Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, May 14, 2026, 07:12 (EDT)
Scottie Scheffler teed off Thursday to defend his title at the 108th PGA Championship, coming in as the market’s clear pick. Jordan Spieth showed up at Aronimink Golf Club still chasing that elusive career Grand Slam — he needs just this major to complete the set. The tournament unfolds on a newly restored Donald Ross design just outside Philadelphia, where form, nerves, and a bit of history are all on the line.
Tight window here. The season’s second men’s major tees off with 156 in the field—just 70 plus ties advance after 36. Scheffler’s chasing a rare repeat, something not done since Brooks Koepka pulled it off in 2019.
Bookmakers have already honed in on the top names. ESPN pegged Scheffler at +385, his lowest pre-PGA Championship line yet and the 14th straight major where he’s held at least a share of favorite status, according to SportsOddsHistory. Rory McIlroy was next at +900. Behind them: Jon Rahm, Cameron Young, Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Fitzpatrick rounded out the lead group of contenders.
Spieth’s story doesn’t line up so neatly. Three majors are in his pocket, but the PGA Championship keeps slipping away—this week marks try number ten for the career slam. At Aronimink, he called it “always highlighted,” then tossed out that the “easiest way to win it” is “to not try to,” a tidy bit of Spieth logic. His best moments often feel off-the-cuff, even if they’re not. PGA Championship
The results are there, just not quite enough to silence skepticism. Spieth hasn’t cracked the PGA Tour top 10 this year. Still, a T12 at the Masters and a T18 at the Cadillac Championship suggest he’s not far off. “My game has been getting better and better,” he told reporters. He added it was “plenty good” to be in the mix. Reuters
Chris Wood, a Sky Sports pundit, didn’t mince words about both the appeal and the uncertainty. According to Wood, Spieth isn’t “trending,” though he finds him entertaining and admits he’d like to watch Spieth pull off the Grand Slam. Still, Wood made no promises—the way the PGA is set up, it may not suit Spieth unless his putter suddenly catches fire. Sky Sports
Aronimink doesn’t reveal its secrets easily. According to Reuters, the course now stretches to 7,394 yards, still playing as a par 70, after a 114-yard extension since Keegan Bradley’s win at the 2018 BMW Championship. Donald Ross first laid it out in 1926. The PGA Championship hasn’t come to this club since Gary Player captured the title back in 1962.
Spieth emphasized the importance of hitting fairways and dialing in approach distances, noting the greens are tricky with “a lot of pitch.” He summed things up more bluntly: “Driver has to be a weapon in the PGA Championship.” PGA Championship
You don’t need a flowchart for Scheffler. He rolled to a five-shot win at Quail Hollow last year and headed to Aronimink following three consecutive runner-up finishes—Masters included. Since 2022, his majors performance stands out: Sky pegged his cumulative score to par at 30 shots clear of the next-best player.
McIlroy shakes up the board. Wayne “Radar” Riley told Sky McIlroy’s got a real soft spot for Aronimink and “will be very hard to beat.” ESPN, though, pointed out his odds widened after not playing much, toe still bothering him. Cameron Young’s a different story—he’s now solidly in the big-league mix after grabbing The Players and Cadillac Championship this season, and his odds have come in fast. Sky Sports
There’s genuine risk for BetMGM with Spieth, despite his form not exactly lighting up the leaderboards lately. Matt Wall, a senior trader at the book, described Spieth as their top liability — meaning they’re exposed if the ex-world No. 1 manages to complete the Slam, thanks to a wave of bets backing him to do it.
The flip side’s just as clear. Aronimink’s tough greens and narrow targets could expose Spieth when he gets erratic; McIlroy’s still dealing with that toe blister, and Rahm and DeChambeau have lost ground in the odds. Rob Lee, talking to Sky, pointed out Patrick Cantlay “has quietly got game again.” Rich Beem, for his part, wouldn’t blink if the Sunday board showed “a bunch of different flags” besides just Americans. Sky Sports
