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00:03 The second major championship of this 2024 PGA Tour season is
00:08 this week at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
00:13 And from the site, that's where Keith Stewart joins us on this Tuesday
00:17 to take an early look at the PGA Championship this week.
00:21 Keith, we appreciate the time. Thank you for being here on the early line.
00:26 Well, I'll tell you what, I am fired up this week and everybody else should be too.
00:30 We have Rory coming in after two wins.
00:33 Brooks won his last tournament there on live, and Scotty's only won four of his last five in the green jacket.
00:39 I mean, what kind of storylines do you need coming into the second major championship of the year?
00:44 The vibe out here is electric. Everybody is ready to go.
00:48 Keith, you are live on the site there in Louisville, so we start with Scotty Scheffler and the big storyline.
00:55 Can you confirm, has Scotty Scheffler and his wife Meredith had their first child?
01:00 Will he be baby distraction free entering the PGA Championship this week?
01:05 Ben, I can confirm, yes, he has had the baby, and mom and son are healthy.
01:12 And in true Scotty form, the baby happened last week, and he didn't let anybody know until he got here on property.
01:19 He did not confirm it until he spoke to Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel.
01:22 So a little bit of gamesmanship I think is going on right there by the world's number one,
01:27 keeping everybody in the dark whether or not he might show up or might not show up.
01:31 So to me, I love it, but absolutely, the baby has been born, and you know what?
01:38 It's time to start playing some golf.
01:40 Star golfers and also a star golf course this weekend.
01:44 Take a look at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, about 7,600 yards.
01:48 It looks like this is going to play a par 71.
01:51 Two things here.
01:52 How does this course set up this weekend and also any weather concerns to worry about this week, Keith?
01:56 Well, guys, I was originally set up outside, and that's just not happening this morning because we are getting poured on.
02:04 They're talking about rain all week, and in the month of May alone, we've had 2.4 inches of rain in this region.
02:10 So it's going to be a soft golf course, which takes us all the way back to 2014.
02:14 If you remember when Rory won here 10 years ago, it was an extremely soft golf course.
02:19 And you mentioned that 7,600 yards, Donnie, right?
02:22 The first time they played here--well, the second time--let's go back to Tiger in 2000.
02:26 This golf course is now 450 yards longer and has one less par.
02:31 It was a par 72 when Tiger won.
02:33 It's now a par 71, 7,600 yards.
02:36 So my three keys that you got to focus on when you're building out your betting card, number one, it's just length.
02:41 It's length all day, whether you're hitting your irons, your driver, or whatever you're doing.
02:45 The golf course is going to be soft.
02:47 It's going to rain more this week.
02:48 You have got to be able to pound it off the tee and hit your long irons high and accurately.
02:53 Number two, speaking of accuracy, 5,000 square foot greens.
02:57 So this is the third longest course on tour this year for the PGA.
03:02 It's also has the third smallest greens.
03:05 So think about that.
03:06 You're coming in from long range, two-thirds of the approach shots, over 175 yards, and these greens are super small.
03:13 So accuracy matters with your approach game.
03:15 And the third thing, and I think a lot of people are overlooking this, but when I'm building out my betting card, this is definitely a putter week.
03:21 We cannot go with team no putt.
03:23 We got to have guys that can roll the rock.
03:26 And here's why.
03:27 If you go back to 2014, seven of the top 10 finished in the top 12 in strokes gained putting.
03:35 That means that if you can get the ball in the hole here this week, first of all, if you can get it on the green,
03:40 but if you can get it in the hole after that, then you're in good shape to contend to be part of the conversation, not just on Tuesday, but more importantly, on Sunday.
03:48 So, Keith, when you look at the odds, there are two golfers that are really separate from the rest of the field,
03:53 nearly half the rest of every other golfer this week at Valhalla.
03:58 Of course, that is Scottie Sheffer, the short favorite at 4-1, but Rory McIlroy, not all that far behind at plus 750.
04:04 He won last week at Valhalla in Charlotte at the Wells Fargo Championship, and Valhalla is a special place for Rory.
04:13 It was the site of his last major championship victory, now a decade ago, the 2014 PGA Championship, edging out Phil Mickelson virtually in the dark.
04:25 It's one of the storylines each and every major championship, whether it's the PGA at Valhalla or any other venue.
04:32 Will the decade-long major title streak finally come to a close for Rory McIlroy?
04:38 Keith, what do you say about his outlook this week in Louisville?
04:41 Well, Ben, I love that buildup there, and I'll give you even a little bit more.
04:46 The last time he won here 10 years ago, he won twice before he came in.
04:50 Well, he just won twice out on tour coming into this week at Valhalla.
04:55 I mean, all signs point--all signs.
04:57 When I was in Charlotte last week for Quail Hollow, you know, the planets were aligned for Rory to get his fourth win there, and that was the perfect preview for this place.
05:05 And then he gets it done, and he wins by a bunch of shots over Xander Schaufeli, distances himself on Sunday.
05:11 So at the end of the day, I mean, at plus 750, Rory is really live this week.
05:18 He is, and I just wonder--I just wonder, after all the years of thinking about it and all the internal pressure and the anxiety that he feels,
05:26 I just wonder if Rory can get back over the hump.
05:30 It's been a long time.
05:31 Ten years, that's a lot of leaderboard gravity.
05:33 I'm not sure if he can do it.
05:35 I mean, now at plus 450, Scotty Scheffler, the favorite, the baby, is no longer a concern.
05:40 I think the only way to play Scotty is to come up with some creative parlay, because he is definitely, without a doubt, the guy to beat this week.
05:48 Can Rory do it?
05:49 I'm not quite sure if he's the man.
05:52 >> Rory and Scotty were hoping to make more than just an appearance this week as they want to win this championship.
05:57 Tiger Woods absolutely will make an appearance here in the PGA.
06:00 Talk about him this week and the expectations that we're setting for him, Keith.
06:05 >> Donnie, I think right now it's just the same as it was in Augusta.
06:09 You know, one of the things about this Valhalla golf course is that it's very hilly.
06:13 We're out here in the Kentucky hills.
06:14 So just like Augusta, I believe he makes the cut.
06:18 I don't think that there's a big sweat there.
06:20 But as it comes to three, four days, until Tiger proves that he can get across the finish line, not looking weakened by Sunday afternoon,
06:28 then the best I can do is bet him to make or miss the cut.
06:32 The placements in a field that's this elite with this many golf professionals in it, I just don't know at this point.
06:39 >> Yeah, it's going to be difficult.
06:41 His odds to make the cut or even miss it for the big cat this week in Louisville,
06:46 not listed on the Fanduel Sportsbook as of this moment, trying to crunch the numbers.
06:51 Keith Stewart, we appreciate your time on this Tuesday morning live from Valhalla,
06:56 the site of the second major championship this year in the world of golf.
07:01 You can hear from Keith throughout the rest of this week across the Sports Grid Network for some more of those early leads.
07:07 Keith, thank you so much for your time on this Tuesday.
07:09 Enjoy the week out there in Louisville.
07:12 >> Oh, boys, you know what?
07:14 This is a big ballpark.
07:15 We're going to need a Louisville slugger come Sunday.
07:18 >> We appreciate that, Keith.
07:20 Thank you very much.
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