As we approach the first major championship of the season, it’s a good time to take stock of the 2022-23 PGA Tour so far. The Masters is now just a few days away, and it’s a first chance of the year for players to lay claim to one of the sport’s biggest prizes — the ones that everyone wants to win.
Already, golf fans are eagerly analysing the latest golf odds to try and predict the winner, and we can learn a lot by looking at the biggest tournaments that have taken place so far this season.
The campaign began with the Fortinet Championship, where Max Homa got his hands on the top prize. Homa is a player with five PGA Tour wins to his name, although he’s never quite been able to get amongst it at the business end of a major championship. Perhaps this year’s Masters will be a chance to make his mark on the game as far as the majors are concerned.
The CJ Cup in South Carolina saw Rory McIlroy lay claim to the title for the second successive season. The Northern Irishman has been in great form over the last couple of years, but he’s still searching for that elusive fifth major title. The Masters is the only won he needs to complete the Grand Slam of majors, so he’ll be giving it his all at Augusta to stay in contention for the final round.
The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba is another tournament that garners a lot of interest, and the 2022 edition was the last time the tournament will be staged there for a while, with the event moving to the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal from this autumn.
Russell Henley was the man who triumphed in Mayakoba’s swansong, picking up his fourth PGA Tour title. He’s another who hasn’t quite cut the mustard at the majors, but he’ll head to Augusta full of confidence.
Jon Rahm has arguably been the player of the season so far, picking up titles at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express Open and the Genesis Invitational. The Spaniard seems to be back on top form after an indifferent 2022, and having performed well at the Masters in the past, he’ll have his sights set on earning a maiden green jacket.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler has been amongst the winners this season too, picking up the Phoenix Open and, most notably, the Players Championship. The latter event is often considered a fifth major of sorts, and the current world number one produced a fine display in Florida to get the victory there.
Those looking for an outside bet may consider the chances of Kurt Kitayama. The American got his hands on his first PGA Tour title back in March at the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational. Kitayama has been hitting form at the right time, and if he can bring his a-game to Augusta National, there’s no reason why he couldn’t cause an upset.
It’s been an intriguing campaign so far, and with the four major championships looming large on the near horizon, there are plenty more exciting stories still to come.