The second senior men’s major will kick off at Congressional Blue Course for the first time in history. This historic and prestigious championship in senior golf will feature a field of 156 veteran golfers competing for $3.5 million. Additionally, the 85th edition of the Senior PGA Championship will see defending champion and LIV golfer Richard Bland returning. So, who are the top 5 golfers that will challenge him for a chance at a back-to-back win?
Steven Alker
It is indeed true that Steven Alker’s last win came two months ago at the Cologuard Classic; however, it didn’t come without a dramatic playoff between him and Jason Caron. Following that, the 2022 Senior PGA Championship winner bagged 4 top-10 finishes. He might have slipped a little at the Insperity Invitational (T45) but regained his form at the recently concluded Regions Tradition (4).
However, for a golfer who believes, “You just grind away,” he now stands at 2 in the overall PGA Tour Champions rankings. Alker has nine wins on the PGA Tour Champions, and his stats are looking just as strong, ranking second in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 76.52%, having hit 303 greens out of 396 holes. He leads in scrambling with a 73.12% success rate and has a scoring average of 68.12, ranking first with a total of 1,703 strokes over 25 rounds.
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Nicknamed “The Mechanic,” Miguel Angel Jimenez might not have been a big threat in the 2024 season, but he is now. The Spaniard has played in 9 PGA Tour Champions events so far and has finished inside the top 10 eight times. Not only that, Jimenez also has 2 wins this season, including the Trophy Hassan II and the Hoag Classic. Sure, his 2024 finish at the Senior PGA Championship (T43) wasn’t very promising, but he is likely to continue with his strong performance this season, especially given the stats.
Currently ranked No. 1 in the Champions Tour, Miguel Angel has shown strong performance stats, ranking 13th in Greens in Regulation Percentage after hitting 329 greens out of 450 holes. He ranks 14th in scrambling and has made par or better 80 times. His scoring average is an impressive 68.43, which puts him 2nd overall. So, don’t be put off by his last year’s finish; Jimenez is likely to finish inside the top 10 this time.
Jerry Kelly
Currently ranked 6th in the Champions Tour, Jerry Kelly has had a pretty good 2025 season. In his 7 appearances so far, the American golfer has finished inside the top 10 4 times. His best came with his win at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, where he took home $300,000. Following that, he finished as the runner-up at the Regions Tradition.
Champion caliber picture #SrPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/9iGLz5QXY3
— Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 20, 2025
However, for the golfer who finished 13th at the 2024 Senior PGA Championship, the current stats may work in his favor this time and land him among the top 10. Jerry Kelly has had a strong season, ranking 3rd in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 76.39% after hitting 275 greens out of 360 holes. He stands 8th in scrambling with a success rate of 68.24% and has made par or better 58 times. His scoring average is 68.60, which places him 4th overall with a total of 1,372 strokes over 20 rounds.
Stewart Cink
For Stewart Cink, the first win of the season came a little too late and yet too close to the senior major events, the Regions Tradition and the Senior PGA Championship. The 52-year-old golfer battled it out in a playoff match with Retief Goosen at the Insperity Invitational and took home his first win of the 2025 season. In his 8 appearances so far, Cink has finished 6 times inside the top 10.
Stewart Cink finished T9 at the 2024 Senior PGA Championship and is likely to make an improvement in that finish at the Congressional Blue Course, given his stats. Stewart Cink has showcased impressive stats this season, ranking 1st in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 77.02% after hitting 305 greens out of 396 holes. His scoring average is strong at 68.84, ranking him 5th overall, with a total of 1,721 strokes over 25 rounds.
Ernie Els
Ernie Els’ strong performance began at the beginning of this season, where the South African veteran pro won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Following that, he had 4 top-10 finishes, with his next podium finishes coming at the Trophy Hassan II (2) and the Mitsubishi Electric Classic (3).
Indeed, the two-time U.S. Open winner (1994, 1997) and Open Championship winner (2002, 2012) has yet to win his first senior major title. However, he finished T6 at the Senior PGA Championship in 2024 and is likely to improve upon his performance given his latest stats. Ernie Els has posted impressive performance statistics, ranking 10th in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 73.78% after hitting 332 greens out of 450 holes. He also excels in scrambling, ranking 4th with a success rate of 70.34% and achieving par or better on 83 occasions.
Who are you going to be rooting for? Share your picks in the comments below!
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