The 2018 PGA Championship is here, and the final major of the 2018 golf season brings with it several golfers vying for their first or second major crown with a handful shooting for one even beyond that. Also, a certain someone is gunning for major win No. 15 at Bellerive Country Club just outside of St. Louis in Missouri.

We'll discuss Tiger Woods' chances in a bit as we rank the field from 1-25 in order of most likely to win the PGA Championship. Tiger's weekend 73-73 finish at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational has me concerned about fatigue heading into his first PGA Championship since 2015, and he fell a few spots as a result.

Before we get to how far, let's hammer out a few of the top players in the world and where they stand going into the final big one before our eight-month drought that doesn't conclude until the 2019 Masters.

1. Jason Day (Best finish: Win in 2015): Day quietly has two wins this season and contended late at the Bridgestone. In addition to his win in 2015 at Whistling Straits, he has a ridiculous four top 10s in his last five appearances at the PGA Championship. Only one other player -- Henrik Stenson -- has more than two.

2. Justin Thomas (Win in 2017): He's coming off both a win last week at Bridgestone as well as a victory last year at Quail Hollow. He seems tailor-made for the type of courses the PGA Championship visits, and this year at Bellerive is no different. A word of caution? Thomas only has two top 10s at majors in his admittedly short career.

3. Dustin Johnson (T5 in 2010): How does D.J. not have, like, five PGAs already? Johnson has finished outside the top 17 one time in his last nine events and has four top-three finishes in that span. The course fits him, he's feeling it and it's easy to envision major No. 2 and PGA Tour win No. 20 falling on Sunday.

4. Rory McIlroy (Win in 2012 and 2014): McIlroy is another guy who's playing great golf, except that when you watch him it doesn't feel like he's playing great golf. He should be encouraged by that fact, though, because it means he's figured out how to score without his best stuff. Five top eights at the PGA but none since winning at Valhalla in 2014.

5. Brooks Koepka (T4 in 2016): His T39 at the Open Championship a few weeks ago was his first finish outside the top 18 at a major since the 2015 Masters. Four straight top 15s here and you could do worse as a top 10 lock than the back-to-back U.S. Open winner. 

6. Justin Rose (T3 in 2012): I would have had him higher if he hadn't pulled out of last week's Bridgestone Invitational. His game travels well all over the world, even though he only has three top 10s at PGAs in his career. He's too hot to ignore with five-straight top 10s in events worldwide.

7. Tommy Fleetwood (T61 in 2017): This has less to do with how he's performed at past PGA Championships and more about how good he's been over the last two seasons. The Englishman has four top-17 finishes in his last six major championships and could very easily have the two U.S. Opens Koepka took. This course doesn't necessarily fit his game, but I'm not going against him right now. 

8. Henrik Stenson (3rd in 2013): The only player who gains more strokes combined off the tee and on approach shots is Dustin Johnson. Five straight top 25s and three top 10s in the last five PGAs. Wow. 

9. Jon Rahm (T58 in 2017): Rahm has just one (!) top 10 at a major championship (this year's Masters), but this course seems perfect for him. He can hit it a mile, run after it and wedge it tight. He's been awesome from 125 yards and in but his issues have been from 125-150 yards where he's 201st on the PGA Tour in proximity to the hole. Something to keep an eye on throughout the week. 

10. Rickie Fowler (T3 in 2014): Can I trust him? He has a pair of top fives in the last four PGAs but only three top 10s overall at majors in the last four seasons. I like his game and think he can catch as much fire as anyone, but I've always envisioned him winning one of the Opens before he won a PGA.

11. Tony Finau (T10 in 2015): Three straight top 10s at major championships and four of them overall if you go back to the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits. This course and his current form set up perfectly for a major championship-Ryder Cup spot sweep this week at Bellerive.

12. Jordan Spieth (2nd in 2015): I'm going to regret not putting Spieth in my top 10 (or 11), aren't I?

13. Franceco Molinari (T2 in 2017): He has four straight top 25s at majors, including that win at Carnoustie. It's easy to see him winning but it's more difficult to see him, in this era, winning two consecutive major championships. 

14. Bubba Watson (2nd in 2010): He's been cut in five of his last eight major championships and has just five top 10s ever, but he's also had a tremendous year, and this course should fit him really well. Remind me of this when he shoots 75-73 and misses the cut by six. 

15. Xander Schauffele (Cut in 2017): Three top 10s in his last six majors and he's become a sort of big game hunter at these events. He's not going to blow you away statistically or viscerally, but he always seems to hang around the top of major championship leaderboards.

Who will win the 2018 PGA Championship, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to find out and see the full PGA Championship projected leaderboard from the model that has nailed four of the last seven majors heading into the weekend and was all over Tiger Woods' surprising run at the The Open Championship.    

16. Patrick Reed (T2 in 2017): This time last year he had yet to finish in the top 10 in a major. Now he has three top 10s in his last four, including a green jacket. 

17. Patrick Cantlay (T33 in 2017): The cream always rises. After starting off the year lower down in strokes gained, he's suddenly risen into the top 10 from tee to green. It might take him three days to finish one beer out of the Wanamaker, but it would be well worth it.

18. Paul Casey (T10 in 2016): Like one of Phil Mickelson's wines, Casey seems to be getting better with age. He's finished top 15 in two straight PGAs and has the length to contend here.

19. Matt Kuchar (T7 in 2015): Two top 10s in his last three PGA Championships, including last year at Quail Hollow. I don't think he hits it far enough to contend this week, but if he's allowed to keep extra Nutri-Grain bars in his fanny pack on the course, you never know.

20. Tiger Woods (Win in 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007): I'm just not seeing it this week. Yes, he's hitting the ball really well this year, but I'm not sure "42-year-old body that has gone through four back surgeries withstanding the St. Louis heat in August for major win No. 15" is a narrative I can envision unfolding.

21. Thorbjorn Olesen (T30 in 2014): All the eyes emojis. He has five top 12s in his last seven tournaments worldwide, including a win at the Italian Open and is playing his way onto the European Ryder Cup team. 

22. Webb Simpson (T13 in 2016): No top 10s at PGAs, but he's finished in the top 20 in all three majors so far this year and is arguably playing the best golf of his career. He needs to have a driving week like he did at the Players Championship in May to win.

23. Phil Mickelson (Win in 2005): An obligatory inclusion, but I certainly don't think he's going to win or even play that well this week. Lefty has just one top 10 in the last three seasons at major championships and just one at a PGA since 2008.

24. Hideki Matsuyama (T4 in 2016): Top fives in each of the last two PGA Championships. However, his only top 10 on the season came at the Tournament of Champions in January. I don't love his form, but his talent scared me into putting him just inside my top 25.

25. Alex Noren (T34 in 2011): When I got to No. 25, I just took the highest-ranked player not already on my list. Noren has not been good at the PGA, but he has two top-three finishes in his last six events.