Robert TheodorsonNext stop on the major championship circuit: we travel to Philadelphia and discuss who are the favorites to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy and capture the second major of the 2026 season!
On May 14 – 17 the second major championship of the season, The 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club will take place and crown a champion after four grueling rounds of competition.
With a field of 156 of the world’s best, few stick out as those who can truly compete for the Wanamaker Trophy. Masters champion Rory McIlroy, World Number One Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth – the man one PGA Championship away from being the next Career Grand Slam champ, and a number of would-be first-time major champions are all vying for one of golf’s biggest prizes and be immortalized in golf history!
Aronimink couldn’t be a more interesting venue for a major championship. The seldom-used course is hosting its first major since Arnold Palmer’s major championship victory sixty-four years ago, and first men’s pro tournament since the 2018 BMW Championship.
The weekend promises to hold plenty of action including surprise contenders, favorites missing the cut, and what is likely to be an incredibly tight couple of days of action where the scoring is likely to be plentiful. Let’s take a look at who we project to be the Top 25 contenders for the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Table of Contents
The 108th PGA Championship: Facts and Stats You Should Know Before Thursday
The Rankings:
20th – 16th – Cannot Be Counted Out
15th – 11th – A Betting Chance
Conclusion
The 108th PGA Championship: Facts and Stats You Should Know Before Thursday
- Nobody has won the PGA Championship in the same season they have won The Masters. The last man to achieve the feat? Jack Nicklaus over 50 years ago during the 1975 season. Can Rory McIlroy be the one who breaks the half-century-long trend?
- Jordan Spieth is the lone member of the field who can complete the Career Grand Slam with a win at Aronimink. Spieth’s last PGA Tour win was four years ago at the 2022 RBC Heritage.
- The last man to win two consecutive PGA Championships was Brooks Koepka (2018 & 2019) who is in the field. Koepka also won the 23’ PGA Championship making him the only player in the field to have won three PGA Championships. Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas each have two apiece.
- Over the past 10 PGA Championships there have been four repeat champions: Koepka (2019 & 2023), Mickelson (2021), and Thomas (2022)
- Aronimink Golf Course has not hosted a major championship since 1962 when Gary Player won the tournament with a four-day score of 2-under par. The prize money for the 62’ PGA Championship? $13,000
- The course previously hosted the Women’s PGA Championship (2020) and BMW Championship (2018) with Keegan Bradley winning the later by a cumulative score of 20-under par.
- The course consists of (4) Par 3s, (12) Par 4s, and (2) Par 5s for a Total Par 70 Course. The course expects to play close to what was laid out for the 2018 BMW Championship when renovations were made prior.
- The PGA Championship’s official site lists 156 active golfers participating in the field.
25th – 21st – The Outsiders
25th
Name: Patrick Cantlay
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Cantlay’s past four finishes are all in the Top 15. Patty Ice’s recent major championship history is VERY shaky, so it’s likely there’s something wrong with his mental game as opposed to his current form, which is top tier. Exiting the prime of his career, Cantlay’s realistic chances at winning his first major are dwindling.
24th
Name: Sepp Straka
Representing Country: Austria
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: T8 and T2 finishes in The Players and Pebble Beach Pro Am, respectively, prove that Straka can hold his own against a strong field. Straka’s last decent major championship season was in 2023 when he finished T7 at The PGA Championship and T2 at The Open, so it’s been a while since the big Austrian has been in any serious conversation to win the big one.
23rd
Name: Jordan Speith
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: The Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), The Open (2017)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: This is the big one for Jordan Spieth.
Though it’s been years since his last win, the sentimental favorite of the tournament will be Spieth who only needs the Wanamaker Trophy to achieve golf’s next Career Grand Slam after Rory McIlroy did so last season.
Important to note that Spieth’s last Top 10 finish in this tournament was from the 2019 season, so it has been a minute since Spieth has been able to truly compete in this particular major, the one he wants more so than anything else.
22nd
Name: Russell Henley
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Henley has held firm to his Top 10 OWGR standing for some time through a number of competitive finishes at big tournaments.
Like Spieth, I don’t consider Henley a prime contender for this PGA Championship, but he is one of the rare golfers on tour that you can count on to have Top 25 finishes in just about every major championship this season.
21st
Name: Rickie Fowler
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: There’s no better time than right now for fan favorite Rickie Fowler to claim his first major championship.
Three straight Top 10 victories have made a believer out of me concerning Rickie’s chances for this particular major. Fowler has seemingly turned back the clock and looks like his old self when he was constantly close to winning majors.
20th – 16th – Cannot Be Counted Out
20th
Name: Harris English
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T2; 6-under par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Last season’s runner-up has had a consistent, but unspectacular 2026. Having missed the cut only once all season (The Players), and placing somewhere between 20th – 30th week in and week out seems to be English’s superpower. Nothing about this season tells me that English should be favored to win a major championship, far from it, but his consistency in placing somewhere in the 20’s should translate into another Top 25 finish at Aronimink.
19th
Name: Keegan Bradley
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2011
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T8; 4-under par
Major Championships Won: PGA Championship (2011)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: The last man to win a significant tournament at Aronimink (The 2018 BMW Championship), Bradley finds himself in the conversation despite what many would consider to be an underwhelming 2026. Following up his wild 2025 which included a win at The Travelers as well as captaining Team USA at the Ryder Cup has been a mixed bag for Bradley. Despite his first and only major championship coming over 15 years ago, Bradley remains competitive in most major championships, especially The PGA Championship.
18th
Name: Tyrrell Hatton
Representing Country: England
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T60; 6-over par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on LIV Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Hatton has had a solid season on LIV with three Top 10 finishes albeit against a relatively weak field. Hatton’s surprise T3 finish at Augusta means his mental game is on point, and the Englishman has been pretty darn good at most recent majors as we saw him emerge as a legit contender at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
17th
Name: Patrick Reed
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: The Masters (2018)
Wins on DP World Tour in 2026: Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Qatar Masters
Analysis and Reasoning: Reed’s T19; 12-under par finish at Aronimink in 2018 gives us a bit of history on how Reed, now with The DP World Tour, might fare at The PGA Championship, a major that he’s only finished in the Top 10 in once (T2 in 2017).
Reed hasn’t played much golf this season, but has been very, very good when he does partake. The Masters is naturally Reed’s favorite major, and the one he clearly favors, but we’re giving him a shot at making a surprise run at Aronimink based on how well he’s playing at 35 years old.
16th
Name: J.J. Spaun
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T37; 1-over par
Major Championships Won: U.S. Open (2025)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: Valero Texas Open
Analysis and Reasoning: Spaun’s 2026 season has been a mixed bag: a bunch of missed cuts before the win in Texas. The reigning U.S. Open winner didn’t fare particularly well at The Masters, but is showing signs of improving as the season moves on. Spaun’s T45; 5-under par finish at The 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink isn’t encouraging, but we recognize that he’s a much-improved player since eight years ago.
15th – 11th – Betting Chance
15th
Name: Viktor Hovland
Representing Country: Norway
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T28; 1-under par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: The golf world is still waiting for Hovland to win his first major, which feels inevitable at this point.
This year though somehow feels different for Hovland. No wins, and no real close shots at winning since a couple of good showings on The DP World Tour last season, Hovland remains in the mix due to how he conducts himself at the majors. I don’t like him as a true contender but won’t be surprised in the least if we see him somewhere near the top of the leaderboard at the end of Thursday or Friday.
14th
Name: Brooks Koepka
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2018, 2019, 2023
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: PGA Championship (2018, 2019, 2023), U.S. Open (2017, 2018)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: It’s almost unfathomable that this could be Brooks’ fourth PGA Championship. Koepka was unable to move out of the reserve spot for The RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship, but was looking good beforehand. Brooks is golf’s equivalent to a playoff performer in other pro sports and figures to be in the conversation as he becomes more and more comfortable being back on The PGA Tour.
It would have been great to see Koepka at The RBC Heritage or Cadillac Championship but we understand the reasoning behind leaving him in reserve status. We acknowledge that this is a ranking based on reputation and past accomplishments more so than any other member of our Top 25.
13th
Name: Chris Gotterup
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: DNP
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: Sony Open, Waste Management Phoenix Open
Analysis and Reasoning: Aronimink will be Gotterup’s second trip to The PGA Championship of his young career. A surprise Top 25 finish at Augusta signals that Gotterup may be more ready to contend for a major championship than we originally thought. The PGA Championship has a tendency to turn into a score fest to a greater degree than the other three majors, so this may indeed be Gotterup’s best chance to win his first one.
We acknowledge the bias of ‘shiny new toy syndrome’ as Gotterup may in fact be this year’s Aberg or Hovland based on their youth and success. What Gotterup does have is two wins on the season already and a form that doesn’t seem like it will drop any for the remainder of the year.
12th
Name: Tommy Fleetwood
Representing Country: England
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T41; 2-over par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Fleetwood’s star has dropped a bit since his PGA Tour Playoffs victory and being crowned the Season 2 Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) champ along with Morikawa, Rose, and Theegala.
Though he remains one of the favorites, Fleetwood is without a doubt one of the most difficult members of the field to predict finishing position.
11th
Name: Si Woo Kim
Representing Country: South Korea
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T8; 4-under par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: I don’t see anyone taking Si Woo as a serious contender for The PGA Championship and that’s a serious oversight of his current form and abilities.
Kim’s 2026 season has consisted of some amazing finishes, including five Top 10 finishes at the beginning of the season and more recently as well. Currently climbing the OWGR to the best ranking of his career, Kim is a dangerous golfer and figures to be a favorite ‘upset’ pick among the field. A win would be surprising based on his history at the major championships, but he did have his best finish ever (T8) at Quail Hollow last season.
Out of my Top 25 who did not make the cut for the Top 10, I feel that along with Gotterup, far too many people are sleeping on Si Woo Kim as a real contender.
The Top 10 – The Favorites
10th
Name: Collin Morikawa
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2020
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T50; 4-over par
Major Championships Won: PGA Championship (2020), The Open (2021)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: Pebble Beach Pro Am
Analysis and Reasoning: Playing through injury, Morikawa overcame the odds and posted fantastic results at The Masters (T7) and RBC Heritage (T4).
In the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, Morikawa should absolutely be considered a threat to win one of the three remaining major championships. Everything seems to be working for the 2020 PGA Championship winner.
If Morikawa was confirmed at 100% he could easily figure into the Top 5.
9th
Name: Ludvig Aberg
Representing Country: Sweden
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Aberg finds himself in a similar situation to Viktor Hovland, and it’s not just because they’re both Scandinavian. Two young stars who seem destined to win a major before they hit 30, Aberg and Hovland have had plenty of chances, but Aberg’s season has been quite different, and far more successful than his counterpart.
A number of Top 5 finishes in recent weeks show Aberg is locked in Thursday-Saturday, but closing tournaments out has always been his weak point.
8th
Name: Justin Rose
Representing Country: England
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: CUT
Major Championships Won: U.S. Open (2013)
Wins on Tour in 2026: Farmers Insurance Open
Analysis and Reasoning: The runner-up to the 2018 BMW Championship, the last big tournament to come out of Aronimink, Rose has also won a tournament there, the 2010 AT&T National (Quicken Loans National) by way of a 10-under final score.
Rose is having a fantastic 2026 and once again came so close to winning that elusive first green jacket, but alas it was not meant to be. At Aronimink, Rose has a chance to bookend his illustrious career with a second major championship while he’s playing some of the best golf of recent memory.
The odd decision to change his clubs mid-season is a head-scratcher for sure. The move has not paid immediate dividends and the jury is still out on just how much the McLarens will affect Rose’s overall game.
7th
Name: Bryson DeChambeau
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T2; 6-under par
Major Championships Won: U.S. Open (2024, 2021)
Wins on LIV Tour in 2026: LIV Singapore, LIV South Africa
Analysis and Reasoning: After posting back-to-back wins right before Augusta, the wheels flew completely off for DeChambeau during the first two rounds of the 91st Masters. The missed cut was followed up by an injury withdrawal at LIV Mexico City.
Often viewed as one of the two LIV golfers who has an actual chance of winning a major this year, it’s important to note that Bryson posted 2nd place finishes at The PGA Championship two years in a row at Valhalla and Quail Hollow. This is absolutely a tournament that DeChambeau has circled on his calendar, and his will to win this one in particular may be greater than most.
Like it or not, nobody will be on camera more than DeChambeau as he’ll be poked and prodded for answers regarding his potential future. Previously, The PGA Tour had opened the door for DeChambeau’s return only for the star to rebuff the league and seek more money from his current employer. With those dreams more or less dead we’ll have to see what both parties can agree to throughout the remainder of the season.
6th
Name: Xander Schauffele
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2024
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T28; 1-under par
Major Championships Won: PGA Championship (2024), The Open (2024)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: Despite a horrific finish at The Truist Championship, X has been on his game all season long and is getting closer and closer to his 2024 championship form. Schauffele’s name hasn’t been mentioned much this season, but that may change at Aronimink.
Despite not winning a tournament thus far into 2026, I have zero issue putting Schauffele so high at sixth overall.
5th
Name: Jon Rahm
Representing Country: Spain
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T8; 4-under par
Major Championships Won: The Masters (2023), U.S. Open (2021)
Wins on LIV Tour in 2026: LIV Hong Kong, LIV Mexico City
Analysis and Reasoning: With LIV’s imminent demise being a real possibility, Rahm has all the motivation in the world to kick it up a notch and earn a new five-year exemption into the major championships. While it’s likely we see Rahm back with The PGA Tour sooner than the majority of his colleagues, nothing at this moment is guaranteed for anyone still with the breakaway league.
Rahm’s form has been solid throughout the season with a slight hiccup at The Masters that had the Spainard settle for T38 as a result of a couple lackluster opening rounds.
I like to think of Rahm as a Scottie-lite version because he’s extremely capable of catching people on Sunday, but will need to pick up his game Thursday-Saturday if he wants to bring home his third major championship.
4th
Name: Cameron Young
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T47; 3-over par
Major Championships Won: N/A
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: The Players, Cadillac Championship
Analysis and Reasoning: Young is my top pick amongst golfers who have not previously won a major championship. Along with Ludvig Aberg, fans get the sense that it’s only a short matter of time before one of these youngsters wins their first major championship and goes on to forge an impressive career with likely more majors to follow.
Young’s win at The Players was easily the biggest of his career. His showing at The Cadillac Championship, and pulling away from all competition with an amazing final score of 19-under par was what pushed Young into my Top 5.
3rd
Name: Rory McIlroy
Representing Country: Northern Ireland
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2012, 2014
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T47; 3-over par
Major Championships Won: The Masters (2025, 2026), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), U.S. Open (2011), The Open (2014)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: N/A
Analysis and Reasoning: The last man to win the Masters and go on to win the next major, The PGA Championship, was Jack Nicklaus in 1975. Important to note that the odds were against McIlroy winning his second consecutive green jacket last month, so it may not be so far-fetched for McIlroy to accomplish Nicklaus’ feat and begin his own record.
We haven’t seen much of McIlroy since Augusta, but nobody should question his decision to sit out a few tournaments after what he pulled off in April. Rory absolutely figures to be one of the clear-cut favourites for what would be his seventh major title.
2nd
Name: Matt Fitzpatrick
Representing Country: England
Previous PGA Championship Champion: N/A
2025 PGA Championship Finish: T8; 4-under par
Major Championships Won: U.S. Open (2022)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic
Analysis and Reasoning: A winner through and through, Fitzpatrick is having the best overall season of his career and figures to be a Top 5 favorite going into the remaining three majors if his play remains at its current level.
Getting his brother Alex into The PGA Tour, and thus into The PGA Championship with their win at the Zurich is one of the best stories in golf all season.
1st
Name: Scottie Scheffler
Representing Country: USA
Previous PGA Championship Champion: 2025
2025 PGA Championship Finish: 1st; 11-under par
Major Championships Won: The Masters (2024, 2022), PGA Championship (2025), The Open (2025)
Wins on PGA Tour in 2026: The American Express
Analysis and Reasoning: Scheffler was not the automatic favorite for this tournament. His consistency the past three tournaments, coming in second place each time, is something we may never see again. While still arguably the best golfer in the world, Scottie is nowhere near as dominant as he was last season, but even with that being the case, it feels foolish to pick against him.
As we’ve seen time and time again, all Scheffler needs to do is keep it relatively close the first three rounds and his unshakable resolve will take over and deliver on Championship Sunday.
Just as Rory McIlroy won two Masters in a row, I like Scottie to take a second consecutive PGA Championship home.
Just Missed the Cut
Alex Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick’s sudden and meteoric rise cannot be ignored. The PGA Tour’s newest member has had an incredible couple of months that make you wonder how he hadn’t arrived sooner.
Hideki Matsuyama – Matsuyama has been all over the place the past couple of months. His game seems rudderless, but based on skill alone, he should easily be able to make the cut and finish somewhere in the Top 40/50.
Justin Thomas – JT’s title defense at Harbour Town was a complete disaster. The recent 13th-place finish at Truist is encouraging and likely means JT has a good chance to make the cut, but I don’t love him for the Top 25.
Min Woo Lee – Min Woo has struggled mightily in major championships. I like him to be a surprise to make the cut and put together a few good days.
Jason Day – Betting against Day to be Top 25 at Augusta was a mistake, but as this point in his career he’s more likely to win The Masters than a second PGA Championship.
Jacob Bridgeman – Bridgeman’s aura has suffered since his T5 at The Players. Whatever Bridgeman was doing early in the season has abruptly stopped.
Gary Woodland – His recent history is up and down since his big win in Houston. Recent history suggests this may be an ‘off’ week.
Robert MacIntyre – MacIntyre’s whole game looks and feels off. Maybe the Scotsman will pull it back together later this season, but in his current form, I believe he finishes just outside the Top 25.
Conclusion
With the last big pro tournament being played eight years ago at Aronimink, it’s a lot more difficult to get a good sense on who the top contenders are purely by experience on this specific course.
World Numbers 1 & 2 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy figure to be automatic Top 5 choices for not only this tournament, but the upcoming U.S. Open and RA Open as well.
There are few golfers in the world that can hold down ‘sure thing’ top spots like Scheffler and McIlroy. Matt Fitzpatrick is having the best overall season of any golfer on The PGA Tour, with Jon Rahm being a close second, though his accolades may be mired by a weaker field. Nonetheless, both men are former major winners and figure to be in the conversation late into Sunday afternoon.
When putting together this list, other than guys like Scottie, Rory, Fitzy, and Rahm – I had to consider who in the world can run up the score on a daily basis. Not only that, but the golfer must also be capable of having two amazing days all while not suffering any over-round pars, which is a huge no-no for The PGA Championship.
The tournament is likely to favor a first-time winner. As noted previously, six out of the past ten PGA Championships have been claimed by first-time champions. Brooks Koepka skews that score a bit, as it’s extremely unusual for one golfer to win a single trophy three times in a decade.
If we play the numbers, the most likely winner is Fitzpatrick or Rahm, but that makes us ignore the aura and sheer dominance of Scottie Scheffler, as well as the steely resolve of McIlroy to win his 7th major.
No matter who ends up winning it all, this is a major championship that is guaranteed to entertain!
