After Scottie Scheffler's dominant eight shot victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the PGA Tour moves to the Truist Championship which, for this year, takes place at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Usually held at Quail Hollow, that venue is being used for next week's PGA Championship, which means we could see some unpredictable results at Philadelphia Cricket Club, the oldest country club in United States.
For 2025, Rory McIlroy returns to defend his title, with the 36-year-old looking to continue his dominant form in the competition and claim a fifth Truist Championship title.
McIlroy will be the favorite to begin with, especially after his incredible start to 2025. However, with the likes of Signature Event winners Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and Hideki Matsuyama, it's set up to be a thrilling tournament once again.
Although there will be several stars present, World No.1 Scheffler won't be featuring, with the American taking the week off ahead of the second men's Major of the season, the PGA Championship.
In terms of scoring, it's unclear as to what to expect from Philadelphia Cricket Club, which hosted two US Opens in 1907 and 1910. What we do know is that the winning score at the 2015 PGA Professional Championship was three-under, while the winning score at the 2016 Senior Players Championship was one-over.
Truist Championship Course Guide: Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course)
As mentioned, Philadelphia Cricket Club is the oldest country club in the US, having been founded in 1854. What's more, it has the Militia Hill and Wissahickon courses on its grounds, with the latter the layout chosen to stage the Truist Championship.
Previously staging two US Opens, the most recent tournament came at the 2024 US Amateur Four-Ball, which was won by Brian Blanchard and Sam Engel. However in 2016, Bernhard Langer won the Senior Players Championship, with the German shooting a one-over-par tournament total.
Measuring at 7,119 yards, Philadelphia Cricket Club will play as a par 70, with the venue one of the shorter courses on the PGA Tour calendar for 2025. It features four par 3s, 12 par 4s and two par 5s, the longest of which is 553 yards.
Although it is shorter than other courses, the layout has an average fairway width of just 32 yards and, when it comes to bunkers, Philadelphia Cricket Club possesses the most of any PGA Tour venue, with 118 in play throughout.
There are plenty of interesting aspects around the course and, when it comes to the most noticeable section that will play its part in the conclusion, it's best to look at the final five holes, which include the 122-yard 14th that is the most tightly bunkered green on the course.
Along with the par 5 15th and par 3 16th, the 498 yard and 517 yard 17th and 18th will be a tough finishing stretch for the world's best. In terms of what to look out for, it may be better to favor accuracy and a strong approach game, as opposed to distance off the tee.
Truist Championship Previous Winners
Truist Championship Betting Odds
Outright winner odds from BetMGM (odds correct at time of publishing)
- Rory McIlroy (+500)
- Collin Morikawa (+1400)
- Patrick Cantlay (+1600)
- Xander Schauffele (+1600)
- Justin Thomas (+1600)
- Ludvig Aberg (+1800)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+2000)
- Russell Henley (+2200)
- Corey Conners (+2500)
- Viktor Hovland (+2500)
- Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)
- Daniel Berger (+2800)
- Shane Lowry (+2800)
- Jordan Spieth (+2800)
- Sepp Straka (+3300)
- Sungjae Im (+3300)
- All other players are priced at +4000 or higher
Truist Championship Betting Picks
Favorite: Collin Morikawa (+1400)
Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course isn’t overly long at 7,119 yards so it should present a challenge of accuracy over distance this week, which Collin Morikawa should excel in.
The World No.4 is one of the best iron players in the game, so could well have a good week if he can roll in some putts. His season has been solid so far, with a best finish of second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also has a new caddie this week in the form of Joe Greiner, Max Homa’s former looper that was on the bag of Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage recently. Perhaps he can go back-to-back and get his new partnership with Morikawa off to the perfect start.
Outsider: Justin Rose (+5000)
This could well be a US Open-style test this week and the in-form Justin Rose might be a contender. Rose, of course, narrowly missed out at The Masters last month, where he held the 36-hole lead and made 10 birdies in his final round to eventually lose in a playoff.
The Englishman is brilliant at plotting his way around golf courses and hopefully can continue on his strong start to the year. As well as his runner-up at Augusta, Rose was also T3rd at Pebble Beach and T8th at Bay Hill - both Signature Events like this week.
Favorite: Patrick Cantlay (+1400)
A lot of people have backed Cantlay this week at the Truist Championship and, around a venue that will suit his game, it's clear to see why many are opting for the American.
Firstly, Philadelphia Cricket Club rewards those who can hit it straight and hit greens, something that Cantlay ranks very highly in when it comes to Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. What's more, he didn't have his best stuff at the RBC Heritage but finished just outside the top 10, while his record on Bentgrass is superb.
Outsider: Sam Stevens (+9000)
The American finished third in his last outing, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, with Stevens also claiming a runner-up finish at Torrey Pines and the Farmers Insurance Open back in January.
His excellent result last week should be a catalyst to push on and, when looking at the stats, the 28-year-old ranks inside the top 65 in terms of Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and Total. He's an excellent ball striker and, if he can keep hitting fairways, he may well be up near the top of the leaderboard again.
Favorite : Xander Schauffele (+1600)
If Philadelphia Cricket Club plays like a US Open-style course, there is only one man for the job this week. In eight US Opens, Schauffele has finished in the top-10 seven times without winning and, even when he missed out on the top-10, the Californian only finished T14th.
After his rib issue earlier in the season, it seems as though the two-time Major winner is rediscovering his best form and I believe his significant length and stellar approach stats will help him contend. We need a good putting week from Schauffele, but if he produces something around +0.50 in terms of strokes gained, there is every chance he wins.
Outsider: Brian Harman (+6000)
The 2023 Open Champion is enjoying a real purple patch right now after winning the Valero Texas Open three starts ago. He finished T36th at The Masters before going out and ending T3rd at the RBC Heritage.
He gained strokes in almost every category at all three tournaments and has a fair record at past US Opens - a decent indicator of how a player might fare this week. A confident Harman may well fancy his chances of back-dooring a top-10 as the second Major of the season draws closer.
How To Watch The Truist Championship
US/ET
- Thursday 8th May: 8.00am - 2.00pm (ESPN+), 2.00 - 6.00pm (NBC Sports App)
- Friday 9th May: 8.00am - 2.00pm (ESPN+), 2.00 - 6.00pm (NBC Sports App)
- Saturday 10th May: 8.00am - 1.00pm (ESPN+), 1.00 - 3.00pm (NBC Sports App), 3.00 - 6.00pm (CBS/Paramount+/NBC Sports App)
- Sunday 11th May: 7.30am - 1.00pm (ESPN+), 1.00 - 3.00pm (NBC Sports App), 3.00 - 6.00pm (CBS/Paramount+/NBC Sports App)
UK/BST
- Thursday 8th May: 4.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday 9th May: 4.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday 10th May: 4.00 - 11.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday 11th May: 4.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
