Heading into the PGA Championship, European golf fans will be delighted to have watched Kristoffer Reitan hoist the Truist Championship trophy at Quail Hollow, no less – last year’s venue for this week’s major.
That was the sixth European winner on the PGA Tour this year, and seven if you include both parts of the Fitzpatrick duo that won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Of course, one of those European winners was Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters for the second time in a row at Augusta National in April. He has only played once since then, in the week just gone in Charlotte, where he came tied for 19th.
He is near the top of the betting, but we all know who is at the top of the betting. Scottie Scheffler was last year’s winner and is the favourite to lift the Wanamaker trophy again at Aronimink near Philadelphia.
Aronimink has held one PGA Championship until now. Gary Player won his third major and the third leg of his career grand slam here in 1962.
As I’ve previously alluded to, some of the form players are from Europe, like McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, who won alongside his brother at TPC Louisiana, then also won the Valspar and at Hilton Head.
Without painting the full picture yet, let’s dive into our selections for the 2026 PGA Championship, which is the second major championship of the year on the men’s calendar.
PGA Championship betting 2026
Venue: Aronimink, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, United States
Date: May 14-17
Course stats: 7,394 yards, par 70
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler (-11)
BET HERE on the PGA Championship with Betway
ALSO: PGA Championship field: Who is playing at Aronimink in 2026?
Scottie Scheffler @ 9/2
I backed Scottie Scheffler in 2025, and I am going to back him again this time, so forgive me if I’m a bore. He followed up his win at the Amex at the start of the season with a sleepy period, for his standard, where he came tied for 12th, 24th and 22nd.
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He lost in a playoff at the RBC Heritage to Matt Fitzpatrick, he was a gnat’s whisker away from forcing a playoff with McIlroy at the Masters, and he also came second to Cameron Young at the Cadillac Championship. It was a distant second at the latter, but equally, we could easily be looking at another stretch of multiple wins for the Texan. His prodigious swing and ball-striking are still there, and he is still the best player on the planet.
He is 42nd in strokes gained approaching the green on the PGA Tour, which is a little low given his quality, but he is also ranked top of the greens in regulation department. He is 14th in strokes gained in putting, which is often all you need with Scheffler, given the rest of his game naturally falls into place. 9/2 is short, but fair.
Cameron Young @ 11/1
There is juice in this price. Not that I thought that Young was going to be a single-figure price for this major, as he still needs to get over the line in that regard, but this is a real live contender. He won the Players Championship in mightily impressive fashion, and won the Cadillac Championship by six shots.
He has come of age this season, has Young. Once a man known for being nearly, and a bridesmaid, he has ripped the dress off, and revealed himself as the Hulk. He is second in total strokes gained, sixth in strokes gained off the tee, and he averages 312 yards off the tee. That will do in this day and age, for sure.
He has learned how to win, win well, and beat top players while doing so. In 19 major appearances, he has seven top-10s, and he came tied for third at the 2022 PGA, which was won by Justin Thomas at Southern Hills. He has already come tied for third at the Masters, and his best finish was outright second at The Open at St Andrews in 2022. He has always played big-boy golf in the majors, and now he is going into them in the form of his life.
ALSO: How to qualify for the PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele @ 16/1
The first place to start with Xander Schauffele is his major record: it is stunning. In 35 major appearances, he has won the PGA and The Open and made 16 other top 10s. Players like Rory, Scottie and Brooks Koepka might have the major hauls, but arguably the safest bet at any major is Schauffele, and 16/1 is great value in that sense.
Now, you’d have wanted a better display than tied for 60th out of 72 players at the Truist, but he’s been good in 2026. He came third at Sawgrass, tied for fourth at the Valspar and tied for 12th at the RBC Heritage. This is solid stuff, and this is mirrored in his statistical outlook, too.
He is 15th in total strokes gained and from tee to green. He also squeezes inside the top 20 of strokes gained around the green and approaching the green, too.
Matt Fitzpatrick @ 20/1
Matt Fitzpatrick has won three times in America this year, is a major champion, a Ryder Cup stalwart and is 20/1 to win the PGA Championship. This has to be value, doesn’t it? I wrote before the Masters that I thought Fitzpatrick would win a major this year, as he was showing similar form to when he won the US Open four years ago.
He came second behind Young at Sawgrass, having played fantastically well. He then won on the Copperhead course at the Valspar Championship, and beat the current best player on the planet in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage for the second time in his career. Oh, and he won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his brother Alex.
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His putting is an issue, it must be said. He is 99th in strokes gained in this department, which shows that even if this can improve just a little, he might take some stopping at Aronimink. He is third in total driving, fifth in total strokes gained and fifth in strokes gained approaching the green on the PGA Tour.
ALSO: ‘Shaking, shock and fear’: Scottie describes his surreal morning with the police at the PGA
PGA Championship Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler 9/2
Rory McIlroy 5/1
Cameron Young 11/1
Jon Rahm 14/1
Xander Schuaffele 16/1
Bryson DeChambeau 18/1
Ludvig Aberg 20/1
Matt Fitzpatrick 20/1
Tommy Fleetwood 20/1
Brooks Koepka 33/1
Collin Morikawa 33/1
Justin Rose 33/1
Justin Thomas 33/1
Patrick Cantlay 40/1
Tyrrell Hatton 40/1
Chris Gotterup 50/1
J.J. Spaun 50/1
What do you make of our PGA Championship betting 2026 tips? Would you add any players to our PGA Championship betting 2026 list? Tell NCG on X!
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