Three Things to Know About the 2025 PGA Championship

If the final round of the Masters is any indication of how the 2025 men's Major Championship season will go . . . grab your popcorn.

Rory McIlroy finally got the proverbial monkey (more like a gorilla at this point) off his back, conquering past demons and Augusta National to win his first Green Jacket on April 13. McIlroy also completed the career Grand Slam, becoming only the sixth player to do so in the history of the sport.

And now . . . the eyes of the golf world from Augusta to Charlotte for the second major of the year: the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, May 12-18.

It's a familiar venue for plenty of players, and a comfortable one for McIlroy. There's a bevy of storylines and things to know, but we boiled it down to the three you should focus on over the next four weeks.

Like most of the recent PGA Championships, the 2025 edition promises drama. That's because Quail Hollow Club is built for it with the infamous Green Mile finishing stretch that requires precision and poise. Players are familiar with the setup, given that Quail Hollow is an annual PGA TOUR stop each year, but that doesn't mean the course will play easy.

With PGA of America Chief Championships Officer Kerry as one of the best (if not the best) course setup wizards in the game, Quail Hollow will be a fair and fun test. In 2017, the course played at 7,600 yards and a par 71, with Justin Thomas winning his first major title at -8. Six birdies in total, including the infamous lip-hanging putt on No. 10 and then a dramatic chip-in on 13, gave him enough space to come down the 18th hole somewhat comfortably for a final round 68 and the Wanamaker Trophy.

Thomas will likely be one of the favorites at Quail Hollow, but since this is not a new venue for a lot of competitors, the leaderboard could be one littered with stars led, of course, by McIlroy. But as we've seen in the last couple PGA Championships, there tends to be a flair for the theatrics. Expect the same at Quail Hollow.

The road to the PGA Championship this year goes through Port St. Lucie, Florida, where 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals will compete for a spot in the field at Quail Hollow.

The PGA Professional Championship is one of the really cool storylines every year leading into a PGA Championship and, this year, 312 of the best-playing golf professionals from across 41 PGA of America Sections will take on PGA Golf Club, April 27-30, for a coveted position on the Corebridge Financial Team. In line with Quail Hollow, many of the competitors are likely familiar with the Wanamaker and Ryder courses at PGA Golf Club, so it should be interesting to see who can emerge with the Walter Hagen Trophy.

Last year, Ben Polland led the group of 20 after emerging victorious at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Texas. The Philadelphia PGA Section's Braden Shattuck, the 2023 PGA Professional Champion, would ultimately claim Low PGA of America Golf Professional at Valhalla, making the cut alongside Jeremy Wells. Shattuck then drove back home overnight and won the Delaware Open with a course-record 63.

And, of course, how could we forget 2023 and the now legendary story of Michael Block?

Needless to say, the last few years have also been fairly memorable for the PGA of America Golf Professionals competing. This year could be pretty cool, too, for Preston Cole, a PGA Assistant Professional at Quail Hollow who has the rare opportunity to play a PGA Championship at his home club.

Now that would be awesome.

It's hard to look past Rory at the moment. The Masters monkey is off his back and it might be have turned the tap back on when it comes to racking up major titles. The course in Quail Hollow - where he's won four times - is a bomber's paradise, which suits Rory's eye. Will he be geared up for it? More than likely.

But you also can't count out a bushel of stars who are more motivated now than ever to unseat Rory as the talk of golf. Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and Jason Day all finished in the Top 10 at Augusta National. All are Major Champions minus Ludvig - and it's only a matter of time before he gets his first.

Plus, there's another Grand Slam storyline emerging: Jordan Spieth. With a PGA Championship win, he joins McIlroy, Woods, Nicklaus, Player, Hogan and Sarazen in the rare air of career Grand Slam winners. Spieth didn't play awful at The Masters with a T14 finish and has show flashes of his former brilliance. He just needs to put four rounds together this time.

So it sets up a similar formula like last year at Valhalla where Schauffele inched by DeChambeau with a birdie on the last to claim the Wanamaker. The good news is if you're looking to experience an exciting finish like that in-person, there's still limited PGA Championship tickets that remain, too for the 2025 PGA. And all ticket purchases will be dropped into a recently announced Play Like the Pros sweepstakes, where you and two friends can win a chance to play at Quail Hollow the day after the final round!

There you have it: A course ripe for fireworks and drama. Plenty of storylines. A stacked field. The 2025 PGA Championship, as it always seems to do, is set to deliver yet again.