PGA Championship: 5 dark horses to watch at Oak Hill Country Club

Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY, is prepped and ready to host the 2023 PGA Championship, where the best golfers in the world will battle it out in the second major of the year. The venue is hosting its fourth PGA Championship, its first since 2013 when Jason Dufner claimed the title.

This course will challenge the golfers to keep it accurate off the tee. The rough at Oak Hill will cause plenty of problems as well, so they have to keep it in the clean stuff.

So who will be able to conquer Oak Hill and take home the Wanamaker Trophy? These five guys are the ones that could get overlooked this week but are more than capable of winning the 2023 PGA Championship.

When people think of a ball striker, one of the first names that come to mind is Collin Morikawa. While he is one of the best players in the world right now, Morikawa has flown under the radar for a bit, even with four top-10 finishes. His two best finishes came at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, where he finished second, and at Farmer’s, where he was solo third.

Through the Wells Fargo Championship, Morikawa ranks No. 5 in strokes gained tee-to-green averaging 1.6 in 29 rounds. He is No. 22 in strokes gained off the tee, No. 4 in strokes gained approach-to-green and No. 4 in driving accuracy.

While it’s hard to fathom that Morikawa is a dark horse in a major championship, he continues to be overlooked by the general public. He has missed the cut in his last two events and his last top-10 came at the Masters in April. Morikawka’s putting has been a setback — it’s honestly been a struggle to watch. He recently returned to the claw grip, so maybe we will see a resurgence from him on the greens.

Could Max Homa bring home his first major championship at Oak Hill? With two wins already in the 2022-23 season, his third could come this week. Homa has seven top-10 finishes this season, so he plays and hangs with the best.

Homa is No. 6 in strokes gained total and No. 10 in putting. He is No. 10 in strokes gained approach-to-green, No. 12 in tee-to-green, but No. 62 off the tee. Don’t let that deter you from picking him though. If he can keep it out of the deep stuff, this course will give him plenty of scoring chances.

Homa finished T8 at the Wells Fargo Championship, which was a great comeback after he missed the cut in back-to-back events. He finished T43 at the Masters, but this course should allow him to play to his strengths.

The next dark horse on this list is Keith Mitchell, who has played solid golf the last few weeks. He has four top-10 finishes this year and is looking to get over the hump to earn his second career victory. Mitchell finished solo sixth at the Zurich Classic with his partner Sungjae Im.

He ranks No. 5 in strokes gained off the tee and No. 26 in driving accuracy. If he can keep it out of the rough, Mitchell should be able to get it on the green. The 31-year-old has momentum entering the tournament, so there is no reason to believe he couldn’t hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

Another player who has been flirting with winning is Viktor Hovland. He has five top-10 finishes this year, and while he doesn’t have a victory this season, it’s coming sooner than later. He finished T7 at the Masters despite leading or being close to the top of the leaderboard for most of the event.

After that tournament, he cooled down, but taking the week off ahead of the PGA Championship should allow him to get his game back to where it was in Augusta.

He is No. 28 in total strokes gained, No. 6 gained off the tee, No. 18 tee to green, No. 19 in approach to green and No. 27 in driving accuracy. His putting could be better, but if Hovland can stay accurate, that ball striking ability should allow him to get it close to the hole, and often.

Hovland’s biggest weakness is his short game. If we see the same guy from Augusta though, this could be the week he wins his first major championship.

Our last dark horse for the 2023 PGA Championship is Rickie Fowler. After falling down the World Golf Rankings, it’s good to see him back inside the top 50 and competing at a major. Fowler has four top-10 finishes this year, and it’s time to return to the winner’s circle.

His last five finishes have been inside the top 20, as he went T-13 at The Players, T-17 at WGC-Match Play, T10 at the Valero Texas Open, T15 at RBC Heritage and T14 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Fowler is slowly returning to form, and it’s coming at the perfect time.

He is No. 11 in strokes gained total, No. 16 tee-to-green, and No. 7 in approach to the green. His accuracy off the tee could hurt him this week, but his approach game is strong enough to overcome that obstacle.

These five guys are all ones the fans should watch for the PGA Championship. While they may not be the odds-all favorites to take home the Wanamaker Trophy, they have the game to beat Oak Hill and come out victorious.