Every Wednesday, SI Golf will rank nine newsmakers from the golf world. Sometimes we'll cast a wide net. Tell us what you think on the SI Golf X account.
1. Scottie Scheffler: Won the PGA Championship last week for his third major title. ‘Nuff said. It’s also worth noting his insightful perspective on driver testing and mud balls.
2. Rory McIlroy: Speaking of driver testing, that’s why McIlroy lands this high on the list. Ahead of last week’s major, where he would tie for 47th, McIlroy’s driver was ruled nonconforming, and as he hit 26 of 56 fairways during the week, dodged the media’s questions on the matter, extending the story—and prompting a subtle stray from CBS Sports’s Amanda Balionis?
3. Jon Rahm: A T8 might signal a return to pre-LIV dominance, yet playing his final three holes at 5 over gave him a worse result than last year’s British Open (T7). There was a point early on the back nine, though, where Rahm tied Scheffler on the leaderboard. Is he on the brink of adding a third major later this year?
4. Jordan Spieth: Many were hoping he would follow in McIlroy’s footsteps and complete the career Grand Slam by winning the PGA. Instead, he missed the cut. Let’s not forget, Spieth hasn’t won since 2022. On to Colonial.
5. Wyndham Clark: After a poor drive in the final round, the 2023 U.S. Open champion threw his club into a board behind the tee box and just so happened to dent a T-Mobile ad—ironic, because Clark is a T-Mobile brand ambassador. The moment, of course, went viral, and the marshal on the hole took to X to say he was “scared to death.” Clark issued an apology Monday.
6. Michael Block: Provided one of the PGA’s wildest quotes by saying the crowd sizes contributed to shooting 15 over and missing the cut. Block has endlessly captured the spotlight over the last two years, and somehow, he did it again despite an uninspiring performance. He’s in the field this week at Colonial, so maybe the club pro will make on next week’s list, too.
7. Bryson DeChambeau: He finished runner-up at the PGA, five strokes back of Scheffler, for his fifth top 10 in his last six majors. Yet he was “baffled” afterward, and it appears he’s about to try another equipment tweak.
8. Shane Lowry: On the list for the second week in a row. Why? En route to missing the cut, Lowry’s drive on the 8th hole at Quail Hollow landed in a divot and he wasn’t granted relief. So he sent his next shot into the bunker and yelled,”F--- this place,” slamming his club into the ground. Afterward, the Irishman told the Irish Independent that an ESPN TV reporter interfered with the ruling, apparently saying “that’s not your pitch mark.”
9. Angel Cabrera: Two years since being released from prison, the Masters and U.S. Open champion won his first senior major at the Regions Tradition in a Monday finish. This comes after winning on the PGA Tour Champions last month ahead of his controversial Masters return.
Also considered: Brandel Chamblee, Harris English, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Alex Noren, Sergio Garcia, Jhonattan Vegas.
Dropped out from last week: Sepp Straka, Donald Trump, Nelly Korda, Johnson Wagner, A.W. Tillinghast.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Power Nine: The Clear No. 1 and This Week's Other Major Champion.