tied for 19th at the 2018 PGA and for third a year later. That's part of a run of seven straight made cuts at majors. He has been on the rise of late, tying for third at the Valero and for sixth at lengthy Quail Hollow. Ranked 52nd in the OWGR.

33) Corey Conners
He's finished top-10 at the past two Masters, but that's not going to help much at the PGA, where he missed the cut last year and tied for 64th in 2019. What will help is that he's made 17 of his past 18 cuts, with seven top-10s and 13 top-25s. The best of that bunch was a solo third at the long Bay Hill track. Ranked 37th in the OWGR.

34) Brian Harman
The sheer length of the Ocean Course will fully test the gritty but shorter-hitting left-hander. He tackled Quail Hollow admirably a couple of weeks ago with a tie for 18th. But this course will be longer and the field far tougher. He has one top-25 in six PGAs, a tie for 13th in 2017. Ranked 48th in the OWGR.

35) Ryan Palmer*
He's is playing some of his best golf, having made 13 straight cuts, seven of them being top-25s – and three of them being top-5s. But he hasn't had so much as a top-25 in his past 12 majors dating to a tie for fifth at the 2014 PGA. Ranked 31st in the OWGR.

36) Sam Burns*
Coming off his maiden win at the Valspar, pay close attention to how he does at the Byron Nelson in his first start as a PGA Tour champion. Often, it's hard to regroup so quickly. This will be just his fourth career major. His best was a T29 at the 2019 PGA. Ranked 44th in the OWGR.

37) Gary Woodland
As good as 2019 for him was with a win at the U.S. Open, that's how bad 2020 was. And 2021 wasn't looking much better for him till recently, when he tied for sixth at the Valero and was fifth at the Wells Fargo.  The PGA should suit his game when on form, and it has. He's made seven cuts in nine tries with four top-25s, including top-10s in 2018 and '19. Ranked 53rd in the OWGR.

38) Marc Leishman*
He's had a handful of good finishes in 2021 but overall the past 12 months have not been what we've come to expect from him. In the process, he has fallen to 38th in the world rankings. His best majors have been the Masters and Open Championship, though he does have a couple of PGA top-15s, albeit in 2013 and 2017.

39) Billy Horschel
Usually played on longer tracks, the PGA has not been his wheelhouse. (Actually, no major has been his wheelhouse, with 29 starts and just one top-10.) But he's made the cut in seven of his eight, with a best of T23 in 2019. He has had a good start to 2021 with a win at the Match Play and runner-up at the WGC-Workday Championship. Ranked 18th in the OWGR.

40) Max Homa
He has one made cut in six career majors, but it's hard to imagine that continuing much longer. He won at Riviera earlier this year, then finished top-10 at both Bay Hill and the Valero. He is pretty long off the tee, averaging over 302 yards. Ranked 39th in the OWGR.

41) Tommy Fleetwood
It's been only recently that he's shown signs of snapping out of yearlong funk. He followed up a top-10 at Bay Hill with a quarterfinal berth at the Match Play and a top-15 at the Wells Fargo. His PGA track record is not great, with last year's T29 his best in six tries. Ranked 26th in the OWGR.

42) Matthew Fitzpatrick*
He's never finished inside the top-40 in five PGAs and this one appears to be even more formidable for someone not even averaging 290 off the tee this season. On the other hand, he's had a great start to 2021, with four top-10s and two other top-20s in just seven PGA Tour starts. Ranked 17th in the OWGR.

43) Harris English*
He's made the cut in 15 of his 18 career majors, including four of five at the PGA, highlighted by last year's tie for 19th. He certainly has been a different golfer the past 18 months or so, and he returned to the winner's circle at Kapalua in January. He hasn't had another top-10 since then, but he was 21st at the Masters. Ranked 24th in the OWGR.

44) Robert MacIntyre
Still only 24, the Englishman impressively tied for 12th at his first Masters. He also made the cut at last year's PGA with a tie for 66th, and at the long Bay Hill track in March with a T36. Plus, he's a not-too-shabby 72nd in driving distance on the PGA Tour. Ranked 45th in the OWGR.

45) Christiaan Bezuidenhout
The 26-year-old South African tied for seventh at Bay Hill, indicting he can compete in a top field and on a long track. He also made the cut at THE PLAYERS and the Masters. He missed the cut at last year's PGA, one of six career majors for him. Ranked 40th in the OWGR.

46) Lee Westwood*
Upon teeing off on Thursday, he will move within one of Jay Haas' all-time record of 87 major starts without a win. This will be his 22nd PGA and he's made the cut in 14 of them, with six top-25s. But the most recent one was in 2014. He cracked the top 25 of the OWGR -- he is currently at 23rd -- in March with consecutive second-place finishes at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS.

47) Ian Poulter
At age 45, he is showing some signs of slipping and is now down to 65th in the world rankings. He hasn't had a PGA Tour stroke-play top-10 in almost a year. But he's made the cut in 14 of 18 PGAs, and his best-ever result happens to be at the Ocean Course -- a tie for third in 2012. But the sheer length of the current setup will really test him.

48) Cameron Champ*
This is pretty much a distance play. He's ranked third off the tee at more than 318 yards. He finished T26 and T19 at the two recent Masters and T10 at last year's PGA. But there's been little else to get excited about over the past eight months, as he's fallen to 89th in the world rankings.

49) Brendon Todd
He's made the cut in three of his past four majors, with top-25s at last year's PGA and U.S. Open before a T46 at April's Masters. He's made nine of 10 cuts overall in 2021, but high finishes have been increasingly hard to come by, with no top-30s in his past five starts. Ranked 59th in the OWGR.

50) Lanto Griffin
He is a very good putter and a pretty long hitter. Somehow, that hasn't added up to much good play of late. He did tie for 26th at the Wells Fargo, which was his best result since a T21 at Bay Hill. But he's had only one top-10 all year. He tied for 19th last year in his maiden PGA, by far his best showing in five majors. Ranked 61st in the OWGR.

51) Stewart Cink
One of the feel-good stories of the golf season, he has won not once but twice as a 47-year-old (he turns 48 this month). This will be his 80th major and 20th PGA – and first PGA since tying for fourth in 2018. Remarkably, he is ranked 24th in driving distance and first in greens in regulation. That sounds like a made cut. Ranked 42nd in the OWGR.

52) Rickie Fowler*
Now 122nd in the world rankings, he is far from his former self. He's been in 10 events in 2021 and made six cuts, but three of them have been top-25s. That sounds like someone capable of making a cut in a major, especially someone who has played in 43 of them with 18 top-25s. He missed the cut at last year's PGA, just his second in 11 PGA starts.

53) Kevin Kisner
He surprisingly has done well at the mostly longer tracks PGA Championships are played on, making the cut four times in six starts with three top-25s and a top-10. But long courses are not his specialty, especially this year when putting woes have crept into his game. He's missed the cut in his past four stroke-play events. Ranked 43rd in the OWGR.

54) Francesco Molinari
On one side, there's the golfer who has never missed a cut in 11 PGA Championship appearances with three top-10s, including a runner-up in 2017. On the other side, there's the golfer who has fallen to 133rd in the world rankings and who missed the cut at Bay Hill, THE PLAYERS and the Wells Fargo. He can still show flashes, such as with top-10s at Torrey Pines at Riviera.

55) Charl Schwartzel*
He's made the cut in 11 of 14 PGAs, but with only three top-25s and none since 2014. He's certainly been play well coming in, with a T26 at the Masters and top-25s at the Valspar and Wells Fargo. Ranked 157th in the OWGR.

56) Cameron Tringale
He has played in six PGAs – two made cuts, two missed cuts and two disqualifications, one of them last year. This year has been good, with a T13-T9-T3 run this spring leading up to a missed cut at the Wells Fargo. He also made the cut at Bay Hill. He's averaging just a sliver under 300 off the tee. Ranked 67th in the OWGR.

57) Harold Varner III
He has played in six career majors and his best two have been his last two: T29 at last year's PGA and T36 at the 2019 PGA. He is coming off a recent runner-up at Harbour Town, another South Carolina track but one that could not be more different from the Ocean Course. He is ranked 50th in driving distance and had top-25s at both Bay Hill and the Honda. Ranked 82nd in the OWGR.

58) Thomas Detry
This will be the 28-year-old Belgian's second major after a T49 at last year's U.S. Open. He's played twice in the States in 2021, tying for 28th at the WGC-Workday and for 13th at the oppo event in the Dominican. Ranked 96th in the OWGR.

59) Emiliano Grillo
He's played in six PGAs and made five cuts, with two of them being top-25s. He was 11th at Bay Hill and 14th at the Wells Fargo – he can compete on long tracks – and was runner-up at Harbour Town. Ranked 74th in the OWGR.

60) Keegan Bradley
The 2011 PGA champ at the Atlanta Athletic Club tied for third the next year. He hasn't come close again. He's missed the cut in his past four majors, including last year's PGA. But … he's had some good finishes this year, notably a recent runner-up at the Valspar, a tie for 10th at Bay Hill and a tie for 18th a couple of weeks ago at the long Quail Hollow Club to offer hope of a made cut this week. Ranked 69th in the OWGR.

61) Bubba Watson
He certainly has the length for the Ocean Course, even though he has fallen to 40th in driving distance on Tour. He tied for 11th at Kiawah in 2012 but has not cracked the top-50 in the past five PGAs. He's been playing well of late – 18th at the Wells Fargo, 13th at the Valspar, 26th at the Masters and ninth at the Match Play. Ranked 55th in the OWGR.

62) Phil Mickelson
He's down to 116th in the world rankings but, for the most part, he can still make more cuts than he misses. He's made six of 10 worldwide so far in 2021. That includes THE PLAYERS and the Masters, the Honda and Wells Fargo. He had top-25s at the Masters and the Honda. This will incredibly be his 113th major and 29th PGA, which he won in 2005. He's missed only three PGA cuts. He tied for 71st each of the past two years.

63) Russell Henley
This will be the 32-year-old's 26th career major and he's been decent, making 17 cuts, including five of seven at the PGA. He tied for 37th last year but also has a T12 in 2015 and a T22 in 2016. He tied for third at the Honda and for ninth at the RBC Heritage but missed the PLAYERS cut and didn't qualify for the Masters. Ranked 57th in the OWGR.
 
64) Thomas Pieters*
He is one of the higher-ranked Europeans who's never really tried to make a go of it on the PGA Tour. Once ranked 23rd in the world, he's now 88th. His one U.S. start this year prior to the Nelson was a T13 at the alternate event in the Dominican. He's made three of four PGA cuts, with a T6 in 2018 and a T23 in 2019. He didn't play in the 2020 tournament.

65) Alex Noren*
He has made the cut in seven of nine starts in 2021. He's also made the cut in six of eight PGAs, with last year's tie for 22nd his best. Yes, it was a shorter-than-normal PGA track, but he also tied for 17th at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. Ranked 102nd in the OWGR.

66) Joel Dahmen
He won the alternate event in the Dominican for his first PGA title and also was T18 at the Wells Fargo. Has made both his PGA cuts, including a tie for 10th last year. Ranked 66th in the OWGR.

67) Matt Kuchar*
He has a quirky history at the PGA, where he's made only six cuts in 12 starts, but they've all been top-25s and four have been top-10s, including in 2019. He missed the cut last year. After falling out of the top 50 of the OWGR for the first time in a decade, he was third at the Match Play, 12th at the Valero Texas Open and 18th at the RBC Heritage. But the Ocean Course is a different animal. Ranked 49th in the OWGR.

68) Sergio Garcia*
It's amazing how good he used to be in majors and how bad he's been since winning one. He's missed the cut in 10 of 14 major starts since the 2017 majors, and five straight in the PGA. With his elite tee-to-green game, he could notch a top-10 at this track. But who knows what going on inside his head? Ranked 46th in the OWGR.

69) Matt Jones
A deceptively long hitter, he averages almost 305 off the tee and is coming off a recent win at the Honda. He's been in six career PGAs and made four cuts, though not last year. He was also eighth at Riviera, 26th at the Masters and made the cut at both THE PLAYERS and Wells Fargo. Ranked 56th in the OWGR.

70) Brendan Steele
Having recently turned 38, this will be his eighth PGA. He's made four cuts, three of which have been top-25s, including last year. The PGA has been his best major. So far in 2021, he's made all 10 of his Tour cuts, with top-5s at the Sony and the Honda and a top-20 at Bay Hill, carrying him back inside the top-100 OWGR. Great ball-striker. Ranked 81st in the OWGR.

BORDERLINE

71) Chris Kirk
This will be his first major since the 2018 PGA after a few years of off-the-course issues. This has been a terrific comeback year, highlighted by a runner-up at the Sony and top-10s at Bay Hill, the Valero and Harbour Town. This week will be a challenge for one of the shorter hitters on Tour. Ranked 64th in the OWGR.

72) Carlos Ortiz*
A pretty long hitter with decent greens in regulation, scrambling and putting numbers, he had a great start to 2021 but has tailed off of late. He's missed three of his past five cuts with no top-40 result. He's missed the cut in three of his four career majors, including last year's PGA. Ranked 54th in the OWGR.

73) Mackenzie Hughes
He's missed only four cuts in 12 events in 2021, but there's been only one good week in stroke play – and that came way back in January with a T19 at the Sony. Nothing else inside the top-30. Somewhat surprisingly, he's already played seven majors. He's made just two cuts, but they've been two of the past three, including last year's PGA and this year's Masters. Ranked 58th in the OWGR.

74) Erik van Rooyen*
He was ranked 40th in the world about a year ago but is now down to 75th. Until a tie for 14th at the Valero last month, there wasn't much to get excited about. He has played in two PGAs and made both cuts with a tie for eighth in 2019. He is ranked 52nd on Tour in driving distance.

75) Victor Perez
For someone ranked top-50 in the rankings -- he is currently 33rd and has reached as high as 29th -- the Frenchman has played in few PGA Tour events and few big events. He had never played a major before last year, though he then tied for 22nd at the PGA. He also finished top-10 at THE PLAYERS. But distance might be a big issue this week.

76) Sebastian Munoz*
He's made the cut in three of his six career majors but not his lone PGA last year. Outside of a top-10 finish at the Valero, it's been a down year, and he's missed his past two cuts. Ranked 68th in the OWGR.

77) Branden Grace
He won the Puerto Rico Open, an opposite-field event. But he's also made four of five cuts in regular Tour events since then, notching a top-25 at the Valero and just missing one at Bay. Hill. He has played in 32 majors. This will be his ninth PGA. He's made only four cuts, but two were top-5s in 2015-16. Ranked 91st in the OWGR.

78) Kevin Na
This will be a tough track for the shorter hitter, one who has had only marginal success in his 39 career majors – 10 top-25s, just two top-10s. Two of those top-25s and one of those top-10s have come at the PGA, but he's missed the cut in the past two and withdrew from the 2012 tournament at Kiawah. He won the Sony Open in January and tied for 12th at the Masters. Ranked 35th in the OWGR.

79) Talor Gooch*
He has made eight of 11 cuts in 2021, including at Riviera, Bay Hill, THE PLAYERS, the Honda and the Wells Fargo. THE PLAYERS was a tie for fifth. A major, of course, is next level and he's been in only two of them, including a missed cut at last year's PGA. Ranked 73rd in the OWGR.

80) Aaron Wise*
He was ninth at Quail Hollow a couple of weeks ago and 13th at the Honda. He made the cut in all four majors in 2019 (T41 at the PGA) but didn't qualify for any of them in 2020. Ranked 130th in the OWGR.

LONG SHOTS

81) Martin Kaymer
The 2010 PGA champion and 2014 U.S. Open winner will play in his 49th major. He's been in 12 PGAs, making half the cuts, though he's missed the last two. He's played in the States just once in 2021, missing the cut at the Honda. He finished third last time out at the Austrian Golf Open last month, just his fifth start of the year. Ranked 87th in the OWGR.

82) Andy Sullivan
He played in both WGCs so far in 2021, his only starts in the States. He's missed the cut in three of his four PGAs, last playing in 2018. He tied for 49th in 2016. Ranked 72nd in the OWGR.

83) Chez Reavie
He's never missed a cut in six PGAs, though they have spanned 13 years (2008-2020). But he's not that same player so far in 2021, having missed five straight cuts and eight of 11 overall. Ranked 111th in the OWGR.

84) Bernd Wiesberger
He's played in seven PGAs with only two made cuts. Ouch. But one of them was last year (T43) and he also recorded a tie for 15th way back in 2014. For someone who used to be a top-25 golfer and is now ranked 60th, the veteran Austrian simply has not had the success on the PGA Tour that he has had in Europe.

85) John Catlin*
The Sacramento, Calif., native plays on the European Tour and has won three times there since September to soar to 78th in the world rankings. This will be his first major. He has played in one WGC -- the 2018 HSBC Champions (T54).

86) Dylan Frittelli
The South African has played in 11 majors, including four PGAs, making three of those cuts, including T33 last year. He was fifth at the 2020 Masters. He's missed five of nine cuts so far in 2021, including the Masters and Bay Hill, but was top-25 at THE PLAYERS. Ranked 79th in the OWGR.

87) Kevin Streelman
He's made eight of 11 cuts in 2021, including T26 at the Wells Fargo. This will be his 26th major and his ninth PGA -- four made cuts, including T58 last year. Ranked 63rd in the OWGR.

88) Takumi Kanaya
The former No. 1 amateur in the world has won once the past three years in Japan and is still only 22 years old. He's ranked 76th in the world. He missed the cut at last year's U.S. Open but then tied for 41st at the ZOZO. He made the Masters cut as an amateur in 2019. This will be his first PGA.

89) Danny Willett
This will be his 10th PGA and he's made five cuts but without ever recording a top-25. He recently tied for 31st at Bay Hill and for 18th at Harbour Town, but he missed the cut in three of his past four starts. Ranked 92nd in the OWGR.

90) Henrik Stenson
He has a great track record at the PGA, but that was a different player than the 45-year-old who has now fallen well outside the top-100 in the world rankings. He missed four straight PGA Tour cuts before cashing at the Masters and the Valspar. He's missed the cut in two of the past three PGAs, including last year. Ranked 129th in the OWGR.

91) Garrick Higgo
Little known to many U.S.-based golf fans, the 22-year-old South African has been on a tear, winning two of his past three European Tour events, including the Canary Islands Championships by six strokes earlier this month. They have been terrible fields by PGA Tour standards, but that hasn't stopped him from soaring to 51st in the world rankings. This will be his first major.

92) J.T. Poston
He has missed five cuts in 12 starts so far in 2021, which doesn't bode well for this week, though he did have a top-25 at THE PLAYERS. He's been in six majors and the only cuts he's made were the past two years at the PGA. Ranked 84th in the OWGR.

93) Steve Stricker
Now 54 years old, he finished fourth at Phoenix, 13th at the Honda and made cut at Bay Hill – this year's U.S. Ryder Cup captain can still play. Whether he can hit it far enough this week is a concern. This will be his 76th major and 23rd PGA. Missed his past two PGA cuts. Still ranked 233rd in the OWGR.

94) Padraig Harrington*
The 2008 PGA Championship winner and upcoming European Ryder Cup captain opposite Stricker played seven PGA Tour events preceding the Nelson and made four cuts, including Bay Hill and the Valero. Three months shy of turning 50, this will be his 75th major and 21st PGA. He last made a cut there in 2016. Still ranked 253rd in the OWGR.

95) Sam Horsfield
The 24-year-old Englishman will make his fourth major start, first at the PGA, and is still looking to make a cut. He was playing well in Europe but then missed the Valspar cut in his last start. Ranked 86th in the OGWR.

96) Cameron Davis
He certainly hits it long enough, but this will be only his second major and first PGA (T39 at 2018 Open Championship). He has made nine of 12 cuts so far in 2021. Ranked 125th in the OWGR.

97) Zach Johnson
He is still making cuts (eight of 11 in 2021) and still sprinkling in a high finish once in a while (T8 at the Honda). But the Ocean Course length will make it hard for him to reach the weekend in his 69th career major and 18th PGA. Ranked 120th in the OWGR.

98) Antoine Rozner*
The 28-year-old Frenchman won for the second time on the European Tour in Qatar in March to qualify for the Match Play, where he tied for 18th in his first event in the United States. This will be his first major. Ranked 70th in the OWGR.

99) Adam Hadwin
He's tumbled outside the top-100 in the world rankings and has missed his past three cuts on Tour. This will be his fifth PGA; he's made the past two cuts. Ranked 104th in the OWGR.

100) Charley Hoffman
He's had a very good 2021 so far but his record in the PGA has been astoundingly bad. Only three made cuts in 11 tries with a best of T40 in 2013. Brutal. Ranked 71st in the OWGR.

101) Maverick McNealy
Third major. First PGA. Ranked 105th in the OWGR.

102) George Coetzee
18th major. 6th PGA. Best PGA: T7, 2015. Ranked 98th in the OWGR.

103) Lucas Herbert
7th major. 3rd PGA. Best PGA: T71, 2019. Ranked 94th in the OWGR.

104) Robert Streb
12th major. 4th PGA. Best PGA: T7, 2016. Ranked 123rd in the OWGR.

105) Dean Burmester
Third major. First PGA. Ranked 93rd in the OWGR.

106) Kurt Kitayama
Fifth major. Third PGA. Best PGA: T51, 2020. Ranked 103rd in the OWGR.

107) Rasmus Hojgaard
Second major. First PGA. Ranked 101st in the OWGR.

108) Richy Werenski
Fifth major. Third PGA. Best PGA: MC. Ranked 110th in the OWGR.

109) Tom Lewis*
Ninth major. Third PGA. Best PGA: MC, 2019-20. Ranked 112th in the OWGR.

110) Jazz Janewattananond
Seventh major. Third PGA. Best PGA: T14, 2019. Ranked 114th in the OWGR.

111) Aaron Rai
Second major. First PGA. Ranked 89th in the OWGR.

112) Tom Hoge*
5th major. 2nd PGA. Best PGA: T58, 2020. Ranked 108th in the OWGR.

113) Danie van Tonder
1st major. Ranked 77th in the OWGR.

114) Denny McCarthy
Fourth major. Second PGA. Best PGA: T58, 2020. Ranked 158th in the OWGR.

115) Harry Higgs*
First major. Ranked 148th in the OWGR.

116) Byeong Hun An
25th major. 7th PGA. Best PGA: T22, 2020. Ranked 117th in the OWGR.
  
117) Sami Valimaki
2nd major. 1st PGA. Ranked 99th in the OWGR.

118) Jim Herman
12th major. 4th PGA. Best PGA: T44, 2017. Ranked 140th in the OWGR.

119) Kalle Samooja
1st major. Ranked 109th in the OWGR.

120) Adam Long
6th major. 3rd PGA. Best PGA: T41, 2019. Ranked 83rd in the OWGR.

121) Brandon Stone
10th major. 5th PGA. Best PGA: T12, 2018. Ranked 85th in the OWGR.

122) Peter Malnati
2nd major. 2nd PGA. Best PGA: MC, 2016. Ranked 165th in the OWGR.

123) Jimmy Walker*
35th major. 11th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2016. Ranked 510th in the OWGR.

124) Jason Dufner
43rd major. 13th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2013. Ranked 401st in the OWGR.

125) Jason Scrivener
2nd major. 1st PGA. Ranked 115th in the OWGR.

126) Chan Kim
7th major. 2nd PGA. Best PGA: MC, 2020. Ranked 80th in the OWGR.

127) Martin Laird*
23rd major. 6th PGA. Best PGA:  T42, 2012. Ranked 95th in the OWGR.

128) Hudson Swafford*
6th major. 2nd PGA. Best PGA: MC, 2017. Ranked 189th in the OWGR.

129) Rikuya Hoshino
2nd major. 1st PGA. Ranked an even No. 100 in the OWGR.

130) Brian Gay
27th major. 11th PGA. Best PGA: T20, 2008. Ranked 224th in the OWGR.

131) Vijay Singh
99th major. 28th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 1998, 2004. Ranked 1,772nd in the OWGR.

132) Y.E. Yang
34th major. 14th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2009. Ranked 661st in the OWGR.

133) Rich Beem
38th major. 20th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2002. Ranked 1,765th in the OWGR.

134) John Daly
76th major. 28th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 1991. Ranked 1,855th in the OWGR.

135) Shaun Micheel
34th major. 18th PGA. Best PGA: Win, 2003. Ranked 1,855th in the OWGR.

CLUB PROS

Omar Uresti won the PGA Professional Championship (commonly called the "club pro championship") last month and Frank Bensel Jr. was runner-up. The other 18 qualifiers are listed alphabetically.

Omar Uresti, PGA Life Member, former PGA Tour touring pro with more than 370 starts; fifth PGA (2015-18), T73 in 2017. Also six U.S. Opens.
Frank Bensel Jr., Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y., third PGA (2004, '12). Also one U.S. Open.
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Danny Balin, Fresh Meadow C.C., Long Island, eighth PGA (2010-13, '18-20).
Peter Ballo, Silvermine Golf Club, Norwalk, Conn., first PGA
Alex Beach, Westchester Country Club, New York. fourth PGA (2017, '19-20)
Tyler Collet, John's Island Club, Vero Beach, Fla., first PGA
Ben Cook, Yankee Springs, Golf Course, Wayland, Mich., third PGA (2019-20)
Mark Geddes, Coronado Golf Course, Coronado, Calif., first PGA
Larkin Gross, Springfield (Va.) Golf and Country Club, first PGA.
Derek Holmes, PXG Club, Minneapolis, first PGA
Greg Koch, Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Fla., first PGA
Ron Labritz, GlenArbor Golf Club, New York. Eighth PGA (2002-03, '10, '13, '16, '19, '20). He tied for 68th in 2010 and tied for 60th in 2019. MC last year.
Brad Marek, Corica Park, Alameda, Calif., first PGA 
Tim Pearce, Birmingham (Mich.) Country Club, first PGA
Ben Polland, Shooting Star, Jackson Hole, Wyo., third PGA (2015-16)
Patrick Rada, McArthur Golf Club, Hobe Sound, Fla., first PGA
Sonny Skinner, River Pointe Golf Club, Albany, Ga., fourth PGA (2008, '10, '13)
Stuart Smith, Somersett Golf Club, Reno, Nev., third PGA (2011, '13)
Joe Summerhays, Eagle Lake Golf Course, Roy, Utah, second PGA (2016)
Brett Walker, Sunnybrook Golf Club, Plymouth meeting, Penn., first PGA