PGA Championship 2018: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money

Can anyone slow down defending champion Justin Thomas when the best golfers in the world get together at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis on Thursday for the PGA Championship.

Thomas appears to be the man to beat, as he is coming off a four-stroke victory at the WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone in Akron, Ohio. The 25-year-old has been on top of his game for each of the last two seasons, and it is going to take an excellent effort to beat him.

The Kentucky native has won three tournaments this year and has earned more than $7.5 million while ranking second in FedEx Cup points. 

Thomas ranks third on the tour with a 69.217 scoring average and he averages 4.32 birdies per round. He also averages 313.8 yards per tee shot, which ranks ninth on the tour.

Thomas figures to get a challenge from Dustin Johnson, who ranks first in FedEx Cup points. The 34-year-old has three tour wins this year and is right behind Thomas in earnings with more than $7.2 million. Johnson is first on the tour with an average score of 68.601.

In addition to Thomas and Johnson, powerful Brooks Koepka figures to have an influence on the outcome. The two-time defending U.S. Open champion is never intimidated, and the spotlight of playing in major tournaments seems to bring out the best in his game.

Justin Rose is one of the most consistent players on the tour, but he sat out the WGC-Bridgestone because of back spasms. If he can get through the first couple of rounds without an issue, he should be a factor during the two weekend rounds.

Jason Day won the PGA Championship in 2015 and has been in the top 15 during his last five PGA Championships. He has the kind of length that should play well at Bellerive, as does Rory McIlroy, who has two PGA Championships (2012 and 2014) to his credit.

Tiger Woods started the WGC-Bridgestone as if he would contend for the title, but he faded over the weekend with back-to-back rounds of 73.

Tee times

There are several featured groups that golf fans can follow in the first two rounds of the tournament. Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Ian Poulter will tee off at 8:39 a.m. ET from the 10th hole. Phil Mickelson, Day and Keegan Bradley will start their round at 9:01 a.m., also from the 10th. 

Thomas, McIlroy and Woods will start their round at 9:23 a.m., and they will also begin on the back nine. Johnson, Bubba Watson and Adam Scott will tee off at 1:53 p.m. from No. 1, while Koepka, Masters champion Patrick Reed and British Open titlist Francesco Molinari will start their tournament at 2:15 p.m from the opening hole.

Here's a link to the tee times for the full field. 

TV Coverage

TNT and CBS will offer live coverage of the PGA Championship throughout the event. Here are the TV times:

Thursday, August 9th

2-8 p.m. ET (TNT)

Friday, August 10th

2-8 p.m. (TNT)

Saturday, August 11th

11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT)
2-7 p.m. (CBS)

Sunday, August 12th

11 a.m.-2 p.m. (TNT)
2-7 p.m. (CBS)

2018 PGA Championship prize money

The winner of the 2018 PGA Championship will earn $1.89 million, the same amount that Thomas earned a year ago when he won the event and picked up the Wanamaker Trophy. The total prize money is $10.5 million.

Second place: $1.134 million

Third place: $714,000

Fourth place:  $504,000

Fifth place: $420,000

Sixth Place: $378,000

Seventh Place: $351,750

Eighth Place: $325,500