The 108th PGA Championship will once again be played here at Aronimink Golf Club from May 14 to 17, 2026. It’s the second men’s major of the year, and, for the first time in 64 years, the Wanamaker Trophy is back at this Donald Ross gem. Gary Player won here in 1962, but no PGA champ has come close since.
Aronimink is a par-70 parkland course measuring nearly 7,300 yards. Greens are 100 percent bentgrass: pure, fast, and undulating; Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner performed a restoration, adding more than 170 bunkers. Course history is scant, so we are using data to lean on form, ball-striking, and how a player tackles a strategist’s setup over course fit alone.
Below are our 9 best picks to win at Aronimink, with green flags and red flags for each. We’ve factored in pre-tournament odds from BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel Sportsbook; recent strokes-gained data; and major championship pedigrees.
If you’re using these for outright winner picks, top 10 finish bets, DFS lineup builds on DraftKings or FanDuel, or one-and-done picks, treat the list as a tiered ranking.
Pick 1 is the chalk. Pick 9 is the long shot we love.
Let’s get into it.
9 Best PGA Championship Picks Of the Year 2026
Scottie Scheffler
Pre-tournament odds: +350 to +400
Career résumé: Three majors (Master’s 2022, Master’s 2024, and PGA Championship 2025). World No. 1 for most of the last four years. Multiple PGA Tour wins, including The Players Championship and The Tour Championship.
Scottie is the defending champion in the PGA. Could’ve been a lot worse; at least He won the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow when his 11-under was five better than Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, and Davis Riley on Sunday. His 2026 has been quieter than the one in 2024, but he’s still coming into the major having finished runner-up in three straight events, including the Masters and the RBC Heritage.
The next stop for Scheffler is Aronimink, where he will arrive as the world No. 1 and be chalk on every sportsbook board. The implied probability is about a stupid 19 percent for a major with 156 players.
Green Flags
- Defending champion with a five-shot win in his last PGA appearance.
- Ball-striking and bogey avoidance lead the field. He gained over a stroke on approach in five of his last twelve measured rounds.
- Already a Master’s Tournament and PGA Championship winner. Major pressure does not move him.
- Aronimink rewards strokes gained tee-to-green, which is his bread and butter.
Red Flags
- The price is short. There is little plus-money value at +350 unless you are buying a top 5 finish or top 10 finish instead.
- Three straight runner-up finishes show he is leaving wins on the course in 2026.
- Shorter par-70 venues with quirky bunkering have not always been his best fit.
Rory McIlroy
Pre-tournament odds: +650 to +750
Career résumé: Five major wins (US Open 2011, PGA Championship 2012, PGA Championship 2014, Open Championship 2014, Masters Tournament 2025, and Masters Tournament 2026). Career Grand Slam complete. The only player in the field with a chance to win the calendar Grand Slam this year.
Rory is coming off winning the Masters two years running in Augusta. He defended his master’s title in April and now heads to Aronimink looking for his third PGA Championship. The Masters was the last time he played a competitive round, either resetting or risking rust depending on your reading of it.
This is an uncommon Rory for a price like this in the second major of the year. The market looks like it still respects Scheffler’s current-form edge.
Green Flags
- Two-time PGA Champion. He knows how to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
- Calendar Grand Slam pursuit makes the motivation factor real.
- Long-iron approach play and driving distance suit Aronimink’s longer par 4s.
- Fresh legs after the post-Masters break.
Red Flags
- Missed the cut at the 2025 PGA Championship, finishing T47 and 14 shots back.
- We have not seen him play a round since the Masters. Tournament rust is a real concern.
- His record at par-70 majors with classical bunkering is mixed.
Cameron Young
Pre-tournament odds: +1400
Career résumé: Two PGA Tour wins in 2026 alone (The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in March and the Cadillac Championship in May). T3 at the 2026 Masters. A career-best top-five finish at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
The story of 2026 has been Young’s breakthrough. He won The Players, claimed the Cadillac trophy at Doral, and tied for third at Augusta. That adds up to three top-three finishes in the highest-priced events on the PGA Tour schedule, not including majors.
His ball-striking has been elite. The short game has finally caught up, and he gained over 1.4 strokes tee-to-green per start over his last six starts. He possesses a level of expected value the model loves at +1400.
Green Flags
- Two wins on the PGA Tour in 2026, both at Signature Events with strong fields.
- T3 at the 2026 Masters proves his major championship readiness.
- Course profile fits: he finished T7 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club last year, a similar par-70 setup.
- A hot putter combined with elite ball-striking is exactly what wins majors.
Red Flags
- Still no major championship win on the résumé. The closing pressure of a Sunday major is unproven.
- His 2025 PGA Championship finish (T47) is a reminder that hot streaks do not always travel.
- The price has shortened from +2500 to +1400 in five weeks. The value is fading.
Xander Schauffele
Pre-tournament odds: +1600
Career résumé: Two majors (PGA Championship 2024 at Valhalla and Open Championship 2024 at Royal Troon). Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020. Multiple PGA Tour wins, including The Players and The Tour Championship.
Two months on from lifting the Wanamaker Trophy in 2024, Xander lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Troon. A major double like that does not come about by coincidence. Brian Harman: 2023 is best summed up by a missed cut at the PGA Championship. His ranking of 185 for 2025 just shows how quiet it was, though. A slow rebuild back toward form has been his in 2026.
His only tangible course history at the venue is a T3 finish in the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink.
Green Flags
- Defended Wanamaker contender. The recent PGA Championship win means he has done it before.
- T3 at Aronimink in the 2018 BMW Championship is the best course history in the field.
- Strokes gained: Putting has been trending up over the last six measured rounds.
- Major pedigree across all four legs of the Grand Slam.
Red Flags
- Outside of his 2024 PGA win, he has only one other top-10 finish at this major.
- The 2025 form was inconsistent with multiple missed cuts in big events.
- His Truist Championship performance this week will tell us if he is sharp enough.
Jon Rahm
Pre-tournament odds: +1200 to +1600
Career résumé: Two major wins (US Open 2021 at Torrey Pines, Masters Tournament 2023). Former World No. 1. Now competes on LIV Golf as captain of Legion XIII.
Rahm is joined on the field by ten other LIV golfers. He is currently No. 1 on the LIV standings for 2026 and tied for eighth in last year’s PGA Championship after sharing the lead at one point Sunday. He shot 5 overs over Quail Hollow’s “Green Mile” closing stretch and fell out of contention.
You can tell that his OWGR ranking has slipped as LIV gives away fewer world ranking points, but the ball-striking is still elite. You are getting a guy who is a past winner of the Masters and US Open, along with two top-10 finishes on the PGA since 2022, at +1200 to +1600.
Green Flags
- Two majors and a former master’s degree on the résumé.
- LIV standings leader in 2026. He is playing well.
- T8 at the 2025 PGA Championship despite a Sunday collapse.
- His shot shape and iron precision suit Aronimink’s strategic setup.
Red Flags
- Limited PGA Tour course reps in 2026 due to the LIV Golf schedule.
- Sunday closing on the back nine of a major has been a recurring issue.
- The DataGolf model and most course-fit models have him outside the top 5 contenders.
Bryson DeChambeau
Pre-tournament odds: +1200 to +2000.
Career résumé: Two US Open titles (Winged Foot 2020, Pinehurst No. 2 2024). Runner-up at the 2024 PGA Championship and tied second at the 2025 PGA Championship. Plays LIV Golf for Crushers GC.
It is wild to think of Bryson’s PGA Championship history. His finishes in his previous five events read T2, 2, T4, T38, T4. That is the type of player who makes an appearance in this major regardless of how hit-or-miss his overall year may be. The form is shaky, missing the cut at the 2026 Masters and withdrawing from a LIV event in Mexico City with wrist problems.
But the price is generous. If his health and swing align at Aronimink, the made-in-heaven run of runners-up ends in victory.
Green Flags
- Last five PGA Championship finishes: T2, 2, T4, T38, and T4. He owns this major.
- Two US Open titles confirm his major championship closer credentials.
- Driving distance can shrink Aronimink’s par-4s and par-5s.
- Two LIV wins in 2026 prove the game is still there.
Red Flags
- Aronimink has one of the highest bunker counts of any major venue. His misses can be wild.
- A missed cut at the 2026 Masters and a wrist-related WD raise health concerns.
- The LIV future and ranking situation has been a mental distraction by his own admission.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Pre-tournament odds: +2000 to +2500
Career résumé: One major (the US Open 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline). Career-high World No. 3 ranking entering this PGA Championship. Three PGA Tour wins in 2026 alone: the Zurich Classic, the RBC Heritage, and the Valspar Championship.
Fitz is in scorching form. He won three of his last four PGA Tour starts, including a playoff over Scheffler at the RBC Heritage. He is gaining strokes in all four stroke categories over his last five measured starts. That is a complete game.
Finishing T8 at the 2025 PGA Championship (when this event was held in May) and T4 at Southern Hills in the 2022 PGA Championship, he can certainly be a contender at this major. The tactical, ball-striking-first nature of his game should be rewarded at Aronimink.
Green Flags
- Three PGA Tour wins in 2026. Nobody is in better current form.
- Career-high World No. 3 with rising momentum.
- Already a major champion on a classic Northeast layout (The Country Club, 2022).
- Strokes gained across all four categories. There is no weakness to exploit.
Red Flags
- Driving distance is below the tour average. Aronimink’s longer par 4s could expose that.
- He has never won a major outside of the US Open. PGA Championship setups can be different.
- After three wins in four starts, regression is statistically likely.
Ludvig Åberg
Pre-tournament odds: +2200 to +2500
Career résumé: T2 at the 2024 Masters in his major debut. Won the 2024 Genesis Invitational. Played on the European Ryder Cup team at Marco Simone in 2023. Multiple top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Åberg belongs to the youngest half of this pick, and he’s arguably the best driver of the golf ball in the field. His 2026 has been solid but not spectacular, as he landed multiple top-10 finishes and fell just short at a Signature Event. He is still searching for his first major.
There is genuine long-shot value practically here. He has the swing, the temperament, and the distance necessary to contend at Aronimink. He just has not closed yet.
Green Flags
- Elite driver of the ball. Strokes gained: off the tee is consistently in the top five.
- T2 at the 2024 Masters in his major debut. He is not afraid of the moment.
- Ryder Cup veteran. Pressure golf is not new to him.
- The price gives genuine plus-money value if he plays his ceiling.
Red Flags
- No major win yet. Closing on Sunday at a major is unproven.
- Putting has been the weak link throughout 2026. Aronimink’s slick bentgrass greens are unforgiving.
- Limited PGA Championship reps. Only two appearances on his record.
Tommy Fleetwood
Pre-tournament odds: +2500
Career résumé: Won the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake, his first PGA Tour win in a full-field event. Multiple DP World Tour victories. Strong major pedigree with multiple top-five finishes at the US Open and the Open Championship. Member of the European Ryder Cup team.
Tommy finally got the win monkey off his back at the 2025 FedEx Cup playoffs. Since then, his 2026 has been mixed. He was in contention at the Masters before a fourth-round 76 dropped him down the leaderboard, and he has finished outside the top 20 in his last three starts.
That said, Aronimink is the kind of ball-striker’s course where Fleetwood’s long-iron precision pays off. If the best putter shows up, he is right there.
Green Flags
- Tour Championship winner at East Lake in 2025. He has finally cracked the closing code.
- Elite iron play and tee-to-green numbers. Aronimink rewards exactly that profile.
- Strong major championship track record across multiple top-fives at the US Open and Open Championship.
- Plus-money longshot at +2500 with genuine top-five upside.
Red Flags
- Has never won a PGA Tour event with a field of more than 30 players. East Lake had 30.
- Putting has been the weak point in 2026. Strokes gained: Putting is below your average.
- Recent form is shaky with three straight finishes outside the top 20.
Our Prediction
| Player | Odds | OWGR | Major Wins | Recent Highlight | Pick Tier | Recent Form | Major Pedigree | Course Fit | Betting Value | Win Upside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +400 | #1 | 3 | Defending PGA Champion | Chalk | |||||
| Rory McIlroy | +750 | #2 | 6 | 2026 Masters Champion | Chalk | |||||
| Cameron Young | +1400 | #4 | 0 | 2 wins in 2026 (Players, Cadillac) | Value | |||||
| Xander Schauffele | +1600 | #8 | 2 | T3 at 2018 BMW (Aronimink) | Value | |||||
| Jon Rahm | +1600 | LIV | 2 | LIV standings leader 2026 | Value | |||||
| Bryson DeChambeau | +1500 | LIV | 2 | Last 5 PGAs: T2-2-T4-T38-T4 | Value | |||||
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +2200 | #3 | 1 | 3 wins in last 4 PGA Tour starts | Value | |||||
| Ludvig Åberg | +2200 | #16 | 0 | T2 at 2024 Masters debut | Longshot | |||||
| Tommy Fleetwood | +2500 | #11 | 0 | 2025 Tour Championship winner | Longshot |
Our Advice
Scheffler is the safest outright pick but the worst value of the five if you are taking just one. Best Value Pick to Win: Cameron Young at +1400 Form Playwinner (Archive bet): Matt Fitzpatrick Long Shot: Tommy Fleetwood (+2500)
Scheffler, McIlroy, and Schauffele also stand to offer good implied probability vs a win outright for top 5 finish or top 10 finish bets. Each-way: Cameron Young, Bryson DeChambeau & Tommy Fleetwood
If you’re playing with DFS golf picks on DraftKings or FanDuel, stack one of the favorites and mix them with a few longshots. Pivot ownership where you can. This should hopefully narrow down the player pool, as both Åberg and Fleetwood project as low-owned in GPP lineups, and that is where leverage lives.
Live betting is going to be available the entire week.
See Aronimink on Wednesday: Watch the wind conditions and green firmness reports at Aronimink. The favorites tighten the closer they get to the line if the rough stands up thick and the greens firm. If things keep soft, that gives the longshots even more space to come through.
Whoever hoists the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday, May 17, will walk away a proud second major of 2026 champion, but the field, venue, and storylines all add up to what should be one of the great championships of the year. We will return with daily picks once the top 10 leaderboard for Round 1 is established!
Frequently Asked Qeustions
Who are the best players in the 2026 PGA Championship?
The field of 156 players at Aronimink contains all the best players on the PGA Tour and 11 LIV Golf players. Scottie Scheffler looks to defend his Wanamaker Trophy at the world’s No.
Defending champ Rory McIlroy is going for the calendar Grand Slam. Out of all four majors this year, who do you want to gain a spot in your favs’ section? Rounding out our top 9 are Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, and Tommy Fleetwood.
Who are the favorites to win at Aronimink?
Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite at +350 to +400 across BetMGM, DraftKings Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook. Rory McIlroy follows at +650 to +750 as the only other player with single-digit odds. Cameron Young (+1400), Xander Schauffele (+1600), and Jon Rahm (+1600) headline the next tier. Scheffler’s implied probability sits near 19 percent on Kalshi.
How do I choose a golf betting pick?
Weigh three factors: current form, course fit, and major-championship pedigree. Look at strokes gained tee-to-green, recent PGA Tour finishes, and how each player’s strengths match Aronimink’s par-70 setup. Prioritize ball-striking and bogey avoidance over raw driving distance. Then compare the implied probability of the odds against your expected value before locking in your bet.
What are the best odds for the PGA Championship 2026?
Scottie Scheffler’s +350 price offers the highest implied probability but the lowest plus-money value. The best value sits with Cameron Young (+1400), Matt Fitzpatrick (+2000 to +2500), and Bryson DeChambeau (+1200 to +2000). For genuine longshots, Tommy Fleetwood (+2500) and Ludvig Åberg (+2200) offer real upside. Odds shift after the Truist Championship, so monitor line movement.
Which players have the best course history at Aronimink?
Course history is sparse to say the least because the last time the PGA Championship came to Aronimink was in 1962, when Gary Player hoisted his second Wanamaker Trophy.
The most pertinent piece of data is the T3 from Xander Schauffele (2018 BMW Championship, same course). It was the site of Patrick Reed’s 2010 AT&T National victory. Aronimink Golf Club smacks of a wildfire, and almost all the field arrives without any competitive rounds at Aronimink.
How much should I bet on each golf pick?
Use unit sizing tied to your bankroll. A common approach is 1 to 3 percent of your total bankroll per pick, with smaller stakes on long shots and slightly larger on chalk. Spread your action across one outright winner bet, two top 10 finish bets, and one each-way bet. Avoid chasing a single big payout on volatile golf futures.
What makes a good PGA Championship prediction?
A strong PGA Championship prediction blends recent form, course fit, and major pedigree in roughly equal weight. Use strokes gained data, the DataGolf model, and the current OWGR ranking as inputs. Verify each player is in the field, healthy, and trending upward. Then check the price. Value matters more than picking the eventual winner of the Wanamaker Trophy.
Are there any dark horse contenders to consider?
Beyond our top 9, watch Collin Morikawa, a 2020 PGA champion, finding form, and Justin Rose for veteran consistency. Sepp Straka and Russell Henley both sit inside the world’s top ten and offer plus-money value. J.J. Spaun, the rising 2025 prospect, brings improving strokes and gained numbers. All four make solid sleeper picks for a top 10 finish or a strong DFS pivot.
What is the prize money for winning the 2026 PGA Championship?
The 2025 PGA Championship purse was $19 million, with a winner’s share of $3,420,000. The 2026 figures will be announced the week of the event and are expected to match or exceed 2025. Beyond cash, the Wanamaker Trophy winner earns a five-year PGA Tour exemption, FedEx Cup points, and lifetime invitations to all four majors.
When does the 2026 PGA Championship tee off, and how can I watch?
Practice rounds run Monday, May 11, through Wednesday, May 13. The first championship round begins Thursday, May 14, at Aronimink Golf Club. ESPN and CBS share US broadcast coverage, with Sky Sports carrying the event in the UK. The PGA Championship app streams featured groups and marquee pairings. The final round is Sunday, May 17.
How does Aronimink compare to past PGA Championship venues?
Aronimink plays as a par 70 at roughly 7,300 yards, shorter than Quail Hollow (7,626 yards) but with similarly slick bentgrass greens. The Donald Ross design and 170-plus bunkers reward strategic placement over brute power. Compared to Valhalla, where Schauffele won in 2024, Aronimink demands more precision off the tee and into the greens and less raw length.