Can Xander Schauffele defend his PGA Championship title?

Xander Schauffele won his maiden major championship title at PGA Championship last year. The World No. 3 golfer recorded a final round six-under 65 to beat LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau at 21-under par overall in a nail-biting finish at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. Now, the ace golfer returning to defend his title and he is among the favorites.

Schauffele will take on a ked 156-player field, headlined by 49 of top-50 ranked golfers in the world, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday, May 15. Unsurprisingly, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and No.2 Rory McIlroy are the outright favorites to win the major event. Last year’s runner-up DeChambeau sits third on SportsLine’s odds list. Meanwhile, Schauffele comes in as the fourth best bet with 12-1 odds.

It is pertinent to note that Schauffele comes into the PGA Championship weekend on the back of a mixed start to his PGA Tour season. The 31-year-old, who started off his 2025 campaign with a T30 finish at The Sentry, recorded his first top-20 finish of the year at the Valspar Championship in March when he finished T12. The two-time major champion’s T8 finish at the Masters remain his best finish so far.

Interestingly, the ace golfer has finished inside top-20 of the last four event’s he played in. Now, the reigning champion enters the major on the back of a T11 finish at the Truist Championship, seven strokes behind winner Sepp Straka. Needless to say, the 2024 Open Championship winner will be eyeing a third major title this weekend at Quail Hollow.

---

Listed below is Xander Schauffele’s 2025 PGA Tour season so far with earnings:

• The Sentry – T30 – $137,500
• Arnold Palmer Invitational – T40 – $78,000
• THE PLAYERS Championship – 72 – $50,250
• Valspar Championship – T12 – $178,350
• Masters Tournament – T8 – $588,000
• RBC Heritage – T18 – $226,056
• Truist Championship – T11 – $440,000

---

PGA Championship 2025 Day 1 odds

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler leads the PGA Championship odds table with 5-1 odds each, according to SportsLine. LIV Golf star and reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau sits behind the leaders with 10-1 odds. Ludvig Aberg shares the next spot with defending champion Schauffele and Collin Morikawa sits just outside the top-five with 14-1 odds.

Jon Rahm (18-1), Justin Thomas (20-1), Brooks Koepka (20-1), Viktor Hovland (25-1), Patrick Cantlay (28-1) and Tyrrell Hatton (28-1) are some other big bets this weekend. It is pertinent to note that three-time major champion and next-best Grand Slam favorite Jordan Spieth enters the PGA Championship as a longshot favorite with 40-1 odds.

---

Listed below is the top odds list for the second major championship of the season (As per SportsLine):

• Rory McIlroy +500
• Scottie Scheffler +500
• Bryson DeChambeau +1000
• Ludvig Aberg +1200
• Xander Schauffele +1200
• Collin Morikawa +1400
• Jon Rahm +1800
• Justin Thomas +2000
• Brooks Koepka +2000
• Viktor Hovland +2500
• Patrick Cantlay +2800
• Tyrrell Hatton +2800
• Hideki Matsuyama +3000
• Joaquin Niemann +3500
• Tommy Fleetwood +4000
• Will Zalatoris +4000
• Corey Conners +4000
• Wyndham Clark +4000
• Jordan Spieth +4000
• Sungjae Im +4000
• Cameron Smith +4000
• Shane Lowry +4500
• Tony Finau +4500
• Cameron Young +5000
• Russell Henley +5000
• Min Woo Lee +5000

More details on the PGA Championship will be updated as the event progresses.