The 2023 PGA Championship arrives at Oak Hill: Everything you need to know for Day 1
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After eight years of planning and preparation which included an exhaustive renovation of the historic East Course, the 2023 PGA Championship is about to get underway.
The second major championship of the season begins Thursday and golf balls will be in the air off both the first and 10th tees at 7 a.m.
This will be the fourth time Oak Hill Country Club has hosted this tournament (1980, 2003, 2013), and it has also hosted three other PGA of America events, the 1995 Ryder Cup and the 2008 and 2019 Senior PGA Championships. However, it is a vastly different layout than the one used for any previous major event.
“It’s a treasure of a golf course, and the work that (architect) Andrew Green, who I think one or two of the players have spoken about, the redesign, the transformation of the course is - I personally really think the world of,” said Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America’s long-time chief championships officer who has been setting up the East Course all the way back to the Ryder Cup.
What to know about: Parking and getting there | Merchandise available | The weather | How to watch | Where the players stay | Other things to do in Rochester | Where to eat, drink | Thursday's tee times
“I think it’s provided a lot more variety for the golf course, more hole locations, deeper, tougher bunkering, new tees, rolloffs around the greens, and less trees. That combination has certainly made it a visually spectacular golf course. Not that it wasn’t before, but it’s a great golf course. The playing surfaces I think are second to none, putting greens are beautiful, the rough is consistent, and the fairways are magnificent, and the bunkers are great.”
Here are a few things to know as Thursday’s first round approaches:
Tee times for PGA Championship 2023
There are 156 players in the field, and they will play the first two rounds Thursday and Friday in groups of three. Half the field will start at No. 1, the other half on No. 10, and they will switch for the second round.
The morning tee times will begin at 7 a.m. and run through 9:12 a.m. with 11-minute intervals in between each group. The afternoon tee times will start at 12:30 and run through 2:42 p.m. and this will also be the schedule for Friday.
After Friday, a 36-hole cut will be made to the top 70 players plus ties, so there could be more than 70 players qualifying for the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday.
See: The full list of tee times
What’s the weather forecast for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill?
After a very chilly Wednesday with temperatures expected to be in the mid-50s for the final practice round, Thursday morning figures to be quite cold with a freeze warning in place for the morning. However, the afternoon should warm up with temperatures reaching at least the mid-60s by the afternoon.
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PGA Championship: How to watch Day 1
The entire first round will be available to watch. From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. you can watch on the ESPN+ streaming service, and then from 1 to 7 p.m. it switches over to ESPN.
An ESPN+ subscription costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. It can also be bundled with Disney+ and Hulu for $12.99 per month. ESPN+ is separate from ESPN so to watch time time slots on the ESPN you’ll need a cable subscription or streaming service that includes ESPN. The ESPN app allows you to log in to watch ESPN+ and ESPN through your provider.
Who are the top players at Oak Hill's PGA Championship?
Barring any last-minute withdrawals because of injury, 99 of the top 100 players on the official world golf ranking will tee it up. That includes 2023 Masters winner and the No. 1 player in the world, Jon Rahm, No. 2-ranked Scottie Scheffler, third-ranked Rory McIlroy, and 2017 and 2022 PGA champion Justin Thomas, ranked 13th.
Rahm will start Thursday at 8:33 a.m. on the 10th tee along with 2022 U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick and 2022 British Open champ Cameron Smith in a very high impact group.
Scheffler, a two-time Tour winner this season starts at 8 a.m. at No. 10 along with four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland.
McIlroy, a two-time PGA Championship winner and four-time major winner, starts at 8:11 a.m. at No. 10 along with Thomas and 2020 PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa.
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Who will be missing at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill?
The big name, of course, is Tiger Woods. He had to withdraw from the Masters due to an ankle injury which later required surgery, likely ending his 2023 season.
Also, Will Zalatoris, who is ranked No. 9 in the world, is the only player in the top 100 not at Oak Hill as his season ended due to back surgery.
Jordan Spieth, No. 10 in the world, is battling a wrist injury which forced him to withdraw last week from the AT&T Byron Nelson. He practiced Tuesday, but it’s possible he might have to pull out. If he plays, he’ll start Thursday at 8:22 a.m. on No. 10 with Viktor Hovland and Shane Lowry.
Who has the best odds to win the PGA Championship at Oak Hill?
Thomas is the defending champion, but Rahm enters the week as one of the betting favorites (+750). The Spaniard has amassed four wins already this season including the Masters in April — his second major championship victory.
However, it’s Scheffler on top of the betting odds list, sitting at +700. He tied for fifth at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson and grabbed a T-10 finish at Augusta National.
At double Scheffler’s odds is McIlroy (+1400), who is going through a bit of a funk. In his last three stroke-play events, the Northern Irishman has missed the cut at the Players and Masters, and tied for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship.
What is the PGA Championship purse for 2023?
There will be $15 million in prize money awarded. The winner will take home $2.7 million.
Riley Hamel of Golfweek contributed to this report.