PGA Championship 2013 Picks: Projecting Final Scores for World's Top Golfers

The 2013 PGA Championship tees off Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., with Tiger Woods entering as the clear-cut favorite after his fifth tour victory of the season.

Woods notched his eighth win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by seven strokes, defined by a second-round 61 that left the entire sports world buzzing. He has failed to capture a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, but the type of dominance he showed at Firestone suggests that might change.

World No. 2 Phil Mickelson has been spectacular in his own right lately, winning the Scottish Open before claiming the Claret Jug at the Open Championship to put him one leg away from the career Grand Slam.

Mickelson's ascent at this late stage in his career has dropped the game's most promising young star, Rory McIlroy, to third in the world rankings.

The 24-year-old superstar has not won in 2013 but enters Oak Hill in the hopes of capturing some sort of momentum as he prepares to defend the Wanamaker Trophy.

Below are some early predictions as to how contemporary golf's most celebrated three players will fare in the year's final major at Oak Hill's challenging, par-70 layout.

Note: Statistics and information are courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise indicated.

Tiger Woods

Bovada lists Woods as an 11-2 favorite to win at Oak Hill, and his closest competitor in Mickelson is currently projected as a 16-1 proposition.

That gap seems rather ridiculous, even though Mickelson wasn't nearly on his A-game at Firestone, finishing tied for 21st.

Nevertheless, Woods has shown the ability many times in his illustrious career to pull away from the field at even the most prestigious, pressure-packed tournaments. To get off his perceived major "slump," it will all come down to how well he putts.

The primary part of Woods' game that has prevented him from reascending to major glory is the flat iron, which has failed him at both the Masters and the British Open this year—particularly in the final rounds.

After requiring 36 putts in Akron on Sunday, there should be at least some concern. Woods himself scouted Oak Hill last Tuesday and criticized the shape the greens were in too.

But after enlisting the help of buddy Steve Stricker to help him on the greens earlier this year, it appears Woods is back at it again in preparation for the PGA, per USA Today's Steve DiMeglio:

In any event, a World Golf Championship—perhaps aside from the FedEx Cup—features the strongest level of competition in professional golf apart from majors. Woods managed to trounce the field there, and it's not unfeasible he will carry over the momentum in yet another serious bid to win this week.

Considering Shaun Micheel's winning score was a four under at Oak Hill in the 2003 PGA Championship, it would be a surprise to see Woods fall far off that pace, if not best it.

One discouraging statistic is that Woods ranks 135th in final-round scoring average this season, but I have a feeling he will improve upon that in relation to his fellow competitors in New York.

Final-Score Predictions: 67-71-70-68 (-5)

Phil Mickelson

Noted for his aggressive tactics and sometimes-reckless course management, Phil the Thrill reined back his typical style of play, hit more conservative but crisp shots, and finally found success in links golf.

Mickelson led after the first round at Oak Hill in 2003 with a 66 then faded to a tie for 23rd at week's end.

Given how well he's played as of late, envisioning a similar decline over the final 54 holes this time around is difficult.

In his lone PGA Championship victory at Baltusrol in 2005, Mickelson posted a final aggregate total of four under par—precisely what it took Micheel to conquer Oak Hill in 2003.

After a relatively off week at Firestone, look for Mickelson to be revitalized by the intense atmosphere of this major championship and be in the hunt for his second major win of 2013.

That's especially true since Mickelson will be paired with fellow 2013 major winners Adam Scott and Justin Rose for the first two days.

The fact that Mickelson nearly always plays the U.S. Open well also makes advocating for him at this birdie-elusive venue rather easy. Oak Hill has numerous bunkers guarding the greens and thick rough that is difficult to get up and down from.

However, there isn't a better short-game master in modern golf than Mickelson, with the possible exception of Woods.

Final-Score Predictions: 70-69-69-68 (-4)

Rory McIlroy

The scorecard may be filled with a few more evil boxes than aesthetically pleasing circles for McIlroy.

Although he is the defending champion at this event, the absence of any winning hardware in his currently underwhelming campaign discourages talk of him as one of the favorites.

Aside from perhaps his gaudy status in the world rankings—the foundation of which was built near the end of a magnificent 2012—a case can't really be made for McIlroy to be the first back-to-back PGA champion since Woods pulled it off in 2006 and 2007.

McIlroy did show an ability to grind in Akron that has been inconsistent at best in the early stages of his days as a pro, though.

Even with a putrid greens-in-regulation percentage of 48.61 for the week and three double bogeys setting him back significantly, he managed to finish at two over and in a tie for 27th.

What his 15 birdies at Firestone also suggest is that McIlroy capitalized well on the sparse chances he did have, as he wound up fourth in putts per green in regulation.

That's really the only saving grace for McIlroy at this point. It could be a hidden sign of better play to come, but until he gets his swing consistently back on track, he likely won't wind up too close to contention.

McIlroy should bounce back with his best major finish of the year, but even with a top 10 or so at Oak Hill, his major-performance timeline in 2013 will still be viewed as a disappointment.

Final-Score Prediction: 73-68-70-72 (+3)