Australasia fields eight PGA Championship starters
Jason Day during his 2018 Wells Fargo Championship win at Quail Hollow – image courtesy of Getty Images
The late addition of Ryan Fox brings to eight the Australasian contingent to contest this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In world ranking order, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Ryan Fox, Karl Vilips, Cam Smith and Elvis Smylie will tee it up at the venue which has played host to the Kemper Open and Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour, the 2017 PGA Championship and in 2022 the Presidents Cup.
Originally designed by George Cobb when built in 1960, Quail Hollow Golf Club has undergone work by Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio since and is generally considered one of the finest layouts on the PGA Tour schedule.
Rory McIlroy has dominated proceedings at Quail Hollow over the years, winning his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and then again in 2015, 2021 and 2024 and lost a playoff in 2012. McIlroy, though, could only manage 22nd place in the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow although the event was then played in August rather than mid-May.
Of the Australasian contingent in this year’s championship, Jason Day has won previously around Quail Hollow, his victory coming in 2018. Day was also 9th at the PGA Championship held here and was 4th in the Wells Fargo event last year so his form around Quail Hollow is very good but the uncertainty around his health is of some concern for his fans.
Four starts ago, Min Woo Lee made his PGA Tour breakthrough with his win in Houston but in the three starts since there has not been much to get excited about. He is an amazing talent but might be found wanting this week.
Adam Scott finished 5th at Quail Hollow in 2023 and has made eight of ten cuts in 2025 but he has seldom threatened to contend so it would be quite a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, if he was to do so this week. He has six top tens in 24 PGA Championship starts but it is hard to imagine he will add another this week.
Cam Davis finished 4th at the PGA Championship two years ago but with five missed cuts in his last eight starts he has struggled after what had been a solid start to 2025. In three starts at Quail Hollow, he has a best of 26th.
For obvious reasons, Cam Smith’s world ranking belies his capabilities. In nine starts in this event, he has just one top ten to his name, and his recent form in LIV Golf events has been below his best, so I can’t get too excited about his prospects. He missed the cut in his only non-Liv start this year at the Masters.
Elvis Smylie and recent PGA Tour winner, Karl Vilips, make their PGA Championship debuts, and their performance will be watched with interest from that aspect alone.
Ryan Fox won last week on the PGA Tour for the first time and it will be interesting to see how that increased self-belief and confidence transpires into his performance this week.
Interestingly, Fox will play the PGA Championship for the 7th occasion and while he has seldom contended he has missed only one cut in those six previous starts, so his newfound status might assist in something considerably better.
I like defending champion Xander Schauffele this week, given his two runner-up finishes at Quail Hollow of late and improving performances in PGA Tour starts since a slow start to the year. Some of the betting agencies are offering what appears to be good value for the world number four.
