NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The PGA Championship of your granddaddy’s days produced winners like Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel and an every-so-often surprise. A championship that was last on the calendar, it felt like one where the little guy still had a shot as the sun was setting on the season.
That version of the PGA Championship sounds romantic in theory, but it is now dead in practice.
With the move to May on the calendar, the PGA Championship has produced winners who have gone on to claim multiple majors. The only recent surprise has been Phil Mickelson, and let’s be honest, Lefty doing what he did at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in 2021 was, sort of, classic Phil.
Besides that, it has been the world beaters of this generation — Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and, of course, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who serves as the reigning champion at Aronimink Golf Club. Big and brawny golf courses have seen big and brawny golfers reign supreme.
The test may be different this week at Aronimink Golf Club, where the green complexes serve as the main defense and Donald Ross hopes from the grave that his masterpiece can withstand the modern game, but the answers will still need to be offered up in the form of precision iron play, touch on and around the greens and with the big stick in hand.
So, let’s get into the nine players that are most likely to ace the test out of the 156 in the field at the 2026 PGA Championship. Check out the 2026 PGA Championship field, ranked from 1-26, and preview the staff’s expert picks and predictions to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
2026 PGA Championship predictions, favorites to win
Odds via BetMGM
Who will win the 2026 PGA Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 17 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past five Masters, and find out.
