US PGA Championship: Everything you need to know about the 2023 tournament

US PGA Championship talking points.

Everything you need to know about the US PGA Championship, the year’s second men’s golf major, at Oak Hill Country Club.

Today’s Golfer’s 2023 Major coverage is brought to you in association with TaylorMade.

Oak Hill Country Club nearly always has a habit of throwing up surprises whenever the world’s best players come to town. This year promises to be no different.

The PGA Championship’s date change means wind, rain and possibly snow could be in the offing – and that’s before we get into the make-up of the strongest field in golf, which includes a high-profile member who has previous when it comes to lifting the Wanamaker Trophy.

It means there are several storylines to unpack. And with a new-look course to discover and a rowdy New York crowd in attendance, it’s shaping up to be a must-watch. So, allow us to get you in the mood.

Oak Hill is one of the most decorated clubs in the country

Located in upstate New York, Oak Hill is the only club to have played host to the PGA Championship, US Open, Ryder Cup, US Amateur, Senior US Open and Senior PGA Championship. Previous winners there include Europe (only their second victory on American soil), Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Curtis Strange.

The course has a fierce reputation

After the 2003 PGA Championship, Tiger Woods declared the East Course “the hardest, fairest golf course we’ve ever played”. That year only three players finished under par, well ahead of Tiger on 12-over-par. Jason Dufner did get into double figures when he won the same event a decade ago, but he remains the exception rather than the rule. 

This year the course is expected to bite back. It has just undergone a major restoration, led by Andrew Green, which means players will experience a very different and stingy East Course when the PGA Championship returns to Rochester for a fourth time in May.

One of the criticisms was that the East Course had become too overgrown, too congested with pines. Players were even being blocked out with approach shots from the fairway. That is no longer an issue.

Hundreds of trees have been taken out to open up recovery shots and Green has brought back many of the original Donald Ross bunkers which had been lost or changed.

Those bunkers now play like imposing hazards, especially from the fairway, which may even preclude the best players in the world from reaching the green because of the steep faces. Other changes include two new holes, as well as completely new green complexes and run-offs which will allow the PGA of America to explore the limits of hole locations, keeping things exciting for fans, if not the players.

“I think Andrew Green’s done a really good job,” says Rory. “I think the renovation has hopefully restored the East Course back to its former glory. I’m just hoping for a good weather week. I think that’s what everyone’s hoping for up there in May.

“But I’m excited to go back to Oak Hill. From the last time I was there, or we were all there, my connection to Rochester’s got a lot stronger. So I’m excited to go and play a Major championship in what feels almost like a second home to me.”

The weather could play havoc

This is where things could get very interesting. When Oak Hill was awarded the PGA Championship in 2015 for the fourth time, the expectation was that it would be held in August, as had become the tradition. But in 2019, the Major shifted to May in the calendar, raising concerns which were led by Jack Nicklaus.

“What? Oak Hill? In May? You’ve got to be kidding,” he remarked. “Seriously? I don’t think that’s smart. We might get snowed out.”

Jack’s concerns do have merit. The weather is notoriously volatile in Western New York at the best of times. Snow is a possibility, even in May. Officials are so worried that they took the decision to start laying the infrastructure in November.

“It’s definitely the earliest we’ve done that,” admits PGA Championship Director Bryan Karns. “It’s one of the biggest challenges we’ve had, planning this event. We brought everything forward, just so we weren’t impeded by snow and frozen ground. We wanted to be prepared for the worst.”

By moving forward their own start date, the PGA of America have avoided the nightmare scenario of not being ready for their flagship event. Karns is confident they can avoid a Monday finish because the course drains so well, but he is also mindful that this week could serve as a barometer for bringing future Championships to northern cities.

“It is a great test for us because we don’t want to take clubs like Oak Hill out of the rotation because the May date and the climate takes them off the table,” says Karns. “For these people in the city of Rochester, this is their Super Bowl. This is the biggest event that they’ll have and so the crowds will be phenomenal.

“We’re probably looking at getting around 200,000 people through the gate over the seven days. We’ve done everything we can, like starting the build early, to make it a success, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say everyone will be holding bated breath that we don’t get snow coming in sideways!”

It has arguably the strongest field of the year

While many believe The Players Championship to have the strongest field, the US PGA Championship routinely has the highest “strength of field rating” of the year according to the Official World Golf Ranking.

This year Will Zalatoris is the only top-100 player in the Official World Golf Ranking who did not accept an invite. The World No.9 is currently recuperating after having back surgery last month.

Despite previously indicating that LIV defectors would be prohibited from playing in the PGA Championship, the PGA of America have relented and offered places in the 156-man field to 18 LIV representatives.

That list includes former champions Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Martin Kaymer, as well as winners of other Majors over the past five years such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith. Recent signings Mito Pereira and Brendan Steele are also eligible after finishing in the top 15 in last year’s event.

For the first time this year, places have also been offered to the top-three players on the International Federation Ranking list, which identifies ‘emerging talent’ on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Sunshine Tour. LIV member Sihwan Kim is one of the beneficiaries alongside Japan’s Kazuki Higa and South African Ockie Strydom.

World No.131 Paul Casey can consider himself lucky to get in as he failed to meet the qualification criteria, though the PGA of America do reserve the right to invite whoever they want.

RELATED: Who’s in the field and how they qualified

Jordan Spieth could complete the career grand slam

Former World No.1 Jordan Spieth has the chance to complete the career grand slam at the US PGA Championship and join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as players who have won all four Majors across their career.

It’s Spieth’s seventh opportunity to complete the feat having won The Open in 2017, though he has been battling a wrist injury which forced him to withdraw from the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Spieth’s best finish at the US PGA Championship came in 2015. Having already won that year’s Masters and US Open, the Texan finished runner-up to Jason Day at Whistling Straits.

Rory McIlroy has home advantage

Yes, you read that right. Jon Rahm might be the bookies’ favorite but Rory knows the course better than anyone else in the field. His wife is from Rochester and he’s been a member at Oak Hill for years. The likelihood of cool and damp conditions also means distance will be a big factor, perhaps more so than at any of major this year, which might just play into his hands…

RELATED: Who will win the US PGA Championship?

What happens if there is a playoff?

Just like the other majors, the PGA has its own unique format. If scores are tied after 72 holes, a three-hole aggregate-score playoff will take place on holes 14, 15 and 18, followed by sudden death if necessary.

The US PGA has a big purse and the biggest trophy…

The winner of the US PGA Championship receives the Wanamaker Trophy and a cheque for $2.7 million out of the tournament’s total $15 million purse.

The Wanamaker trophy stands at 28 inches high and weighs 27lb, making it the biggest in Major Championship golf. 

The PGA of America named it after Rodman Wanamaker, a Philadelphia native and department store owner who was instrumental in the formation of the PGA of America in 1916.

Walter Hagen lost the original in 1925, blaming a taxi driver he’d asked to take it back to his hotel. It turned up in 1930, in a crate, and now resides at PGA HQ.

US PGA champions are automatically invited to play in the other three men’s Majors and The Players Championship for the next five years, and are eligible for the PGA Championship for life. They receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and on the DP World Tour for seven seasons.

You can watch it live on Sky Sports

Sky Sports have exclusive rights to the second men’s major of the year and will show 36 hours of coverage from Oak Hill across the four days, from May 18-21. You can keep up to date while on the go by downloading the free PGA Championship app or listening to live coverage on BBC Radio 5Live and 5Live Extra.

READ NEXT
– Who will win the US PGA Championship?
– Defending champion Justin Thomas: ‘I should have won more majors’
– Full field for the US PGA Championship
– Oak Hill Country Club course guide

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About the author

Michael Catling
Features Editor

Michael Catling is Today’s Golfer‘s Features Editor and an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.

Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with dozens of Major champions, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, and Justin Thomas.

A former member of Ufford Park and Burghley Park, Michael has been playing golf since he was 11 and currently plays off a handicap of 10.

Away from golf he’s a keen amateur chef and has his own healthy recipes website. He also loves playing squash, going to the gym, and following Chelsea FC.

Michael uses a Ping G driver, Ping G 3-wood, Ping G Crossover 3-iron, Ping G Series irons (4-PW), Ping Glide wedges (52º, 56º, 60º), TaylorMade MySpider Tour Putter, and Srixon AD333 golf ball.

Get in touch with Michael via email and follow him on Twitter.