EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe season's second major -- the PGA Championship -- is at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, while Rory McIlroy enters after winning the Masters in the season's first major.Scheffler and McIlroy the overwhelming favorites, followed by Jon Rahm and Cameron Young.Who do our golf experts think will win? What kind of betting advice does Pamela Maldonado have?Stream all of ESPN's coverage hereJump ahead to: Pamela Maldonado's betting and fantasy advice for the weekExperts' picksMatt Barrie: Cameron YoungThere's only one player in the world that's gone head-to-head with Scheffler and McIlroy this season and it's Young. His dad is a club professional, which is the foundation of this tournament. His winning window is open. And he hoists the Wanamaker this week.Mark Brooks: Scottie SchefflerMost complete player since 2000 Tiger Woods. Zero weaknesses, fierce competitor.Ken Brown: SchefflerTo win a major championship, you have to be in command of all departments, and Scheffler has the most rounded game on the planet. I watched him practicing his putting with his coach Phil Kenyon on Tuesday -- they were working diligently for an hour on holing out breaking putts from inside 8 feet. His professionalism and enjoyment of the game is second to none.Tory Cabrera: SchefflerThe year is 2026, and Scheffler is still inevitable. The world No. 1 golfer hasn't won since January -- he has finished second in three straight tournaments, which means it's about that time. Two years after "Free Scottie" merch took the golf world by storm, he continues his PGA Championship lore and raises the Wanamaker Trophy (again).Roberto Castro: Chris GotterupEssentially a home event for him -- playing on the turf you grew up on gives you incredible familiarity and comfort. Two wins before Augusta. Bombs it. Not afraid to win.Michael Collins: YoungCam is very comfortable playing the style of golf that it will take to win at Aronimink.Jeff Darlington: Justin RoseThis golf course has hosted only three PGA Tour events since 2010. Justin Rose won one of them and finished runner-up in another. This course requires a fully rounded, top-tier player, and Rose checks those boxes.Michael Eaves: RoseNo one comes to Aronimink with more feel-goods on their side than Rose. He won here once and lost in a playoff the last time the PGA Tour played an event here. Plus, he's one of the best iron players in the world, which will be a huge factor this week on this "second-shot golf course."Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Rory McIlroyA summer chase for the single-season Grand Slam would be a lot of fun. Rory basically said it himself on Tuesday -- Aronimink is going to favor guys that can bomb it off the tee -- and nobody in the game can do that better than the reigning Masters champion. Yes, the toe is a bit of a concern, but I'm guessing they'll get McIlroy some comfortable shoes and he'll find a way to manage that.John Maginnes: Jordan SpiethOh, stop it! Do you really think that a guy who won 13 times between the ages of 20 and 29 is washed up at 32? He's driving it better than he ever has and he's as creative around the greens as anyone in the game.Hunter Mahan: Tommy FleetwoodI love Fleetwood this week! Past success in 2018 mixed with his calm demeanor and ballstriking make him a major champion at Aronimink.Andy North: YoungHe's super long and has been putting beautifully.Carl Paulson: SchefflerSimply because he is the best player in the world. Also, I feel like it's time for him to win again. Sorry -- I don't have anything more original than that.Mark Schlabach: SchefflerWorld No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler hasn't won since his first start of the season in the American Express. He is coming off three straight runner-up finishes and is the defending PGA Championship winner. It's surprising that Scheffler hasn't won again; he ranks in the top five on tour in strokes gained: total (2.056), tee to green (1.535), off the tee (.659), around the green (.585) and is 14th in putting (.522). The only thing that has held him back is his iron play, which hasn't quite been up to the historic standard we saw the past few seasons. He puts it together this week and captures his fifth major.Marty Smith: Collin MorikawaMight seem like a stretch given his inconsistent putting, but approach play this week is paramount and there's nobody better in the world than Morikawa.Paolo Uggetti: YoungI'm trying to not overthink this one. Young has been one of, if not the, best player in the world as of late, and this golf course could set up fantastic for him. The only question remains his putting -- it's an area of his game that is much improved but will be properly tested on Arominink's devilish greens.Scott Verplank: Rickie FowlerHe's a Cowboy ...Suzy Whaley: Jacob BridgemanHe has enough power for this golf course, including if there are wet conditions. But this is primarily because of his putting on Donald Ross greens.Pamela Maldonado's picks and advice for the weekOdds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.The last time the PGA visited Aronimink, Keegan Bradley won with a putting performance that had no precedent in his surrounding results. Justin Rose nearly beat him despite losing strokes on approach all week, and Rory McIlroy had the best ballstriking of anyone and finished fifth.The course activates certain abilities rather than simply rewarding preexisting form. In other words, I didn't give too much weight to recent rounds. Now, years later, the course is more difficult. A restoration doubled the bunker count, the rough is deeper with no buffer and the greens will run like glass.Weighted approach play was the primary separator I used this week, along with bent grass putting and fairways gained as the risk filter. The lens I felt strongest about was bent grass-specific performance at major speed.As always, bet what lets you sleep at night. The best research in the world means nothing if your position size is making decisions for you. These are the players I like most on the board. Tailor the bet type and exposure to your own risk tolerance.My pick to win: Scottie Scheffler +385This is not a great price, but it might still be the right one. Scheffler doesn't win tournaments by accident. His record over the last two seasons reads like a man who simply performs at a different level when the surface is right. Aronimink will demand exactly what Scheffler does best under pressure, finding the right parts of large, contoured, fast greens from the fairway. His irons were the most vulnerable part of his game to start the year but he's cleaned that up in the last few weeks, gaining five-plus strokes on approach in recent events. Scheffler manages a course rather than overpowers it, and builds momentum through each round.The field at a major is deep but when you ask which player's game most consistently transfers, you keep coming back to Scheffler. The price is what it is.My favorite bet to make the top 10: Justin Rose +355 (with ties)The underlying approach and putting numbers on the most relevant surfaces/courses on the schedule make Rose a compelling contender. He picked up a Torrey Pines win in February on bent grass where he gained over six strokes on approach. When Rose is on bent grass and engaged, the ballstriking and short game combo is as good as anyone's in the field. Aronimink's 2018 version clearly clicked; while he lost strokes on approach, he still finished second because he essentially played his way onto greens through scrambling and short-game heroics rather than iron play. That's his style. Except now he's arriving as a better ball striker with the same short-game ability.My favorite Scottie Scheffler bet: Top 5 -122 (with ties)Laying juice for a top five? Yeah, that's not fun for any other player. For Scottie, that's a clean wager because that's his baseline. He's finished top five in 20 of his past 30 events. Three straight runners-up means he's at peak right now. Bent grass suits him, the course demands what he does consistently, and has the patience to grind through a demanding back nine without forcing action. The (-122) price is respecting the record, as it should. You're paying a modest premium on a player who makes top-five finishes a habit.My favorite long shot: Justin Rose +4700He nearly won on this course in 2018 with a weaker approach profile than he's showing in 2026. On pure data points, he has strong primary stats but hitting (or missing) fairways is a concern and putting surface stats are mediocre. However, event-level data is where the pattern is stark. On the bent grass course, he's a completely different player. Essentially, results on other surfaces are dragging his season totals down significantly. Isolate to relevant comps, and he's elite. Use season data, and his sub par numbers are inflated by irrelevant events. The price is generous for a player that is capable of having a spike week on a course he nearly won at before.Other bets that stand outMatt McCarty top 40 +172 (with ties)The case is straightforward. He's top 15 putting on bent grass and putting on fast greens. It is a putter-dependent profile on a course that demands approach first but perhaps he's found something with his irons. He's now gained on approach in three straight weeks after mostly struggling at the start of 2026. Having a T14 and T24 at Augusta in back to back years shows he's capable of holding his own in strong fields. Top 30 +265 would be more value, getting paid for a number he's been hitting routinely, but I'm conservative and see plus money for a wider net.Tyrrell Hatton top LIV player +520He's a clear standout, trending up versus coasting on reputation. Hatton is the only player in the group whose major trajectory is improving; three straight Augusta results improving every year, including a T3 this year with elite numbers. The others are declining, inconsistent or carrying one outlier result. The price is significant value on the cleanest ball striker in this course on a course that will expose everyone else's weakness.Patrick Reed top 30 +138He's not built on elite iron play but on an around the green and putting combo that holds up under major pressure on fast surfaces. That's exactly what Aronimink greens will demand all week. Reed can scramble, convert and avoid the blow up rounds he shows he can avoid when the surface suits him. We really only have his August results to pull from, but with four straight top 12s, that's a pattern worth backing.Fantasy golfFantasy golf top three DFS plays:Rickie Fowler +7,400: Three straight Top 10s including a T2 at the Truist means he's in form right now. He's top 25 putting on these greens, and has momentum, giving him a realistic ceiling for a Top 10 this week. He's a usable tournament option if you need the salary relief.Alex Noren $6,900: Noren makes cuts. That reliability is the foundation. He's Top 30 with his irons, putting and hitting fairways. That's three Aronimink-specific stats that point in the right direction at a price that reflects none of it. If you need a safe floor, a consistent cut-maker with a genuine course fit, he's the type of player you build around. A T12 at Riviera gives you insight to his ceiling.Alex Fitzpatrick $5,900: Extremely small sample size to use but he has back to back wins on the Euro Tour and a win at Zurich paired with his brother Matt Fitzpatrick followed up with two Top 10s on the PGA. With just two tracked events, his irons are elite right now. He has high upside, low roster percentage and a strong primary data set at a bargain price. Use the savings for one elite name, perhaps one that rhymes with Dottie.Top three DFS fades:Cameron Young $10,200: You're sacrificing a lot of salary flexibility for a player whose two most course specific stats are 71st putting on this surface and 93rd on fast greens. Back players with stronger bent grass profiles, the money is better spent elsewhere.Jon Rahm $10,400: You're paying near peak pricing for a player that's adapted to non-PGA events. LIV wins suggest the overall game is sharp but his weighted approach shots when he does play PGA Tour events sits outside the top 50. That's the primary separator on this course. That's top dollar to have a lot of faith. Hard pass.Patrick Cantlay $8,900: His irons are solid but he tends to miss fairways, and his putting on bent grass and on fast greens are all outside of the top 50. You need more than one adequate skill set to justify the salary. He has four straight Top 12 finishes but lost four strokes putting at Harbour Town then gained nearly four strokes at Quail Hollow. You can't bank on which version shows up. The greens decide the tournament here. Fade.
