PGA Championship Storylines Highlight Scheffler, Spieth and Surging Young at Aronimink

The 108th PGA Championship heads to Aronimink Golf Club in the Philadelphia area this week for the first time since Gary Player won in 1962. The PGA Tour's BMW Championship at Aronimink in 2018 offers some familiarity, but the layout still feels fresh for the PGA Championship after recent years.

Players arrive with strong form, setting up potential for a memorable tournament as Thursday's opening round nears.

Scottie Scheffler enters as defending champion after three straight solo runner-up finishes at the Masters, RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship. He skipped last week's Truist Championship, just as he did before winning last year's PGA by five shots. Aronimink lacks the long par-5s of a bomber's course and has large undulating greens that reward Scheffler's iron play. Doubt lingers after three-plus months without a win, but nothing appears wrong with the world No. 1.

Jordan Spieth gets his ninth shot at the PGA Championship to complete the career grand slam and become just the seventh modern-era player to do it. The 32-year-old has six top-25 finishes in 12 starts this season with one missed cut but no top-10s. His driver has shone, though his putter falters. Bentgrass greens here add to the challenge, but Spieth could contend if his game clicks.

Cameron Young has won The Players and the Cadillac Championship with a T-3 at the Masters and three other top-10s in 2026. The New York native heads to a course outside Philadelphia with few weaknesses outside putting. He finished 10th or better in six of his last seven starts and played the final group at the Masters. His form builds perfectly for a first major win.

Matt Fitzpatrick has won three of his five starts since a solo second at The Players, including the Zurich Classic with brother Alex Fitzpatrick. Since his 2022 U.S. Open victory, he has missed contention in 14 majors, but current play changes that. Among the PGA field, he ranks first in strokes gained around the green over his last 20 rounds, 12th in strokes gained approach, sixth tee-to-green and 16th in driving accuracy. Confidence shows on course.

LIV Golf players seek signs of life after a poor Masters. Tyrrell Hatton took T-3, but Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut with 76-74 and Jon Rahm shot 78 to finish T-38. Aronimink may suit their length, though Saudi PIF funding issues could distract.

Rory McIlroy, career grand slam winner with back-to-back Masters titles, has made five PGA Tour starts in 2026. His T-19 at the Truist Championship followed the Masters green jacket. He focuses on majors and could chase a calendar slam with a win here.

The field feels wide open with more than a dozen realistic contenders, but Scheffler, McIlroy, Young and Fitzpatrick stand highest. Emotional picks like Patrick Cantlay tempt, but the top four dominate realistic chances for a strong week.