2026 PGA Championship: Its Prep Time

Posted on May 11, 2026
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The PGA Championship returns to Aronimink after last hosting a PGA Tour event in 2018 when Keegs outlasted JRose via a playoff. Its last major was the 2020 Women’s PGA.

Last week’s event at Quail Hollow was purely a tune up for the big guns, heading into a much trickier week on a classic design, which we have not seen much of, but its a beauty and a fitting host of the 2nd major of the year, the PGA Championship.

No time for a long preview mail? Just head over to get your PICKS in!

Aronimink will be roaring, hordes of Philadelphia fans will be flooding in, so it should be loud and a cracker of a major!

Reminder of the majorpunter rules, with a no-subs option, but having 6 picks including 2 wildcards. See the RULES on the site, which also include a no-sympathy approach to players withdrawing once the first tee shot has gone off.

We have edited the buckets for this major: 1 from the top 10, 1 from 11 to 30, 2 from 31 to 50 and then 2 from anyone above 50th. Its a much bigger spread so needing a deeper dive!

The Headliners
Scottie, Rory & Cambo are dominating pundits expectations, and either of the 3 could lay claim to being a favourite. They all will be in the mix - with games suited to the major test ahead.

Last week gave the players a nice, easy tune up, with many of the pundits favourites ticking away at top 20s, definitely helped by the no-cut field. Its been a long hard stretch for some of the Pros and it will be interesting to see whether they have enough in the tank for what will be a long, hard week. Some of the youngsters have played every week since the Masters.

The Hov, Tommy, aberg!, Henley, Cant(p)lay, Fowler, Si Woo, Mr Bruns, Bobby Mac, Mac & Knapper - are all in the top 20 and chasing a 1st major. Within the group, there has been a scattering of top 5s in majors and very little competing down the stretch. Yes, some back door top 3s exist or top 10s where they thought they could win, but flattered with 9 to play. But such is the game, that is played mainly between the ears.

The Defending Champ
Scottie ticked off his 1st non-Masters major last year at Quail, before doubling up for 2025 at Royal Portrush. He has been careful with time in 2026 - meaning he could be fresh for a major lean as we head into the summer months.

His game will suit Aronimink and its likely his time off has been spent learning the nuances of the course, just like Rory, who cruised into a top 20 this past week, in his 1st start since Augusta!

The Field
The PGA Championship FIELD is arguably the strongest in the majors based on DATA GOLF RANKINGS and this year is no different.

The last 2 spots went to the Myrtle Beach Classic winner, Sneddo and the Truist Championship winner, but Reitan was already in and thus the 1st alternate Yellamaraju has gotten in, with a few changes still expected on Monday.

The field features 15 PGA Champions, 29 Major Champions and 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals, plus an invite for the unqualified DJ who has flirted with a victory of the Wanamaker a few times before.

For an in-depth analysis of the top candidates, check out GOLF CHANNEL rankings picks.

The Course and Surrounds
Aronimink is a signature design by Donald Ross, redesigned by Gil Hanse in 2018. Its a typical Ross layout - with some of the best bunkering at any major venue.

The re-design brought back many of the original Ross-design features - lost over time. Large, singular sand traps were broken up into 'scatter-shot' clusters, restoring the course's unique, menacing aesthetic from 1928 aerial photos. Bunkers now total 174!

Fairways were significantly widened and trees removed to reintroduce playing angles - with players facing a more difficult approach into the greens for a classic major test!

Putting surfaces were expanded by up to 30 feet in some areas to reclaim original hole locations. These 'wavy' greens, featuring bold spines and ridges, remain the course's primary defense against modern professionals, especially with distance challenges.


Potential Favourites:
Rory
The only man who can win the slam in 2026, its far-fetched, but his major record over 2018 to 2024, without winning, proved he has the stomach and will compete. Then add to that a course with wide landing areas, where his driving dominance will pay dividends. This is a course he will enjoy.
Scottie
The world’s best has been in-hiding in 2026. Surely it’s time to re-ignite his season after his early win and what a better place than a major where his technical iron approaches can come out on top and win him his 5th major!

Cambo
After a dominating victory at Doral, after his earlier win at The Players - there is no doubt that this is the form player of 2026. Looks calm and ready for a 1st major!
Fitzy
2 wins in 2026 and he is somehow not the main man - time to add a 2nd major to his resume? A strategic layout and test is probably exactly the challenge that Fitzy will thrive in.
TommyLad
A nice top 5 in the week leading into the major, played solid all year without clicking into top gear. Time is running out for a breakthrough major win.

The Outsiders:
The list of possible first timers on the major list is long and impossible to ignore these guys - however, the outsiders club, could yield some dividends.
Jordan: Chasing the Grand Slam, been trending upwards, without reaching his zenith. But he knows what it would mean for him, a massive win drought that needs to be turned over and might just happen this week.
Tickie Howler: hard to consider this, but has been trending for a few months and played well last week. Can he compete? Surely not! Or can he?
Si Woo: The man is a birdie machine, goes after every pin and certainly is good enough for 3 rounds. Can the 4th just hold on for a rare Asian men’s major win?

Reminder of the majorpunter rules, with a no-subs option, but having 6 picks including 2 wildcards. See the RULES on the site, which also include a no-sympathy approach to players withdrawing once the first tee shot has gone off.