PGA Championship picks 2026: It's Cameron Young time (again)

**Ryan Noonan, Content Manager 4for4/**Betsperts: Cameron Young (16-1, DraftKings) — Yes, again. I'm running out of ways to describe what we've seen of late from Cameron Young, and he gave it another run last week at Quail Hollow. Even though he had an uncharacteristic hiccup on the greens on Sunday, his charge up the leader board on Saturday showed that his ceiling is as high as anyone in the game right now. Equally impressive among his four days at Quail Hollow was his grind-it-out second round. His ball-striking wasn't quite as crisp as we've seen of late, but he posted a one-under 70 for the day, and he scrambled his face off. It was an impressive performance, even though it wasn't full of highlight-reel shots, and it showcased his overall improvements and ability to score even when he doesn't have his A-game. I don't have the juicy triple-digit futures that some have on Cameron Young this week, but I have a few boost-induced bets that net out to about 27-1 on the game's hottest player.

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Cameron Young (16-1, DraftKings) — Let's make it unanimous. The Players champion isn’t done winning in 2026. He took down Doral and now returns to a classic, Northeast-style design akin to where he grew up at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, and he’s playing the best golf of his career, which he has proven is good enough to contend in majors. Now’s the time he wins a major and validates the golf we’ve seen from him over the past 10 months.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Matt Fitzpatrick (25-1, Bet365) — Amazed this number continues to drift. The guy has won three of his past five events! It’s become a principle play at this point—a player this elite, in form, going up on the odds board. Take it and don’t ask questions. Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Cameron Young (16-1, DraftKings) — This bet certainly won’t be sneaking up on anyone, but when it comes to major championships, there is little reason to overthink it. Cameron Young is playing the best golf of his career on a golf course that should suit his game brilliantly. His putting and wedge play have made big strides this year, and he remains one of the best drivers in the sport. Past results: We have our FOURTH winner of 2026, and our first stretch of back-to-back winners. Ryan Noonan and Stephen Hennessey both correctly picked Cameron Young to win the Cadillac Championship at +1250, giving Noonan his third win of 2026 (and his second in a row with the Fitzpatrick bros. at 12-1 at Zurich) and Hennessey his second, his first coming at the Farmers (Justin Rose 60-1). Noonan also nailed Nico Echavarria’s victory at the Cognizant at 60-1. Hop on the train while you can. Listen to Golf Digest's weekly betting podcast, "The Loop," (below) where we interview the industry's leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to "The Loop" wherever you get your podcasts!

PGA Championship picks 2026: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win

Mayo: Robert MacIntyre (80-1, Bet365) — The irons come and go, but the driving and putting don’t. If Rory’s correct and the field can get aggressive off the tee, while you don’t think of MacIntyre that way, he fits that profile to a tee. Plus, the last time he played a major in Pennsylvania, he finished second.

Stewart: Sam Burns (70-1, Bet365) — Sam Burns has finished top 13 or better in three of the last four major-like events, including 13th at the Players, 7th at the Masters, and seventh at the 2025 US Open. Aronimink gives you an edge if you can bomb it off the tee, wedge it close, and convert on the greens. That’s Burns’ bread and butter. If Sam survives the par 3s this week, the rest of the scorecard is one big birdie chance.

Noonan: Robert MacIntyre (80-1, Bet365) — Robert MacIntyre doesn’t typically model well for me because he’s a bit inconsistent ball-striking wise but his ceiling outcomes are significantly higher than his place on this current odds board. He’s one of the best putters in the professional game and can separate when the putting test is as demanding as it looks to be this week at Aronimink. Sometimes we search for spiked putting weeks to find our darkhorse, but this week, I need spiked approach numbers from Bobby Mac.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Rickie Fowler (68-1, DraftKings) — Rickie has quietly put together a super-impressive 2026 even before his T-2 at Quail Hollow. It was his third straight top-10 finish, and the way he’s playing is a departure from his old bomb and gauge off-the-tee game—he’s hitting more fairways and continued to be a great putter, ranking in the top 10 on the PGA Tour in SG/putting over the past 36 rounds, per Betsperts Golf’s Rabbit Hole. The setup feels a little similar to LACC in 2023, where Rickie had a great chance to win. He’s playing better golf now, which is why this number is worth taking.

Powers, Golf Digest: Sam Burns (70-1, Bet365) — Say less, K-Stew. Burns has now seriously contended in two of the last three majors he’s played in, and I’d argue he had one of them total stolen from him at Oakmont last year when he wasn’t granted relief in 15 fairway. That disappointment, plus the Sunday disappointment at the Masters last month, should serve as two great learning experiences should he find himself in contention again this week.

Lack: Patrick Cantlay (54-1, DraftKings) — Patrick Cantlay’s resume on Northeastern Bentgrass courses is hard to ignore, and he’s finally starting to string together consistent finishes in the top 15. Cantlay’s approach play remains top notch, and we saw the putter begin to cooperate for him last week at Quail Hollow.

RELATED: Power rankings for the entire field at Aronimink

PGA Championship picks 2026: Players We’re Fading

Mayo: Bryson DeChambeau (+1950, DraftKings) — Bryson’s potentially dealing with an undisclosed injury, but either way, his wedge game has been a disaster for the past few years. He has the bomb part down now, but the rough isn’t going to be thick enough to require the gouge game he’s so good at.

Stewart: Bryson DeChambeau (+1950, DraftKings) — Coming off back-to-back runner-up results in the PGA Championship, it would be easy to believe Bryson DeChambeau is one of the favorites. Funny thing is, DeChambeau’s number keeps climbing on the odds board. Bryson is battling a couple of injuries and several distractions off the course. With so many elite players in the field in great form, a little slip in DeChambeau’s game has me leaving him off the card.

Noonan: Hideki Matsuyama (66-1, BetRivers) — Matsuyama’s T-12 at Augusta was his only T-20 finish in his past seven starts, and Tom Hoge saved him from being DFL last week at Quail Hollow (+11). He lost strokes throughout the bag, which is impressive, but he seems lost off the tee, and his approach play hasn’t hit that top-tier that we’re used to seeing from him at any point in 2026.

Hennessey**, Golf Digest: Bryson DeChambeau (+1950, DraftKings)** — Bryson could certainly prove me wrong, but Aronimink feels like more of a finesse and positional type of course compared to the strategy he used to win at Winged Foot. The number is getting interesting, but I’d rather any of the other favorites.

Powers, Golf Digest: Collin Morikawa (35-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — Admitted he’s still not fully healthy, and that there is a “trust factor” he still needs to deal with, in his pre-tournament presser. Not good. I feel for him, because he seemed well on track to get back to his major winning ways earlier this year. Injuries suck.

Lack: Xander Schauffele (16-1, FanDuel) — I know that Xander Schauffele’s resume in major championships has been stellar, but he looked completely out of sorts last week at the Truist Championship, a golf course that should have fit his game to a tee. I just don’t know if his short game and putting is sharp enough to win a major championship right now.

PGA Championship picks 2026: Matchups

Mayo: Akshay Bhatia (+120) over Adam Scott (Coolbet) — If accuracy isn’t as important as expected, Akshay gets a boost over Scott with the wedges and a massive boost on the greens. If these putting surfaces are the major defense of the course, take the guy who’s ranked second in the field with the flat stick this season, not 74th.

Stewart: Patrick Reed (-110) over Jordan Spieth (BetMGM) — Jordan Spieth has three wins in 3,214 days. Patrick Reed has two wins this year. The combination of Reed’s form and short game gives him an advantage over the inconsistent Spieth in this tournament H2H.

Noonan: Matt McCarty (-115) over Ryan Gerard (BetOnline) — Matt McCarty's T-24 at the Masters turned his season around, because he limped into Augusta in poor form, but he's now strung together three straight T-12 or better finishes in a row in the three signature events that've followed. McCarty's approach play has been the driver of his recent success, which is why I'm buying him here. He also has elite spiked putting upside, and he's sixth in my putting model this week. That’s significantly better than Ryan Gerard, who’s struggled on all green surfaces of late and has been horrendous on Bentgrass greens, losing an average of 0.81 strokes per round (27 rounds) over the past calendar year.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Sam Burns (-125) over Hideki Matsuyama (FanDuel) — Hideki finished second to last at Quail Hollow last week, a sign that his game is not in a good place at the moment. Burns also disappointed last week, but I trust his putter and wedge game way more than Hideki.

Powers, Golf Digest: Brooks Koepka (+128) over Bryson DeChambeau (DraftKings) — Not being on either of these guys outright scares me this week. Ultimately, I think I like Brooks slightly more, as he seemed to have found something last week in Myrtle and is far more focused on the task at hand than Bryson right now.

Lack: Rickie Fowler (-140) over Akshay Bhatia (Southpoint) — Rickie Fowler has been playing some stellar golf of late, with three top-10 finishes in a row at Signature Events. Akshay Bhatia, on the other hand, has looked a few details off since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and he remains a substandard driver of the ball.

Matchup Results from the Truist Championship: Stewart: 1 for 1 (Fowler (-110) over MacIntyre); Lack: 1 for 1 (Thomas (-140) over Rose); Hennessey: 1 for 1 (Hojgaard (+100) over Hovland); Powers: 0 for 1; Noonan: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1

Matchup Results from the 2026 season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Stewart: 11-2-2 (up 7.79 units); Powers: 11-6-0 (up 3.69 units); Noonan: 8-8-1 (down 1.25 units); Lack: 8-8-1 (down 1.5 units); Hennessey: 7-10-0 (down 3.6 units); Mayo: 6-10-1 (down 3.69 units)

PGA Championship picks 2026: Top 10s

Mayo: Sam Burns (+600, FanDuel) — Distance and putting: the Sam Burns method. The irons are always inconsistent, but hopefully he found something in a sterling final round at Quail Hollow.

Stewart: Justin Thomas (+500, FanDuel) — I love great wedge players at Aronimink, and Justin Thomas can knock it tight from close range. Since returning from surgery in March, JT’s ball-striking has steadily improved. The putter was holding him back, but after a switch at the Truist Championship, Justin saw a dramatic shift in his putting performance. Thomas has two PGAs and the player characteristics it takes to excel in this Championship. Another with the Southern Hills comp, I love Thomas with 10 places.

Noonan: Rory McIlroy (+120, DraftKings) — The bar is high for McIlroy, and while I'm amazed that he somehow continues to get better and longer off the tee, I've been impressed by his improved approach play of late. Over the past 24 rounds, Rory has gained 0.7 strokes on approach, up from 0.3 over his past 50 rounds. You can see in the image above that McIlroy is giving himself more looks from inside 15 feet than almost anyone in this week's field. He's also one of the best putters in this week's field when the setup is difficult (difficult to gain/high 3-putt rate). I highlighted him here this week in our pool strategy article if you want more of my thoughts on Rory, who I think is very live to win this week.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Russell Henley (+340, FanDuel) — Three straight top 10s in majors for this bulldog, and now he arrives at a major that’s a better fit than any of the others. More accuracy, more wedges, better putting ... that will be the formula to allow Henley to cash this bet for a fourth straight major.

Powers, Golf Digest: Patrick Reed (+650, FanDuel) — The concerns are valid – he hasn’t played since the Masters, and he has one non-Masters major top 20 since the 2021 British Open. But guess where that came? Oak Hill, in the Northeast, where Reed thrives. He played well at Baltusrol in 2016, Shinnecock in 2018, Winged Foot in 2020, and has won at Bethpage Black. He’s also won at a Donald Ross course before (Sedgefield). This style of golf just speaks to Reed, as does the environment that a Northeastern sports crowd provides. He was the talk of the town at Augusta, finished T-12, and is now nearly double the odds ? Sign me up.

Lack: Tommy Fleetwood (+275, Bet365) — I was highly impressed by what I saw of Tommy Fleetwood last week at the Truist Championship where he gained strokes in all four major categories. Fleetwood has also played some excellent golf on Northeastern Bentgrass courses and feels primed for a major breakthrough.

Top-10 results from the Truist Championship: Everybody: 0 for 1

Top-10 results from the 2026 season: Mayo: 5 for 17 (up 9.15 units); Powers: 5 for 17 (up 4.75 units); Noonan: 4 for 17 (up 0.3 units); Stewart: 4 for 17 (down 1.15 units); Lack: 3 for 17 (down 2.65 units); Hennessey: 2 for 17 (down 8.65 units)

About our experts

Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest. Stewart is a co-founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the PGA Tour, LPGA and TGL. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter for the industry's best betting narratives. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.

Ryan Noonan is the Betting Content Manager for 4for4 and Betsperts Golf, writing articles and hosting multiple shows under the Betsperts Group umbrella, including Move The Line and our Betsperts Golf Betting Show. Find him on Twitter: @RyNoonan.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports.