2026 PGA Championship: Surprising Picks from Model That Nailed 17 Majors

The major golf circuit commenced with an exciting period as Rory McIlroy successfully retained his title at Augusta, securing his second consecutive Masters victory. The upcoming event is the 2026 PGA Championship, scheduled to commence on Thursday, May 14, at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Scottie Scheffler, who recently placed runner-up at both the Masters and the RBC Heritage event, holds the current PGA Championship title, having won by a five-stroke margin at Quail Hollow in the previous year.

FanDuel’s current betting odds for the 2026 PGA Championship designate Scheffler as the leading contender at +480 (a $100 wager yields $480), while McIlroy (+850) and Cameron Young (+1200) are recognized as additional prominent challengers for the early 2026 PGA Championship. Jon Rahm (+1500) and Xander Schauffele (+1600) represent the only other players whose odds are set below +2000.

Prior to finalizing any selections for the 2026 PGA Championship, or formulating any PGA Championship Daily Fantasy Sports choices or One and Done forecasts, it is advisable to consult the 2026 PGA Championship projections and anticipated rankings provided by SportsLine’s established computer algorithm.

The unique algorithm developed by SportsLine, crafted by Daily Fantasy Sports expert Mike McClure, has digitally reproduced each PGA Tour competition 10,000 times and provides golf betting recommendations that have consistently demonstrated significant financial gains.

This identical computational tool has accurately predicted a remarkable 17 major tournaments before the weekend, encompassing the 2026 Masters – marking its fifth consecutive Masters success – in addition to the previous year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Individuals who have adhered to its sports wagering suggestions could have realized substantial profits on betting sites.

With the participant roster for the 2026 PGA Championship now gradually materializing, the simulation mechanism ran the tournament 10,000 times, yielding unexpected outcomes. Navigate to SportsLine immediately to view the predicted rankings, which can assist you with PGA selections, one-and-done competitions, or PGA DFS arrangements.

2026 PGA Championship forecasts

A significant unexpected finding from the model for the 2026 PGA Championship suggests that DeChambeau will only marginally enter the top 10, despite being considered a top contender initially. DeChambeau failed to advance past the cut at the 2026 Masters and subsequently withdrew from LIV Golf Mexico City due to wrist issues in April. While he has achieved three consecutive top-five placements at the PGA Championship, he has also been cut twice and finished beyond the top 30 on two separate occasions at this particular competition. Discover other players to avoid here.

In another unexpected outcome, the simulation indicates a robust performance from Tommy Fleetwood, despite his higher odds of +2500. The victor of the 2025 Tour Championship is still pursuing his inaugural major title. Nevertheless, he has displayed formidable play this season, securing five finishes within the top 10. He was vying for another top-10 position at this year’s Masters until a score of 76 in the final round caused him to descend in the rankings. Fleetwood exhibits impressive statistics from the tee this year, but has encountered difficulties with his putting; thus, an improved performance on the putting surface this weekend could position him as a strong competitor. Find out other players to select here.

Guidance for making 2026 PGA Championship selections

Furthermore, the algorithm is focusing on numerous other dark horses, including one with approximate odds of 60-1 who is predicted to make an astonishing surge for the championship. The model’s specific recommendations are exclusively available here.

Which competitor will claim victory at the 2026 PGA Championship, and which underdogs are poised to astonish the golf community? Review the 2026 PGA Championship betting lines provided underneath, and subsequently proceed to SportsLine to view the anticipated rankings, all derived from the algorithm that has accurately forecast 17 major golf events, including three during 2025.

2026 PGA Championship betting lines, top contenders

Obtain comprehensive 2026 PGA Championship selections, top wagers, and forecasts here.
(betting values sourced from FanDuel and are subject to alteration)

Scottie Scheffler +480
Rory McIlroy +850
Cameron Young +1200
Jon Rahm +1500
Xander Schauffele +1600
Ludvig Åberg +1800
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Bryson DeChambeau +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2700
Collin Morikawa +4000
Patrick Cantlay +4000
Brooks Koepka +4000
Min Woo Lee +4500
Justin Thomas +4500
Nicolai Højgaard +5000
Justin Rose +5500
Russell Henley +5500
Tyrrell Hatton +5500
Adam Scott +6000
Viktor Hovland +6000
Si Woo Kim +6000
Sam Burns +6000
Chris Gotterup +6000
Rickie Fowler +6000
J.J. Spaun +6000
Patrick Reed +6500
Robert MacIntyre +6500
Kurt Kitayama +7000
Maverick McNealy +7000
Jordan Spieth +8000
Shane Lowry +8000
Sepp Straka +8000
Joaquin Niemann +10000
Hideki Matsuyama +10000
Kristoffer Reitan +10000
Harris English +10000
Akshay Bhatia +10000
Gary Woodland +10000
Ben Griffin +10000
David Puig +10000
Thomas Detry +10000
Alex Fitzpatrick +10000
Keegan Bradley +10000
Jacob Bridgeman +10000
Alex Noren +12500
Jason Day +12500
Alex Smalley +12500
Harry Hall +12500
Matt McCarty +15000
Sungjae Im +15000
Corey Conners +15000
Sahith Theegala +17500
Pierceson Coody +17500
Michael Thorbjornsen +17500
Aaron Rai +17500
Nick Taylor +17500
Wyndham Clark +17500
Rasmus Højgaard +17500
Brian Harman +17500
Ryan Gerard +22500
Samuel Stevens +22500
Keith Mitchell +22500
Marco Penge +22500
Daniel Berger +22500
Sudarshan Yellamaraju +22500
Taylor Pendrith +25000
Tom McKibbin +25000
Ryan Fox +25000
Jordan Smith +25000
Michael Brennan +25000
Ryo Hisatsune +25000
Angel Ayora +25000
Max Homa +25000
Bud Cauley +25000
J.T. Poston +25000
Jayden Schaper +35000
Haotong Li +35000
Daniel Hillier +35000
Dustin Johnson +35000
Aldrich Potgieter +35000
Ricky Castillo +35000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +35000
Andrew Novak +35000
Max Greyserman +35000
Michael Kim +35000
Matt Wallace +35000
Cameron Smith +35000
Nico Echavarria +35000
Andrew Putnam +50000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +50000
Bernd Wiesberger +50000
Denny McCarthy +50000
Stephan Jaeger +50000
Richard Hoey +50000
Lucas Glover +50000
Stewart Cink +50000
Billy Horschel +50000
Patrick Rodgers +50000
Max McGreevy +50000
Ian Holt +50000
Austin Smotherman +50000
Mikael Lindberg +50000
Sami Valimaki +75000
Chris Kirk +75000
Johnny Keefer +75000
Casey Jarvis +75000
Steven Fisk +75000
John Parry +75000
Matti Schmid +75000
Garrick Higgo +75000
Jimmy Walker +100000
Braden Shattuck +100000
Bryce Fisher +100000
Jhonattan Vegas +100000
Michael Block +100000
Y.E. Yang +100000
Luke Donald +100000
Ben Kern +100000
Elvis Smylie +100000
Timothy Wiseman +100000
Jared Jones +100000
Paul McClure +100000
Derek Berg +100000
Garrett Sapp +100000
Ryan Vermeer +100000
Dan Brown +100000
Adam Schenk +100000
Francisco Bidé +100000
Austin Hurt +100000
Padraig Harrington +100000
Adrien Saddier +100000
Emiliano Grillo +100000
Martin Kaymer +100000
Kota Kaneko +100000
Ben Polland +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Shaun Micheel +100000
Jason Dufner +100000
Jordan Gumberg +100000
David Lipsky +100000
William Mouw +100000
Michael Kartrude +100000
Joe Highsmith +100000
Mark Geddes +100000
Davis Riley +100000
Tyler Collet +100000
Chris Gabriele +100000
Andy Sullivan +100000
Zach Haynes +100000
Travis Smyth +100000
Ryan Lenahan +100000
Kazuki Higa +100000
Chandler Blanchet +100000
Jesse Droemer +100000
Brandt Snedeker +100000