Welcome back to GolfStats Insider, your top source for expert tips and insights on the next PGA Tour event. This newsletter is free, but if you want more detailed golf stats, consider a GolfStats subscription. It offers detailed performance charts, easy-to-sort history, and special formulas to help you make the best choices. If you want to improve your fantasy league or betting strategy, now's a great time to upgrade!

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, we would really appreciate you subscribing by clicking the button below. Please forward to a friend if you are already a subscriber.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 97 of the top 100 players from the Official World Golf Rankings are in the field this week. The three top-100 players sitting out are #39 Jake Knapp (injured), #89 Lucas Herbert, and #95 Shaun Norris. For context, the field had 99 of the top 100 in 2025 and 96 of the top 100 in 2024.

The PGA Championship simply delivers the best field in golf. In the last 18 years, 17 of them have had at least 95 of the top 100 world-ranked players compete. The only exception was 2020, when COVID limited the field to 91 of the top 100. The world rankings also tell the story of past winners: from 2014 to 2024, 11 of 12 champions were ranked first or second in the world at the time. The lone outlier was 2016 champion Jimmy Walker, whose career-best ranking was #10.

The field includes all 24 of the top 25 on the FedEx Cup points standings for 2026 and 68 of the top 70 players. The highest-ranked players not playing this week from the top 70 are #21 Jake Knapp and #69 Taylor Moore. The field also features 24 of the top 25 players on the 2026 PGA Tour money list, with the only absence being #22 Jake Knapp.

The field includes 14 past champions: Scottie Scheffler (2025), Xander Schauffele (2024), Brooks Koepka (2023, 2019 & 2018), Justin Thomas (2022 & 2017), Collin Morikawa (2020), Jimmy Walker (2016), Jason Day (2015), Rory McIlroy (2014 & 2012), Jason Dufner (2013), Keegan Bradley (2011), Martin Kaymer (2010), Y.E. Yang (2009), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Shaun Micheel (2003).

If you're serious about making the best picks this week, our GolfStats tools have you covered.

These tools are invaluable whether you're betting, setting a DFS lineup, or simply looking for an edge in your fantasy league. Check out the full blog post for DK fantasy advice, and don't miss the Key Fantasy Stats breakdown for Aronimink.

Mintlify powers documentation for 20,000+ companies reaching 100M+ people a year. Backed by a16z and Salesforce Ventures. Your docs deserve the same infrastructure.

Get Started for Free Today

The Truist Championship at Quail Hollow generated plenty of talking points heading into this week, though the results left some bettors scratching their heads. Winner Kristoffer Reitan is not someone most will back at a major — his first PGA Tour top-10 came just last month at the Valero Texas Open, and his best major finish is a T-30th at last year's British Open. Rickie Fowler was a pleasant surprise with his T-2nd finish and is worth watching here; he finished T-8th at Aronimink in the 2018 BMW Championship. Tommy Fleetwood's T-5th also catches the eye for similar reasons — he too finished T-8th at Aronimink in 2018. Ludvig Aberg quietly put together another strong result with a T-8th at the Truist, continuing a stretch that includes a top-3 at the Arnold Palmer, a T-4th at the RBC Heritage, and T-5th finishes at both the Players Championship and Valero Texas Open. He is overdue for a major breakthrough, and this week sets up well for him.

There are also some concerns worth noting. Cameron Young has been on a tear through the Florida swing, winning the Players Championship and the Cadillac Championship, but a closing 74 at the Truist raises questions about whether that hot streak is cooling off. Aronimink suits his game, but putting issues — even for just one round — are a red flag at a major. Xander Schauffele finished T-60th at the Truist and has yet to find the form that made him so dangerous in 2024, though he has fond memories of finishing T-3rd at Aronimink in 2018. Rory McIlroy was inconsistent at the Truist before finding some rhythm with a final-round 67, and his 5th-place finish at the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink gives reason for optimism. Still, it's hard to look past Scottie Scheffler, who despite an uneven year by his standards, keeps finding his way into the top five.

And don't overlook the historical footnote: in the past decade, every PGA Championship winner has been American. The last international champion was Jason Day in 2015.

This is the 108th edition of the PGA Championship, one of golf's four major championships and the third oldest behind the British Open and the U.S. Open. The tournament traces its roots to January 16, 1916, when PGA Tour professionals, including Walter Hagen, gathered to create a national championship to rival the U.S. Open. That vision became reality later that year when Jim Barnes claimed the inaugural title at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, NY. After a two-year pause for World War I and another in 1943 for World War II, the event has run continuously. In 1958, the format shifted from match play to 72-hole stroke play. The famous Wanamaker Trophy, awarded to each champion, was established by Rodman Wanamaker, who first sponsored the event in its earliest years.

Aronimink Golf Club | Newtown Square, Pa. | Par 70 | 7,394 yards

Aronimink sits 13 miles west of downtown Philadelphia and is one of the most storied private clubs in American golf. Founded in 1895 by members of the Belmont Cricket Club, it has hosted the 1962 PGA Championship, the 1977 U.S. Amateur, the 2003 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2018 BMW Championship. The club's first professional was John Shippen, a trailblazing figure in golf history, and a young caddy named Johnny McDermott who worked there went on to win back-to-back U.S. Opens in 1911 and 1912.

After relocating several times, the club purchased 300 acres in 1926 and hired Donald Ross to design the course. It opened in 1928 to great praise, but Ross himself didn't see the finished product until 1948, just two months before his death. He was reportedly stunned by what had been built, saying it took his breath away. A plaque near the first tee carries his famous reflection: "I intended to make this my masterpiece, but not until today did I realize I built better than I knew."

The key to winning this week comes down to one thing: hitting it straight. Aronimink plays at 7,394 yards, which is 232 yards shorter than last year's venue at Quail Hollow, so pure power won't be the deciding factor. What will matter is staying out of the 174 bunkers on the course, 139 of which are planted in the fairways. Avoiding them over 72 holes is nearly impossible, which means accuracy off the tee is critical.

This course favors players who may not bomb it off the tee but excel at hitting greens, recovering when they miss, and making putts. Keep an eye on players like Brian Harman (143rd in driving distance), Shane Lowry (125th), and Ben Griffin (110th). None of them are long hitters, but all three are elite iron players who know how to score.

For a full breakdown of the stats that matter most at Aronimink this week, check out our PGA Championship Key Fantasy Stats. Our Composite Rankings tool lets you select the four variable stats that best fit the course each week and outputs a pre-ranked list of the top contenders.