‘Masters Cut Off’ McIlroy "PGA Championship Ready to Compete"

Season's Second Major Opens on 18th at Oak Hill
Rahn, Scheffler, Koepka, Mickelson 'Battle of Pride'
Korean Players Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo, Kim Joo-hyung, Lee Kyung-hoon Compete

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is set to restore his honor.

Starting on the 18th (local time), McIlroy will challenge for the title at the season's second major, the PGA Championship (total prize money $15 million), held over four days at Oak Hill Country Club (par 70, 7,394 yards) in Rochester, New York, USA. A total of 156 top-ranked players from around the world will compete for the winner's prize of $2.7 million (approximately 3.6 billion KRW). The Wanamaker Trophy awarded to the champion is considered one of the most coveted trophies, alongside the Claret Jug given to the Open Championship winner.

Rory McIlroy is challenging for the title at the PGA Championship, the second major tournament of the season.

McIlroy is a formidable player with 23 PGA Tour wins (including 4 majors). This season, he has participated in eight tournaments, achieving three top-10 finishes including one victory, showing steady progress. However, he suffered the humiliation of missing the cut at the Masters last month, the final piece of his 'Career Grand Slam.' Since then, he has faced mental challenges, including controversy over skipping high-profile matches. McIlroy previously won this tournament in 2012 and 2014.

McIlroy is ranked 9th in the tournament power rankings released by the PGA Tour before the event. In the first and second rounds, he will play alongside last year's champion Justin Thomas and 2020 champion Collin Morikawa (both from the USA). McIlroy said, "It was very tough after missing the cut at the Masters. I needed time to gather myself and regroup. Now, my shots are coming close to my best form. I will play with confidence, knowing I am one of the best golfers."

Strong contenders for the title include World No. 1 and Masters champion Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 2 Scottie Scheffler (USA), and Thomas. The resurgence of Jason Day (Australia) is also attracting attention, as he secured his 13th career win last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson, his first since winning the Wells Fargo Championship in May 2018. Jordan Spieth (USA) will achieve the 'Career Grand Slam' if he wins this tournament.

LIV Golf players are also formidable opponents, with 18 participants. Notable names include Brooks Koepka, who won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019; Phil Mickelson, the oldest major winner and this year's Masters runner-up; Dustin Johnson, who recently won the sixth LIV Series event in Tulsa (all from the USA); and last year's Open Championship winner Cameron Smith (Australia). They will once again engage in a pride battle against PGA Tour players.

Korea will be represented by five players, including 2009 champion Yang Yong-eun. Leading the charge is Im Sung-jae, ranked 18th in the world, riding a wave of momentum after a five-stroke come-from-behind victory at last week's KPGA Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship. Overcoming jet lag will be key. His tournament power ranking is 18th. Kim Si-woo is also a dark horse, having finished runner-up at the AT&T Byron Nelson and showing good form. Joining them are Kim Joo-hyung and Lee Kyoung-hoon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.