Rory McIlroy finally ended his 11-year wait for his fifth major championship last month at the Masters, and with that weight off his shoulders, talk of a calendar slam is now doing the rounds. 

While this often happens whenever a top player wins the Masters (the first major of the season), there are more legs to it this year for several reasons, not least because the Northern Irishman is playing as well as he ever has done.

Can he complete the second leg of the calendar slam this week at the PGA Championship? Is anyone capable of stopping him? Let’s take a look.

PGA Championship: Calendar slam picture

If McIlroy could have picked any golf course in the world to play at this week, then Quail Hollow would have been among his top picks. 

The course has been used to host the Truist Championship, an annual PGA Tour event, since 2003. Incredibly, McIlroy has won this event four times and holds the course record – a round of 61 on his second triumph here, back in 2015.

The course is built for long hitters, and McIlroy has always packed a big punch off the tee. This season, he ranks third on the tour for driving distance, and that automatically gives him an advantage at Quail Hollow, as he knows all too well. 

McIlroy is priced at 9/2 to win this week with Skybet, and while that is short for a golf tournament, it’s well worth getting on given his form, record here, and confidence levels after winning the Masters.

Who could stop him?

In McIlroy’s four previous wins at Quail Hollow, he has won by four or more shots in three of them. In other words, it’s not really been a contest in 75% of his victories on this golf course, which is ominous for the rest of the field.

However, there are certainly a few players who are in a position to mount a challenge. 

Scottie Scheffler, the joint-favourite at 9/2, feels like the obvious choice. Scheffler is the world number one and picked up his first win of the season two weeks ago. He may not be quite at the level he was last season, but he is still someone who can comfortably go toe-to-toe with McIlroy.

Bryson DeChambeau is another player to watch this week. The 31-year-old is a huge off the tee, with an average driving distance of 333 yards this season on LIV Golf. He also has saved his best golf for the majors in recent years, and came out on top in a head-to-head battle with McIlroy last year at the US Open. DeChambeau is priced at 8/1 with Skybet. 

Justin Thomas is the third player we would consider a threat to McIlroy this week. His return to top form this season has been great to watch, and he has finished inside the top two in three of his last four starts. Thomas was also the winner of the PGA Championship back in 2017 – the last time the event was played at Quail Hollow. Thomas is priced at 18/1 with Skybet.

PGA Championship bet builders

Our selection

Hideki Matsuyama top Asian, Min Woo Lee top Australian, and Joaquin Niemann top South American – 17/1

Hideki Matsuyama has had a solid season so far, finishing inside the top-25 in seven of the eleven events he played. That should be enough for him to be the top Asian as his closest competitor, Sung Jae Im, has finished outside the top-25 in eight of the 14 events he’s played. 

Min Woo Lee faces stiff competition from Jason Day for the top Australian this week, but his driving prowess should see him pip his experienced compatriot. Lee ranks fourth on the PGA Tour for driving distance. 

Meanwhile, Joaquin Niemann is almost a shoo-in to be the top South American. Niemann has been in stunning form on the LIV Tour, winning three of the seven events so far this season. He’s another big-hitter too, averaging 327 yards per drive in 2025. 

Safer selection

McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau and Thomas all to finish inside the top 20 – 3/1

These are the four players most likely to win the tournament based on their strengths, form and history at Quail Hollow. It would therefore be a surprise if any of the four aren’t at least in contention on Sunday evening. 

For reference, McCilory finished first, Scheffler finished fourth and DeChambeau finished fifth at the Masters. Thomas finished in 36th, but he has followed that up with two top-two finishes, coming in the subsequent two PGA Tour events.