The US PGA Championship 2026

The 2026 PGA Championship shapes up as a classic: a deep, world‑class field heading to a restored Golden Age venue that demands complete control of the golf ball. As the 108th PGA Championship, it will be played May 14–17, 2026 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia.

Aronimink Golf Club takes centre stage for the PGA Championship, the second major of 2026. It’s the first time hosting a men’s tour event since the BMW Championship in 2018, when Keegan Bradley defeated Justin Rose in a playoff, and it’s fully 64 years since it last hosted a major. So there’s precious little course form to go on, added to which there has been some tinkering to the layout since the masses last saw it used for a televised event. A Donald Ross design, it has huge greens and much like Augusta, hitting the right part of them with approaches is likely to be the key to scoring well. Unlike Augusta, however, there is a premium on accuracy off the tee and although the course is pretty long for a par 70, finding the short grass will be important. Despite all this, during the 2018 BMW, it was putting that ultimately contributed a great deal to separating the field, so it’s hard to be dogmatic about which characteristics are going to be most important. So it would seem to make sense to concentrate on those who have all aspects of their game in decent order.

One of the defining features of this season has been the absence of anyone who’s really separated themselves from the rest. Scottie has been playing ok without appearing to be anything like his best (albeit most players would still love to have the string of results he’s put together. Yes, Rory won the Masters again, but rather fell over the line in the end and like Scheffler hasn’t seemed to be at his very best so far in 2026.

Aronimink Golf Club is a Donald Ross design, later sympathetically restored by Gil Hanse, and long regarded as one of America’s great championship tests. It previously hosted the 1962 PGA Championship, the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the 2010 AT&T National, and the 2018 BMW Championship, underlining its pedigree at the highest level.

For 2026, the course will play as a par 70, 7,394 yards, with two par 5s and a heavy diet of demanding par 4s.

Key characteristics:

Narrow, strategic driving corridors: Many par 4s bend subtly and are guarded by Ross’s trademark bunkering, forcing players to choose between aggressive lines and safer, longer approaches.

Complex green complexes: Large, sloping greens with bold contours reward precise distance control and imaginative short‑game play; misses in the wrong spots are severely punished.

Elevation changes: Several holes feature downhill tee shots into uphill approaches (notably the 1st), adding a layer of nuance to club selection and trajectory control.

Aronimink is not a bomb‑and‑gouge layout. While length helps—especially into long par‑4s—this is a course where driving accuracy, long‑iron proficiency, and lag putting are likely to be the key statistical separators.

Field strength and qualification
The field list confirms the typical depth we expect from a PGA Championship. The event will feature:

15 past PGA Champions

29 major champions in total

20 PGA of America professionals, representing the Corebridge Financial Team

A full field of 156 players, with late spots reserved for the Myrtle Beach Classic and Truist Championship winners.

Qualification criteria include:

All past PGA champions

Recent winners of the Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship (2021–2025)

Recent Players champions

Top players from the PGA Championship points list and world ranking, plus invited players (including some LIV players)

This mix ensures a field that is both elite and diverse, with proven major winners, rising international stars, and the traditional contingent of club professionals.

Key players and storylines

Scottie Scheffler defends:

Scheffler arrives as one of the analytical favourites for Aronimink. His ball‑striking profile—elite tee‑to‑green, especially with mid‑ and long‑irons—maps perfectly onto a par‑70 layout with punishing par‑4s and demanding approaches.

As a recent PGA champion and FedExCup force, the narrative around Scheffler will focus on whether he can continue to convert his statistical dominance into major silverware on a course that rewards his strengths.

Rory McIlroy:

Rory McIlroy’s storyline is twofold: his ongoing pursuit of additional majors and the suitability of Aronimink to his game. The course rewards high‑launch, long‑distance driving—a McIlroy hallmark—but also demands discipline off the tee and patience on the greens. If he drives it with his usual freedom while keeping the ball in the right quadrants of Aronimink’s greens, he has the ceiling to separate from the field.

Adam Scott:

Adam has been in good form this season without threatening the win. In playing Aronimink he plays his 100th consecutive major which is some feat. The romantic may well see him take the win.

Jordan Speith:

Another guy who has found some form without scaring the podium. Jordan only needs the PGA to complete his own grand slam, a lovely story but the odds are against him, unfortunately.

Headline Pick:

Cameron Young (7 units win +1550, 7 units top 5 +365)