2026 PGA Championship Golf Pools: Strategy, Ideas, Expert Picks & Predictions For Aronimink Golf Club

Golf majors have become the most popular weeks of the year for golf pools. So, if you’re a casual sports fan, hesitant to bet PGA Championship odds, and want to play in a contest with friends, you’ve come to the right place. This strategy guide will walk you through the best options in each tier for your 2026 PGA Championship golf pool picks.

I’ve also already written about PGA Championship DFS picks for fantasy contests. These could apply to traditional pools, too.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITES: TOP 10 IN 2026 ODDS

Find odds for this year’s PGA Championship favorites below. You can use these to inform your PGA Championship pool picks as well. Click any odds to wager on PGA Championship odds at betting apps in your area.

STRATEGY FOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF POOL PICKS 

Like a daily fantasy tournament strategy (DraftKings, FanDuel, etc.), game theory is key for your PGA Championship golf pool picks. It’s best first to understand who the popular players in each tier will be, then decide which ones you want to double down on and which ones you’re comfortable fading for a more contrarian option. Below, we’ll review each tier’s consensus popular and pivot plays. The format in each golf pool will vary, but the below tiers are structured in order of consensus betting odds, as is most common for golf pools.

How Do PGA Championship Pools Work?

Typically, the best cumulative score under par of the players rostered wins a PGA Championship pool. Some pools will severely penalize one of your players’ scores if they miss the cut. For example, if a player misses the cut with a score of +2, the pool may add 10 strokes and make the player +12. That means it’s critical that the players you pick make the cut. Also, check your pool rules to see if the worst score is not counted among your picks. Sometimes, this is a feature of golf pool rules and scoring.

Tier 1: Top 1-8 Players

The Popular Play: Scottie Scheffler

The World No. 1 remains the man to beat this week and is in excellent form with runner-up finishes in each of his last three starts. Scheffler was the last to lift the Wannamaker Trophy, coasting to victory at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. At just under 7,400 yards, Aronimink should cater more towards precision than distance, which tilts the scales even more in Scheffler’s favor. He is in a tier of his own as the player to beat leading into this tournament. 

The Pivot Play: Ludvig Aberg

If you’re going to bypass the popular plays of Scheffler, McIlroy, Young, and Rahm, Aberg is in excellent form with just as high a floor, despite struggling to convert his great performances into a win thus far in 2026. Aberg has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts now, with a combination of driving distance and accuracy that should translate on any championship course. 

Tier 2: Top 9-20 Players

The Popular Play: Brooks Koepka

Brooks always carries popularity in pools by the time we reach the major season. After all, Rory McIlroy is the only player in this field with more major championships (6) than Brooks (5). At the PGA Championship, however, Brooks remains king. He’s won this event three times since 2018, including most recently at Donald Ross’ Oak Hill, which may prove to be the top overall comp course to Aronimink.

Personally, I will not be choosing Koepka for my pool lineups, as I have concerns about his putting. Brooks continues to tinker with different putters in search of answers, which is not what you want to see on Donald Ross greens, which are known for their severe contours. Couple that with an easier-scoring PGA Championship venue, and it seems Koepka’s usual edge may be getting taken away. 

The Pivot Play: Russell Henley

One of the most underrated major risers in the sport, Henley quietly ranks top-10 in total strokes gained in major championships over the last five years. That includes a stretch of three consecutive top-10 finishes in majors, highlighted by a 3rd place finish at last month’s Masters. Aronimink may be the best fit for Henley’s game that he’s seen over the last five years, as we should expect ample wedge shots into these greens, a rarity at major championships. 

Tier 3: Top 21-50 Players

The Popular Play: Adam Scott

Aronimink is an approach-premium course, with fairly generous landing areas in the fairways and moderate overall length, effectively resorting this to a second-shot golf course. That should be great news for a player like Adam Scott, who ranks No. 1 in the field in SG: APP over the last 24, 36, and 50 rounds. Scott continues to improve with age in 2026, and he’ll be able to lean on his extensive major experience to navigate Aronimink. 

The Pivot Play: J.J. Spaun 

The 2025 U.S. Open champion knows a thing or two about winning at a 7,400-yard Pennsylvania major. The form looks to be all the way back now for Spaun, who’s rebounded from a slow start to the season to the tune of four top-25 finishes over his last five starts. That includes a win at the Valero Texas Open, so it should not as a surprise if Spaun finds himself in the mix again this week at a course in Aronimink that caters best to his strengths on approach.

Tier 4: Top 51-75 Players

The Popular Play: Nicolai Hojgaard

Fresh off of an impressive T2 finish at last week’s Trust Championship, Hojgaard continues to impress in his third full season on the PGA Tour. One of the longest hitters in this field, Hojgaard has been able to separate most on long venues that reward consistent long iron play. That won’t be as much the case at Aronimink, where wedges are the scoring club of choice, but you can’t overlook the form of a player of Hojgaard’s caliber who has posted five top-6 finishes already in 2026.

The Pivot Play: Alex Fitzpatrick 

A lesser-known name and better course fit, I’m drawn to Alex Fitzpatrick this week in the City of Brotherly Love. Fitzpatrick’s heater continues into PGA Championship week as he’s now posted finishes of 4th, T9, 1st, 1st, T6, and T14 over his last six starts between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Six consecutive finishes pushes beyond the threshold of a heater, to be fair to Fitzpatick, and his sudden rise to prominence has left pool-makers perplexed with where to appropriately place him. He’s a great value in this tier, and has great hands around the greens which will help offer a higher floor for him in this conditions. 

Tier 5: Top 76+ Players

The Popular Play: Matt McCarty

A PGA Tour player with four consecutive top-12 finishes in the lowest pool tier won’t catch everyone off guard. So while McCarty may not be a household name for the casual golf fan, I expect him to be a fairly popular choice in pools. McCarty has been a one-trick pony when it comes to major performances, thriving at the Masters (T14, T24) and missing the cut in four appearances across the other three events. Even still, his ability to navigate oversized, undulating Bentgrass greens at Augusta National should translate on Aronimink’s greens.

The Pivot Play: Thomas Detry

LIV players tend to be under-utilized in pools, as performance from non-stars in the league tends to be unnoticed, and it is more difficult to accurately quantify how that success translates to performance on the PGA Tour. Detry was a solid player on the PGA Tour prior to LIV however, and won the WM Phoenix Open in decisive fashion before making the jump to the rival league. He’s playing confidently of late, with top-7 finishes in five of his first seven starts on LIV this season. Detry’s best career major finish was a T4 at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Best of luck with your PGA Championship golf pool picks!

Photo Credit: AP/Matt Slocum