NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have combined to win four of the last six major championships, McIlroy the last two Masters and Scheffler the 2025 PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
The top two golfers in the world have won 10 majors between them. McIlroy’s six are more than any golfer in the 2026 PGA Championship field and only Brooks Koepka, with five, has more than Scheffler’s four.
No wonder Scheffler and McIlroy are always at the top when it comes to the favorites at a major championship. Both have been in the top 3 in the world rankings for the last four years.
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Scheffler and McIlroy will be pushed. When the 108th PGA Championship starts May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club, here are five who should be at the top of the list. And another five who are lurking.
Scottie Scheffler
The defending PGA champion and world No. 1 is the betting favorite at +450, according to BetMGM. Scheffler, looking for his fifth major championship, finished second in three consecutive tournaments — Masters, RBC Heritage, Cadillac Championship — then took off the week before the PGA. He has nine starts this year with one win (American Express) and six top 10s.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy is at the stage in his career where he prioritized preparing for majors. The Northern Irishman won his second Masters, and sixth major, in April. After taking three weeks off, he tuned up for the PGA with a T19 at the Truist Championship, including a 75 in the third round. He is at +800.
Cameron Young
Young has two wins this year, The Players and Cadillac Championship, a signature event. He destroyed the field at the Cadillac, going wire-to-wire and winning by six strokes. Young is in the top six in several categories this season, including strokes gained total, tee-to-green and off-the-tee. At +1100, Young is looking for his first major championship.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka is a longshot (+4500), but if you have to pick one, why not the guy who has won this tournament more than any golfer in the field. Koepka continues to round himself back into PGA Tour form after leaving LIV Golf. He tied for 11th in his PGA tune-up at Myrtle Beach, an opposite field event. He is a five-time major champion, including three PGA Championships.
Ludvig Aberg
The young Swede has been playing lights out for two months, including five top 10 finishes in his last six events. He was T8 at Truist. Aberg has experience on the big stage, having played in two Ryder Cups. He was T21 at the Masters and has two Masters top 10s. He also has missed the cut in his only two PGA Championships. Aberg has two Tour wins and 23 top 10s. He is at +2200 to win.
Keep an eye on these golfers …
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200): Fitzpatrick had his worst tournament in more than three months at the Truist (T52), but you can’t ignore those three-time PGA Tour titles this year for the Englishman.
Bryson DeChambeau (+1200): Since missing the cut at the Masters, DeChambeau was third in a LIV Golf event, behind two golfers who were outside the top 100. Hey, he always has his YouTube channel.
Jon Rahm (+1600): Like DeChambeau, Rahm has the impending demise of LIV Golf as a distraction. The Spaniard opened the Masters with a 78, snuck into the weekend and finished T38, his worst major in two years.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2200): Looking for his first major, the Englishman is having a solid year that includes a T5 at the Truist Championship. He was T33 at the Masters, falling with a 76 in the final round.
Xander Schauffele (+1800): Felt better about Schauffele’s chances before a T60 at Truist, but can’t ignore his top 10s at Players, Valspar and Masters and T12 at RBC.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PGA Championship predictions: 5 contenders, 5 more to watch in Philly
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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