PGA Championship 2026 Betting Guide: Odds, Course Fit, and the Best Value Plays at Aronimink

The PGA Championship kicks off Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and if you’ve been watching golf this year, you already know how this story goes. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite, the field is loaded, and the golf world is about to spend four days watching the planet’s best players try to navigate one of Donald Ross’s most demanding masterpieces. Whether you’re tuned in for the sport, the spectacle, or the action you’ve got riding on it, the 108th PGA Championship has all the ingredients for a memorable week.

What Makes Aronimink So Tricky

Aronimink last hosted a men’s major in 1962, when Gary Player won the PGA Championship at two-under par on the par-70 layout. That score tells you everything. This is not a course that rewards mindless power. Donald Ross designed the original layout in 1928, and a major restoration led by Gil Hanse — completed in 2016-17 — brought it back to its roots in dramatic fashion. The bunker count went from 74 to 174. The greens were expanded and contoured to their original shapes, which Ross himself called his masterpiece.

For tournament week, the course plays at 7,394 yards, par 70. The par 4s are the story. On the back nine, they average 464 yards, a full two clubs longer than the front nine average. The greens are enormous — averaging 8,100 square feet — and feature the signature Donald Ross turtleback contours that make two-putts from the wrong section feel like a genuine accomplishment. Scrambling ability and course management off the tee will separate the winners from the also-rans this week. The player who can stuff approaches into the correct section of these greens, avoid the wrong side of the pin, and handle the stress of the closing holes — particularly the brutal par-4 18th at 490 yards uphill — will hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

The Favorites and How to Bet Them

Scottie Scheffler opens as the clear betting favorite at around +480 on FanDuel Sportsbook and +400 on DraftKings Sportsbook. He is the defending PGA Championship champion, the world number one, and one of the best iron players alive. Aronimink’s premium on precision off the tee and into these contoured greens fits his game profile almost perfectly. The knock on Scheffler is always that his odds don’t offer great value — you’re laying a big price on a player who wins major championships roughly 20 percent of the time, according to implied probability. That’s genuinely elite, but it does mean you need a significant return to justify the risk when he comes in under +500.

Rory McIlroy sits second at approximately +850, fresh off his Masters victory and carrying two PGA Championship titles already. He has proven he can win on difficult, demanding courses, and his iron play is back to its best. At his price, McIlroy represents decent value for a proven major champion in form.

Value Picks Worth a Look

The interesting money this week is further down the board, where course fit and current form can unlock real value at longer odds. Here are three names worth considering.

Xander Schauffele won the PGA Championship right here at Valhalla in 2024 and arrives at Aronimink listed around +1400 on DraftKings. Schauffele’s ballstriking is consistently elite — he ranks among the tour’s best in approach play and is an excellent putter under pressure. Aronimink rewards exactly those skills. The price feels a touch long for a player of his caliber and recent major pedigree.

Collin Morikawa is listed in the +2200 range. Morikawa is one of the straightest drivers on tour and an elite iron player, which should translate well to a course where placing the ball precisely in the fairway is critical. He’s won two majors already and tends to thrive in events that reward shot-shaping over raw distance. This is a course that suits him well on paper.

Jon Rahm opens around +1200. He’s a former world number one with a major-winning pedigree who has been working back toward his best form after a difficult stretch. Aronimink’s demand for precision and touch around the greens fits a player with Rahm’s short-game skills. At that price, he represents a reasonable mid-range play for bettors looking to land between the top chalk and the longer shots.

Where to Bet the PGA Championship

If you’re shopping for the best number, it’s worth checking multiple books before locking anything in. FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook both have deep PGA Championship markets — outright winners, top-5 and top-10 finishes, first-round leaders, head-to-head matchups, and more. Line shopping between two or three books on your outright pick can make a meaningful difference, especially when the gap between a player listed at +1200 and +1400 at different sportsbooks is very real money if your ticket cashes.

For casual bettors, matchup wagers are a fun entry point. Instead of picking a winner from a field of 156 players, you’re simply betting on which of two golfers finishes higher over 72 holes. Much easier to root for, and the odds are far less punishing when your guy misses a key putt on Sunday.

The Bottom Line

Aronimink is going to test every part of these players’ games — driving accuracy, iron play, putting, and mental toughness under pressure. Scheffler is the class of the field and the right favorite, but at +480, the value is modest. If you’re building a PGA Championship card, Schauffele around +1400 and Morikawa in the +2200 range look like the most interesting spots. The second major of 2026 starts Thursday. This is the week for it.