The first round of the 2026 PGA Championship begins on Thursday, May 14 at Aronimink Golf Cub in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and a familiar name is atop the oddsboard.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the +400 favorite to win the tournament, followed by Rory McIlroy at +750. They are the only two players with single-digit odds. McIlroy won the first major of the year back in April, defending his crown with a one-shot win over Scheffler at the Masters.
Scheffler has been the favorite or co-favorite in every major since The Open in 2022, when McIlroy was a 10-1 favorite and Scheffler had 18-1 odds.
It’s no surprise that the betting public is backing Scheffler as well, as he has the most wagers (13.7%) and total dollars wagered (18.6%) of any golfer in the field at BetMGM.
Cameron Young (14-1), two-time major winner Jon Rahm (16-1) and Xander Schauffele (16-1) have the next-best odds, followed by Bryson DeChambeau (20-1) and Ludvig Åberg (22-1).
Young has two wins on tour this season — at The Players Championship in March and the Cadillac Championship last week — and five top-10 finishes in nine starts this season. Young is the biggest liability to win the PGA championship at BetMGM sportsbooks, followed by Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka.
Rahm’s only start this season came at the Masters, and he finished tied for 38th.
Other notable players’ odds include Justin Thomas (50-1), Jordan Spieth (55-1), Patrick Reed (66-1), Dustin Johnson (125-1) and Max Homa (125-1).
Phil Mickelson, who won the 2021 PGA Championship at pre-tournament odds of 250-1, announced this week that he won’t be playing in the tournament due to a “personal health matter.”
