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The second golf major championship of the year will tee-off Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia.
In 1962, the PGA Championship was played on this same golf course.
Future Hall-of-Famer Gary Player won that year with a 2-under par total.
Aronimink Golf Club was designed by the legendary Donald Ross and completed in 1928. The superb layout has been stretched to well over 7,300 yards and will play as a par 70.
Though Gary Player’s total of 2-under par total was a reasonable score in his day, don’t be surprised if this year’s winner is at least 15-under par. Today’s vastly improved golf equipment and balls are turning classic layouts such as Aronimink Golf Club into glorified drive, pitch, and putt tournaments.
The PGA Championship features a large field of 156 golfers. That total includes 20 PGA club professionals who earned their way into this week’s tournament by finishing in the top 20 at a recent PGA club professional qualifying event.
Much like The Masters, past winners of the PGA Championship are allowed to participate in this event for as many years as the golfer desires to compete.
This weekend’s weather forecast looks delightful.
Abundant sunshine with moderate temperatures in the 70’s will slowly increase into the middle 80’s by Sunday. The benign weather conditions will likely create a Philly birdie festival.
The PGA Championship has produced a number of champions who “came out of nowhere” to win their one and only professional major in this event.
Of the four golf major events, the PGA Championship has produced a large number of surprise winners in recent decades.
Let’s review some of those one-and-done major winners and, later, try to identify a few underdogs to win this year’s PGA Championship.
Rich Beem – 2002 – Hazeltine (MN) 10-under par
Then: Rich Beem was fortunate just to have a PGA Tour playing card entering 2002. He played well during the opening three rounds and trailed third round leader Justin Leonard by three shots entering Sunday’s final 18 holes. Tiger Woods also charged up the final round leaderboard on Sunday to post a 67 and apply some serious pressure. Rich Beem was able to hang on with a final round 68 to win by one shot over Woods.
Now: The 55-year old Rich Beem will not be playing in this week’s PGA Championship. In recent years, Beem has been doing golf commentary for Sky Sports. He has not appeared recently on either the PGA or Champions (Senior) golf tours.
Shaun Micheel – 2003 – Oak Hill (NY) 3-under par
Then: You may remember that Shaun Micheel hit the 7-iron of his lifetime on the 72nd hole at Oak Hill in Rochester, NY in 2003 to win the 27-pound Wanamaker trophy. That was Micheel’s lone PGA Tour victory during a lengthy professional career. He would often finish in the top ten, though. Shaun Micheel recently admitted that he struggled for many years by putting too much pressure on himself to perform well on the golf course. Micheel lamented, “I played every shot like it was life or death.”
Now: The 57-year old Shaun Micheel plays in a few PGA Champions Tour events each season. As a past PGA Championship winner, he will be in Philadelphia and plans to tee-it up on Thursday.
Y. E. Yang – 2009 – Hazeltine (MN) 8-under par
Then: South Korean Y. E. Yang’s victory at the 2009 PGA Championship was memorable for two big reasons. He became the first Asian-born golfer to win a major men’s golf championship. Yang also gained worldwide notoriety by rallying in the final round to win by three shots over a highly-favored golfer named Tiger Woods.
Now: The 54-year old Y. E. Yang remains active in professional golf. He just finished in 14th place at last weekend’s PGA Champions Tour event in The Woodlands, Texas. He has posted seven top 25 finishes this season on the senior tour. Yang, like Shaun Micheel, will be playing in this week’s PGA Championship field on Thursday. Y.E. Yang will be trying to make his first cut at the PGA Championship since the year 2015.
Jason Dufner – 2013 – Oak Hill (NY) 10-under par
Then: Former Auburn University college golfer Jason Dufner had already won twice on the men’s tour coming into the 2013 PGA Championship in Rochester, New York. The laid-back Dufner grabbed a two shot lead over Jim Furyk entering the final nine holes in Sunday’s final round. That duo battled back and forth over the closing holes. Dufner held on to claim the only major championship of his career.
Now: The 49-year old Jason Dufner has won five times on the PGA Tour. This year, he has played in only three PGA Tour events (missing the cut each time) prior to this week’s PGA Championship. You may remember that Jason Dufner gained a different type of national notoriety during the spring of 2013. At a Dallas-area PGA publicity event, Dufner appeared before a group of elementary school children. While the teacher was busy talking (and talking), Dufner was photographed sitting on the floor alongside some of the kids. He appeared in the picture to be slumped over in a rather relaxed, sleepy posture.
The term “Dufnering” was born. “Dufnering” became even more popular among golfers a few months later after the ultra laid-back Jason Dufner won the 2013 PGA Championship.
Jimmy Walker – 2016 – Baltusrol (NJ) – 14-under par
Then: Jimmy Walker took the lead at the 2016 PGA Championship with a blistering five-under par 65 in Round 1. He would play well in each day of the tournament. Walker posted a wire-to-wire victory and held off a fast-closing Jason Day. It was Jimmy Walker’s first and only major championship title. It was also his last win on the PGA Tour through this week.
Now: At age 47, Jimmy Walker is no longer playing regularly on the PGA Tour. After his 2016 win at the PGA Championship, Walker went hunting with some friends. Upon returning home, his health began to deteriorate. Jimmy Walker told a reporter that he had contracted Lyme disease (generally transmitted by ticks). His recovery was extremely difficult and very slow. Walker’s return to professional golf was hampered by newfound difficulties with his chipping and putting games. Nevertheless, Jimmy Walker is expected to be in the field on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club.
Could there be another underdog winner at this week’s 2026 PGA Championship?
Absolutely! Here are four golfers seeking their first major title and not receiving a lot of pre-tournament love from the media pundits this week. I will also provide a fifth undervalued golfer looking to break into the winner’s column again this week with the 2026 PGA Championship title.
Sam Burns – The former Shreveport resident is one of the tour’s finest putters.
If Sam Burns can keep the ball in play off the tee this week, he is quite capable of shooting some very low scores and winning his first major.
Thomas Detry – This 33-year old Belgian golfer plays on the LIV Golf Tour.
He just posted a solid sixth place finish last weekend. That golf course in northern Virginia is very similar to this week’s layout at Aronimink.
Anthony Kim – Another LIV golfer who is coming off a hot finish last weekend in Virginia.
Kim shot a closing round of 10-under par 62 to post another top ten finish.
Brandt Snedeker – The 45-year old just won in Myrtle Beach last weekend for his first PGA win in nearly eight years.
When you’re hot, you’re hot, right?
Jordan Spieth – OK, I admit it. I would LOVE to see Jordan Spieth find a way to win this weekend. He hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since 2022.
More importantly, Spieth would finally complete golf’s career Grand Slam (The Masters, US Open, The (British) Open, and, finally, the PGA Championship) with a victory on Sunday afternoon.
Enjoy this weekend’s PGA Championship!