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PGA Championship 2020: Start Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule, Betting Odds, Picks
August 4, 2020
Can Brooks Koepka become the first golfer to win the PGA Championship in three straight years during the stroke-play era? How will Justin Thomas fare in his first tournament as the new No. 1 golfer in the world? And of course, how will Tiger Woods look?
These are just some of the storylines surrounding this year's PGA Championship, which begins Thursday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. It's the first major tournament to take place this year following the tour's three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Thomas has momentum entering the tournament, as he won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on Sunday to overtake Jon Rahm for the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. He'll be looking to win his second major tournament, as his first came at the 2017 PGA Championship.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into this year's PGA Championship.
PGA Championship Information
Dates: Aug. 6-9
TV: ESPN (Thursday and Friday 4-10 p.m. ET, Saturday 1-4 p.m. ET, Sunday noon-3 p.m. ET), CBS (Saturday, 4-10 p.m. ET, Sunday 3-9 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: ESPN+ and CBS Sports app
Odds
Brooks Koepka +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000)
Justin Thomas +1200
Rory McIlroy +1400
Jon Rahm +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1700
Xander Schauffele +1700
Patrick Cantlay +2200
Dustin Johnson +2200
Tiger Woods +3000
Webb Simpson +3000
Collin Morikawa +3300
Tony Finau +3500
Jason Day +3500
Daniel Berger +4000
Tyrrell Hatton +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Gary Woodland +4000
Complete list of odds available at Caesars Palace
Top Picks
Brooks Koepka
Prior to the FedEx St. Jude Invitational last weekend, Brooks Koepka hadn't been showing his best form. He had been dealing with left knee pain (he partially tore his patella tendon last year), and his results weren't great.
But as the PGA Championship nears, the 30-year-old is looking more like the version of himself that won the tournament in 2018 and 2019. After not shooting better than a 70 in seven of his previous eight rounds, he did so in three of the four at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, including a 62 on the opening day.
Koepka's second-place finish at the weekend was his first top-five placement of the 2019-20 PGA season and only his second in a top 10 (the other being seventh place at the RBC Heritage in June). Had he not looked so much better this past weekend, he may not have been a strong pick for the PGA Championship despite being the two-time defending champion, but he quelled some concerns with his impressive play.
Still, it's hard to ignore the fact that Koepka missed the cut at last month's Workday Charity Open and 3M Open, events that had less stacked fields than the PGA Championship. He should play better than he did at those events, but he may come up a bit short on Sunday.
Prediction: Koepka falls off late, finishes in top 15-20
Justin Thomas
Thomas is the top-ranked golfer in the world for the first time since July 2018, and he's certainly earned that placement with his recent play. In addition to winning the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, he has placed in the top 10 at four of the six tournaments he's participated in since the PGA Tour resumed.
Even though the 27-year-old has never played in an event at TPC Harding Park, his consistent play of late is enough for him to be a contender at any course. So, don't be surprised when he's up near the top of the leaderboard for most of the weekend, battling for the win.
The scary thing for Thomas' competition? He feels he's getting better.
"I felt like I could win by three with extremely poor wedge play throughout the week," he said, according to Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel. "And I didn't really hit anything too close, I just managed my game really well. We'll just build on that and get ready for the PGA to hope to start something."
It'll be another week, another strong showing for Thomas, and perhaps he'll pull out victories in consecutive events. However, the predictions here is that while he'll be close, he ends up just a bit short.
Prediction: Thomas finishes in top five, comes up just short
Rory McIlroy
Although Rory McIlroy has won four major tournaments in his career, his last came at the PGA Championship in August 2014. Last year, he won five PGA Tour events, including the Players Championship and Tour Championship, but his drought in majors extended.
In 2020, the 31-year-old has yet to win any tournament and hasn't been playing his best since the PGA Tour returned. He tied for 11th during a solid showing at the Travelers Championship in June, but he's finished no better than 32nd in his other four events, including a 47th-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational this past weekend.
McIlroy may not have a won a major tournament any of the previous five years, but he's had at least two top-10 finishes each year, so he consistently plays well on the biggest stages. And one thing that could work in his favor this week? He dominated in his only tournament appearance at TPC Harding Park, winning the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play event.
After six years, the Northern Irishman is due a victory at a major tournament. It's also time for him to get a win in 2020. So, expect McIlroy to get off to a better start than he has in recent weeks and then pull out the victory Sunday for the latest impressive showing of his career.
Prediction: McIlroy wins his fifth major tournament