PGA Championship Final Thoughts: Predicting Scottie Scheffler's Future, Driver Drama, And A Glorious Broadcast

And just like that, we're halfway through the major championship calendar this year with Scottie Scheffler cruising to a five-shot victory at the PGA Championship for the third major title of his career.

It feels like the entire world has run out of adjectives to use to describe Scheffler's game and the run he continues to put together over the span of the last two years and counting. Brian Harman joked that Scheffler is so good that it feels like he has a time machine sometimes, and while we don't have one, we're going to do our best to predict what the future holds for the No. 1 player in the world. Spoiler alert: it includes many more major championships.

As for other closing thoughts to take away from the year's second major, we'd be remiss not to talk about the drama surrounding Rory McIlroy's driver. It's a complete non-story, but for whatever reason, McIlroy's actions are making it one.

Plus, after the entire golf world has spent years eviscerating live broadcasts, CBS has made noticeable changes this year that deserve a serious round of applause. 

So, stick around and enjoy, and always feel free to reach out to me at mark.harris@outkick.com with thoughts, concerns, questions, and, of course, disagreements. Find me on X @itismarkharris if you would rather take things public and yell at me there.

Rory McIlroy Not Talking Is Creating Unnecessary Noise

Rory McIlroy declining media requests all four days at the PGA Championship is a baffling move. As I wrote about on Sunday after he finished T-47, not speaking with the media is an off-brand move from the five-time major winner on the surface level alone. 

Rory McIlroy skipped out on the media each day of the PGA Championship. Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Add in the fact that this was his first start at a major championship after he became just the sixth player of the modern era to complete the career grand slam, it turns the situation into a head-scratcher. Throw in the fact that his driver was reportedly deemed non-conforming two days before the opening round, and it goes from a head-scratcher to a full-blown ,pull your hair out scenario.

Rory McIlroy Skips Media All Four Days At PGA Championship In Odd Decision Amid Driver Drama

McIlroy's driver failing testing is a complete non-story. Drivers being deemed non-conforming is something that happens all the time, and it even happened with Scheffler's driver before he teed it up at Quail Hollow this week. 

Normal wear and tear make an already thin driver face thinner, and when it gets too thin, the trampoline-like effect gets too springy and players are forced to throw a new driver head on their shaft.

If McIlroy had spoken with the media on Friday evening after the report of his driver failing testing first came out, we would have already moved past this, but now, conspiracy theories are rampant when it comes to his equipment and if he used the same driver to win the Masters just over a month ago.

Amanda Balionis Seems To Take Dig At Rory McIlroy During PGA Championship Interview In Wild Moment

Unless McIlroy puts out a statement about the driver - which would be ridiculous given that, again, it's not a big deal whatsoever - those theories are going to continue to spin until he arrives at his next PGA Tour stop and is asked about it then.

How Many Major Championships Will Scottie Scheffler End Up Winning?

With his win at Quail Hollow, Scheffler became just the third player in modern history to earn 15 PGA Tour wins and three major championships before turning 29 years old. The other two players on that list are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods; not exactly bad company to keep.

Scottie Scheffler Is Inevitable And A Career Grand Slam Is Starting To Feel The Same

Let's assume that he remains healthy over the next 16 years and Father Time doesn't rear his ugly head until he turns 45. With two remaining majors left in 2025 and another 64 major starts to follow over the following 16 years, Scheffler would have 66 more opportunities to add to his major championship tally. 

As things stand at the moment, Scheffler has won three majors in his 21 major appearances since turning professional, giving him a winning percentage of 14.3%. If we're saying he has 66 more major starts ahead of him, and he continues to win at the same clip he is at the moment, double-digit major wins are not out of the question.

Scottie Scheffler holds the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Interestingly enough, the guys over at No Laying Up actually reached out to FanDuel Sportsbook to see what they would set Scheffler's over/under major win total at this point in time, and they came back with an over/under of 9.5.

Only five players in the history of the game have won nine or more major championships, and despite history and statistics very much going against Scheffler, taking the over 9.5 feels like a smarter play than the under.

Scheffler has shown no signs of slowing down, especially on the game's biggest stages, and until he does, there is no reason not to believe that he'll continue to rattle off win after win.

Commercials, What Commercials?

There is nothing golf fans and media members alike love to do more than moan and complain about things, and nothing has taken more of a beating over recent years than the broadcast. The commercial load and ‘playing through’ segments have been a legitimate issue across both NBC and CBS, but the latter network has made some significant changes that have, dare I say it, made the viewing experience enjoyable.

CBS always crushes Masters coverage and did so again this past April, but its PGA Championship coverage throughout the week was very much a pleasant surprise.

Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter kept track of the commercial load for Sunday's final round at the PGA, and the network did indeed cut back. This Sunday's final round featured just under 45 total minutes of commercials during the 2:00-7:00 PM window compared to 48 minutes and 40 seconds of commercials during the same window during the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

A less than four-minute difference may not seem like a lot, but it's absolutely noticeable for those glued to the action throughout the entire day. The network also only broke for commercials twice over the course of the final hour of coverage.

You love to see it.