Golf’s second major has arrived, with the 2026 PGA Championship beginning May 14. Aronimink Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia will host the tournament, which is universally viewed as the least prestigious of the four majors. But it’s still a major event nonetheless.
Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, while Rory McIlroy is coming off back-to-back green jackets. Those two are also part of some of the most intriguing storylines entering the PGA Championship 2026, but the course itself tees off the top things to know about this major championship.
Aronimink—An Unknown to Many
Aronimink Golf Club has hosted just one PGA Tour event over the past 15 years, back in 2018. Thus, many of the younger or newer players on tour have never competed at the course, including Scheffler, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Ludvig Aberg. On the other hand, several old-timers may have three starts at Aronimink under their belts, as the course hosted tour events not only in 2018, but also in 2010–2011.
Justin Rose sticks out as someone likely thrilled that the 2026 PGA Championship is at Aronimink, considering his success there. He has a victory and a runner-up across three starts at the course, and the Englishman’s lone major victory (2013 U.S. Open) came just six miles east of Aronimink at Merion Golf Club.
Back-to-Back for Rory Mac?
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 51 years since any golfer won both the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year, courtesy of Jack Nicklaus in 1975. Rory McIlroy can end that drought with a triumph this week, after he won his second green jacket last week at Augusta.
McIlroy, of course, also had this opportunity last year but finished just 47th in the 2025 PGA Championship. He’ll be hoping rust doesn’t get the best of him, as the Irishman has played just two events over the last eight weeks—the Masters win and a 19th-place at the Truist Championship.
Koepka Hoping for 4 of a Kind
While McIlroy is already a two-time PGA champion, Brooks Koepka has claimed the major three times. That currently has him in elite company but a fourth win would move him to a group of four. Only Nicklaus (five), Walter Hagen (five), and Tiger Woods (four) have at least four PGA Championship victories.
Recent history, though, suggests Koepka won’t come anywhere near joining that club. Since winning his last major at the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka has finished outside the top 10 in all 11 of his major starts since. That includes three missed cuts out of his last five majors, and Koepka has just one top 10 over his nine tournaments this year since rejoining the PGA Tour.
10th Time the Charm?
At the 2017 PGA Championship, Jordan Spieth had his first opportunity to clinch the career Grand Slam with a win. He has faced that same chance every year since, but has yet to make his mark.
At the 2026 PGA Championship, Spieth once again has the opportunity to join golf’s most exclusive club—now his 10th attempt to win the only major missing from his résumé.
However, the former prodigy will need a major step forward. He hasn’t won a major since capturing his third leg at the 2017 British Open, and victories of any kind have been scarce: just two PGA Tour wins (2021 and 2022) in the nine years since. His recent major form has been particularly quiet, with no top 25s over his last six PGA Championship appearances and no top 10s over his last dozen major starts.
First-Time Major Winner
The phrase “best golfer without a major” is sort of a back-handed compliment to those often included in that discussion. The likes of Victor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, and Ludvig Aberg are often bantered about in regard to having this title. However, a somewhat newer name has emerged this year—the name of Cameron Young.
Over his last seven events, Young had two victories, another pair of top 3 finishes, and another pair of top 10s. Young has found his name in contention to win a major as he has seven top 10s over the last five years, which is the fifth-most of any player.
However, the four above him all have won majors over this span, as they’ve combined for nine major victories. Young certainly has the look of a future major winner, but will it come on Sunday?
The Block is Back
The PGA Championship is the only of the four majors that invites semi-pro golfers, known as club professionals, into its field. Three years ago, one of those club pros, Michael Block, experienced his 15 minutes of fame by not only qualifying for the major but also sinking a hole-in-one and placing 15th at the event, which is the second-best finish by a club professional over the last 50 years.
Expect to see tons of replays of that hole-in-one as Block is back for his fifth straight PGA Championship appearance. Outside of 2023, he’s failed to make the cut in any of the other showings, but he’s as big of a cult hero in the golfing world as there is.
Block is one of 20 golf professionals in this year’s field, so there’s a chance any of the other 19 could emerge as this year’s Michael Block.
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