The second major of the season gets underway at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania on Thursday, and as usual, there are several interesting storylines heading into the 108th PGA Championship.
Aronimink last hosted a PGA Championship in 1962, when Gary Player won by one stroke. 64 years later, it returns, more dangerous than ever.
Gil Hanse’s decade-long restoration of the Ross layout has transformed the course. The bunker count has risen from 74 to 176.
The fairways have been narrowed to around 32 yards at the landing zones, the rough grown out to close to four inches, and new tee boxes have added over 100 yards to the overall layout.
The course plays as a par 70 at 7,394 yards, with four par threes, two par fives and twelve par fours that form the central test of the week. The greens are large on average but brutally contoured, with Ross’s turtleback profiles creating steep fall-offs on every side. Players who miss greens on the wrong side will be scrambling from impossible angles.
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The favourite: Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler heads to Pennsylvania as the clear favourite. The world number one is the defending champion, having won last year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow by five strokes.
He leads the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained total, scoring average and birdie average. He has finished second in three straight tournaments.
Scheffler has been relentlessly brilliant and has not won since February. But on a course that rewards iron play and scrambling – two areas in which Scheffler ranks among the best in the world – he is the player to beat.
Rory McIlroy chasing history
Rory McIlroy arrives in the form of a man who has finally found the peace he spent years looking for. His second Masters title in April, sealed just a month ago, was the 26th major of his career.
Now he is targeting something that has not been done since Jack Nicklaus in 1975 – winning the Masters and PGA Championship in the same calendar year.
McIlroy is a two-time PGA Championship winner, most recently at Valhalla in 2014, and while his major record since that win has been a source of enormous public discussion, he silenced most of it with his performance at Augusta.
He has made only six starts this season. He is fresh, motivated and playing the best golf of his life. If Aronimink rewards control, creativity and iron play, it is hard to think of a better match for his game.
The challengers: Young, Rahm and Schauffele
Cameron Young has been the quiet revelation of the season. Three wins since August, including a wire-to-wire six-stroke win at the Cadillac Championship and a Players Championship title in March, have carried him to enormous momentum.
He cannot win a major on reputation – he does not have one yet – but he is a genuine contender.
Jon Rahm may also be up there after what has been a complicated week for the Spaniard. He confirmed earlier in the week that he is unable to exit his LIV Golf contract unless the circuit folds – and with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announcing on April 30 that it will not fund LIV beyond this season, his future is uncertain.
He has won four times in the LIV League this season but his last PGA Championship challenge ended in a back-nine collapse.
Xander Schauffele deserves some consideration as well. The 2024 PGA Championship winner has played some of his best golf in recent months, has climbed back into the world top 10, and significantly has a strong record at Donald Ross designs.
He tied for third in the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink itself. Scrambling ranks third on tour in his profile – the skill the course will demand most.
Fleetwood one to watch
Tommy Fleetwood represents one of the more compelling propositions in the field. The FedEx Cup champion has five top-10 finishes this season and his ball-striking off the tee is among the best in the game.
The weakness that has cost him – his putting – will still need to improve, but Aronimink’s greens are a different proposition to most.
Matt Fitzpatrick on form
Matt Fitzpatrick is quietly having the season of his life. Three wins on tour – the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic alongside his brother Alex – have lifted him to fourth in the world rankings.
He is a past major winner with the 2022 US Open at Brookline. More relevantly, he is a precise iron player with a sophisticated short game, exactly the profile Aronimink will reward.
When is the 2026 PGA Championship?
The 108th PGA Championship starts on Thursday, May 14 and concludes on Sunday, May 17. Practice rounds are taking place at Aronimink Golf Club from Monday, May 11, with the competitive action running across four days.
Where to watch the PGA Championship
Coverage of the PGA Championship is available on Sky Sports Golf, which will carry live action across all four rounds throughout the week. Sky Sports will begin its coverage from the early afternoon on Thursday and Friday, with coverage running into the evening as the field completes their rounds given the time difference between the UK and the East Coast of the United States.
For those without a Sky Sports subscription, NOW TV offers day passes and monthly passes that include access to the Sky Sports Golf channel.
Highlights packages will also be available on the Sky Sports website and app throughout the week for those unable to catch the live coverage.
101GreatGoals prediction: Scottie Scheffler
The case for the world number one is strong, and Scheffler is the favourite. Even with McIlroy chasing history, and some other strong contenders in the field, this course and moment feel suited to Scheffler, particularly after his strong weekend showing at the Masters.
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