Rory McIlroy sees 'clear road' for more majors ahead of PGA Championship

"I feel like I've got some nice, clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors."

McIlroy described his last few months as "pretty good." The span included his latest Masters title, attendance at a White House state dinner honoring King Charles III and a cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Tommy Fleetwood of England pitches to a practice green during a practice round for the 2026 PGA Championship on Tuesday in Newton, Pa. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

"I know how fortunate I am and so lucky to be in the position I'm in in life," McIlroy said. "Sometimes you have to enjoy the perks. I know this isn't going to last forever. There is going to be a day where I'm not sitting up here and I'm not competing for major championships and doing what I'm doing. So I guess while I'm doing it, I have to enjoy it as well.

"It's been amazing, but there is still a lot of things I want to achieve. But if I can enjoy it along the way, that's a nice thing to do."

Players hit approach shots to the green on hole No. 10 during a practice round for the 2026 PGA Championship on Tuesday in Newton, Pa. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

McIlroy's six major titles are tied with Phil Mickelson, Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino for 12th most in golf history. With another, he can jump into a six-way tie for seventh, joining Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones, among others.

The 2026 PGA Championship will air on ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ESPN+, Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app. McIlroy will tee off alongside No. 20 Jon Rahm and No. 51 Jordan Spieth at 8:40 a.m. EDT Thursday on hole No. 10 at Aronimink Golf Club.

Ludvig Åberg hits a practice shot out of a bunker during a practice round for the 2026 PGA Championship on Tuesday in Newton, Pa. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion and 2026 tournament favorite, will tee off alongside No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick and No. 7 Justin Rose at 2:05 p.m. on hole No. 1. Scheffler, who won three of the last nine majors contested, finished second behind McIlroy last month in Augusta, Ga.

He followed the Masters with additional runner-up finishes at the RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship.

"It's a little bit bittersweet," Scheffler told reporters. "You know you are playing good golf and you'd love to get some wins. Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you are looking at things to work on, there is a lot less to clean up when you are finishing second than there is when you are finishing 30th."

No. 3 Cameron Young, Rahm and No. 15 Ludvig Aberg are among the other Top 5 expected contenders in the 156-player field. No. 11 Xander Schauffele, Fitzpatrick, No. 28 Bryson DeChambeau, No. 6 Tommy Fleetwood and No. 125 Brooks Koepka are among the other Top 10 favorites.

The full list of tee times can be found here. An extensive viewing guide, with TV, radio and streaming options for the 72-hole tournament, can be found here.

Schauffele won the crown in 2024. Koepka captured the 2018, 2019 and 2023 PGA Championship titles. McIlroy won the tournament in 2012 and 2014.

McIlroy and his competitors said they expect aggressive tee shots on the Par-70 course. Rain dampened the course Wednesday night, but is not expected to be a major factor this weekend for those fighting for the Wanamaker Trophy and first-place prize, which is expected to exceed $3.4 million.

"The golf course is good," Scheffler said. "It looks like the forecast is starting to clear up. So right now, with it playing firm, it's playing really nice. The fairways are hard to hold. The greens have a lot of slope and a lot of pitch to them, so it's going to be challenging.

"If it can stay firm like this, I think it's going to be a pretty awesome test."