Sky Sports Golf’s PGA Championship preview podcast: Could we see a major winner from LIV at Oak Hill?
Dustin Johnson won Sunday’s LIV golf event in Tulsa, where Cameron Smith missed out in a play-off
PGA Championship contenders, Rory McIlroy’s major hopes and the possibility of a LIV winner at Oak Hill all feature in a special edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
Jamie Spence and David Howell join regular host Josh Antmann to discuss all the big talking points ahead of the second men’s major of the year, where Justin Thomas returns as defending champion after last year’s dramatic play-off victory at Southern Hills.
The panel share their favorite PGA Championship moments through the years and reflect on some of the most memorable storylines from the tournament archives, plus look ahead to all the potential talking points that could happen over the coming days in Rochester.
The trio discuss how the tournament compares to the other majors in the calendar and who the course changes at Oak Hill could follow, plus look at why the tournament often produces a first-time major champion.
They take a closer look at McIlroy’s dip in form in recent months and how a return to a course where he is a member could help end his nine-year major drought, plus give their verdict on whether one of the 17-strong contingent from the LIV golf circuit could lift the Wanamaker Trophy this week.
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau give their verdict last month on the world golf ranking continuing to overlook LIV players from the weekly rankings
“I’ve never bought into the narrative that they [LIV golfers] are not playing enough golf with three rounds,” Howell told the Sky sports golf podcast. “Players used to have this thing about whether they play the week before [a major] but I think three rounds in these events in some ways is a nice tune-up for all of them.
“Brooks [Koepka] didn’t care about winning PGA Tour events so I don’t know how much he cares about winning LIV events! I think his focus is all the more on the majors really and fair play to him, he proved at Augusta that he’s capable.
Live PGA Championship Golf
May 18, 2023, 1:00pm
live on 
“I think for the guys right at the top of LIV, the really good players, it’s not a problem for them. Is one of them going to win this week? I don’t think so, I still think it’s going to be someone from the PGA Tour who wins, but of course, they’re capable.
“The really good ones are still more than capable and they haven’t given up hope of winning majors when they went off to do what they’re doing. I still think that some absolutely live and die by the prospect of trying to win more majors.
Brooks Koepka finished tied-second at The Masters last month
“They don’t care about how many LIV tour events they win, that’s not going to be part of their legacy, it’s going to be how many majors going to win. If you’re just a golf fan then that added bit of spice that it brings to it is quite intriguing when the majors come around, no doubt about it.”
As well as offering their picks on who will win the PGA Championship, the panel reflects on Jason Day ending his five-year winless run with a PGA Tour victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday.
Highlights from the fourth round of the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas
There’s also a review of the Soudal Open and Thomas Detry’s failure to win on home soil, plus Thorbjorn Olesen’s hopes of making the Ryder Cup team after another strong performance on the DP World Tour.
There’s also chat about the inaugural G4D Open and the sanctions handed out from the DP World Tour for LIV members, plus plenty of other storylines from a busy period in the sport.
Download and listen to the latest Sky Sports Golf podcast and don’t forget to subscribe via Spotify, Spreaker or Apple Podcasts! If you’d like to contact the podcast, then you can email [email protected]
Watch the 105th PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf.
