Predicting the 2026 PGA Championship winner: Nine players most likely to take it
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The PGA Championship from your grandfather’s era produced winners like Rich Beem, Shaun Michael and the occasional surprise. A championship which was the last on the calendar, it seemed like a championship where the little guy still had a chance as the sun set on the season.
This version of the PGA Championship sounds romantic in theory, but it is now dead in practice.
With May moving on the calendar, the PGA Championship has produced winners who have gone on to win multiple majors. The only recent surprise was Phil Mickelson, and let’s be honest, Lefty doing what he did at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in 2021 was, in a way, classic Phil.
On top of that, these are the world beaters of this generation – Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and, of course, world number 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is the reigning champion at Aronimink Golf Club. Tall, muscular golf courses have seen tall, muscular golfers reign supreme.
The test may be different this week at Aronimink Golf Club, where complex greens serve as the primary defense and Donald Ross hopes from the bottom of his grave that his masterpiece can stand up to the modern game, but the answers will still have to come in the form of precise iron play, hits on and around the greens and with the big club in hand.
So let’s move on to the nine players most likely to pass the test out of the 156 present in the field at the 2026 PGA Championship. Discover the 2026 PGA Championship field, ranked 1-26and preview the scope expert picks and predictions to win the Wanamaker Trophy.
2026 PGA Championship predictions, favorites to win
Odds via PariMGM
Who will win the 2026 PGA Championship and which long shots will surprise the golf world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected standingsall from the model that made it through 17 major golf tournaments heading into the weekend, including the last five Masters, and find out.
