Scheffler feels overdue, Spieth eyes the slam and Cam Young's major moment top PGA Championship storylines
It's easier to complain during the buildup of a PGA Championship than any of the other three major championships in golf, but it may not be the case this time around.
This week's 108th PGA Championship returns to Aronimink Golf Club in the Philadelphia area for the first time since Gary Player took the title in 1962. We're somewhat familiar with the course thanks to the PGA Tour hosting the BMW Championship at Aronimink in 2018, but it still feels fresh and new for the most part, something the PGA Championship has desperately needed in recent years.
A "new" golf course with the games of some of the best players in the world very much trending heading into the week, and the 2026 PGA Championship could turn out to be one to remember. We'll set the table with some of the biggest storylines as Thursday's opening round approaches.
The overall sense of doubt surrounding Scottie Scheffler and his game heading into Aronimink isn't nearly what it was prior to the Masters in April, but that doesn't mean it's entirely gone.
The entire golf world became so numb to Scheffler winning, now that he's gone three-plus months without finding the winner's circle, the natural question to ask is what's wrong with him? The answer to that question is nothing, and that winning golf tournaments, even as the No. 1-ranked player in the world, is really difficult.
Scheffler enters this week as the defending champion and off of three consecutive solo runner-up finishes at the Masters, RBC Heritage and the Cadillac Championship. He opted to pass on teeing it up in last week's Truist Championship, which is the same strategy he took prior to last year's PGA Championship, a tournament he ultimately won by five shots.
With Aronimink not fitting the typical mold of a 'bomber's paradise' and featuring huge, undulating greens that demand distance control with the irons (Scheffler's strong suit), this week certainly feels like his best opportunity to win major No. 5 relative to the other two majors still to come on the calendar.
Just as Rory McIlroy's hunt for a green jacket to complete the career grand slam dominated Masters storylines until he found it in 2025, Spieth looking to get his hands on the Wanamaker Trophy to conquer the same feat, will be a lead talking point as long as he's in the field and Father Time isn't a main character.
This week will mark the 32-year-old's ninth attempt at winning the PGA Championship to complete the slam, which would make him just the seventh player of the modern era to do so. The feeling of Spieth possibly winning this major, or any of the other three for that matter, is complicated. It feels distant, but not entirely impossible, all while not feeling all that close, either.
Spieth has had six top-25 finishes in his 12 starts this season, and missed only one cut, but hasn't picked up a top-10 finish along the way. Interestingly enough, the driver has arguably been his best friend in 2026, while his putter has been as inconsistent as possible.
If, and it's a huge if, Spieth can get every aspect of his game clicking at even just a slightly above-average rate, he can find the winner's circle again. That happening this week at the PGA Championship, one being contested on bentgrass greens on top of that, feels more unlikely than likely.
A win at The Players, a T-3 at the Masters, another win at the Cadillac Championship, on top of another three top-10 finishes. Cam Young has been a force in 2026, and now you put the New York native and his red-hot game on a course outside of Philadelphia, and you have the makings for an ideal setup for Young to win his first major championship.
Next month's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in his home state is likely a better setup, but that's a story for another day; this is PGA Championship week.
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Outside of a poor round here and there with the flatstick, Young hasn't shown a weakness in his game, finishing 10th or better in six of his last seven starts. His experience of playing in the final group on Masters Sunday will only pay dividends as well.
You couldn't build a better buildup to a maiden major championship victory than the one Young has put together heading into Aronimink. Some may see that as a sign of things being too good to be true, while others will be stunned if he isn't firmly in the mix down the stretch on Sunday.
Since winning the 2022 U.S. Open, Matt Fitzpatrick hasn't managed to play his way into serious contention in any of the 14 major championship starts that have followed. With the form he's carrying into this week's action, however, that trend may come to a life-changing halt.
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After his solo second at The Players, Fitz has stepped into the winner's circle three times in his five starts since. One of those wins was the Zurich Classic when he teamed up with his brother, Alex Fitzpatrick, but three wins in five starts prove he's playing at an absurdly high level.
Over his last 20 rounds, Fitz ranks,among the PGA Championship field: first in strokes gained around the green, 12th in strokes gained approach, sixth in strokes gained tee to green and 16th in driving accuracy.
On top of putting up phenomenal numbers, he's found a noticeable confidence and swagger inside the ropes, which is easier said than done for a player wearing Skechers.
Aside from Tyrrell Hatton finishing T-3, the Masters was a disaster for LIV Golf as a whole.
Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut after rounds of 76-74, while Jon Rahm was never a factor after firing an opening round of 78 before finishing T-38.
As far as this week at Aronimink goes, I think things can go one of two ways for the LIV players in the field: one of the high-end players truly mixes on Sunday, or the distractions of the Saudi PIF pulling LIV's funding prove to be a legitimate issue, and nobody shows any form at all.
With talks of this week's course setup being a place where the longer hitters in the field don't have to necessarily emphasize accuracy, it should set up well for both DeChambeau and Rahm. Your guess is as good as anyone else's as to what we see out of the LIV players this week.
Career grand slam winner, back-to-back Masters victories, and just five starts on the PGA Tour so far in 2026. Rory McIlroy hasn't exactly been shy in sending a message about where his career morals lie at this point, and they appear to be strictly on the major championships.
Last week's Truist Championship was his first start since putting on the green jacket in early April, and while his short game was well below his standards, he still managed a T-19 finish, essentially going through the motions.
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McIlroy may have found the sweet spot in terms of confidence, preparation, and just overall mindset to build a formula to play his way into the final groups of major Sundays and get legitimate swings in adding another to his resume.
A win at Aronimink this week to actually jumpstart the conversation of the calendar slam would, at the very least, be fun.
We do this for most major championships because it's what we want, but it's hardly ever true, and that is that we talk ourselves into things being wide open and that more than a dozen or so guys can actually win the tournament.
In reality, four players in this field are on a much higher pedestal than anyone else entering the week: Scheffler, McIlroy, Young and Fitzpatrick. If we were smart, any picks and wagers would heavily revolve around these four names and these four names over, but we're emotional beings and make dumb decisions sometimes.
My brain, for example, has already come up with the idea that Patrick Cantlay has a very real shot at winning this weekend at Aronimink.
We are in store for a great week, I'm almost sure of it, but the final few holes may be some version of the inevitable outcome we may not have hoped for.