Officially, there’s no doubt about it: For the next seven days, Philadelphia is a golf town.
Thanks to the Sixers, who found themselves out of the NBA playoffs in a sweep at the hands of rival I-95 Knicksthe course is officially clear for the grand return of golf’s major championship to philly this week. Aronimink Golf Club, one of Philly’s plethora of generally beloved golden age golf clubs, will host the latest edition of the PGA Championship.
Last year, the golf world saw Philly’s golf bona fides when it felt like it half the town turned up at the Philadelphia Cricket Club for the Truist Championship, which was rescheduled to Philly to make room for the PGA at Quail Hollow. Now, the big show is in town, and it’s gripping the golf world at a time when intrigue is at an all-time high. So before you tune in this weekend (on CBS or ESPN) and before the big week’s coverage sinks your teeth into it, let’s run through the biggest stories worth paying attention to.
The 8 biggest stories of the PGA Championship
8. What the hell is going on with LIV?
The golfing world has been plunged into a state of prolonged confusion about LIV’s wider machinations in the wake of the Saudi withdrawal. But the questions are only getting stronger. Case in point: My colleague Alan Bastable’s interview with LIV CEO Scott O’Neil from LIV Virginia, in which the head of the embattled league acknowledged they were still almost wholly owned by the Saudis, and did not comment on whether that meant the Saudis retained decision-making control over potential future investors in the league.
Questions are sure to linger for the weekend in Philly, where — like the US Open at LACC just a few years ago — the action is already set against the backdrop of the wider LIV confusion.
7. What’s going on with LIV star players?
The funny thing about key weeks in the LIV era is that they serve as some of those few times everyone in the world of golf it is mixed. This week, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau will be in the same place as Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth. Apparently, they will find some things to talk about regarding the current state of affairs.
Of course, the stakes for Aronimink aren’t exactly Yalta, so maybe we shouldn’t expect any tectonic movements in the world of golf to emerge from PGA week, but rest assured, people will be talking.
6. What’s going on with the *rest* of LIV players?
No one will lose sleep over the long-term competitive prospects of players like Talor Gooch, who surrendered his major league future in doubt at the highest point of his career for an LIV contract, and now has his own team (OKGC, nee Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC). But maybe we should think about it!
Gooch is one of a handful of players from LIV’s midfield who could be disproportionately affected by the sea change likely to come to the league in the next 12 months. Unlike Rahm and DeChambeau, who will have sponsors and major championship invitations and competitive futures no matter what happens with LIV, players like Gooch sacrificed their status for the possibility of life-changing money. Fortunately, they received their payments. Unfortunately, their future is now more in question than ever.
Ironically, Gooch (who martyrdom around some of the major drama of the championship from LIV’s early days earned it a bit) won’t be in the field this week at the PGA after receiving a special exemption in 2024. It’s a fitting look at the state of LIV’s midfield and raises the stakes for those who He did field to Aronimink to show off. The tour may have potential future employment at risk.
5. Rory’s year?
Last year, I remember being struck by the sight of Rory McIlroy arriving at the PGA Championship. After his thrilling victory at Augusta National, I figured McIlroy would soar – and maintain the composure of someone with nothing to prove. It made me predict that he will earn many more degrees, maybe in 2025.
He then appeared in Quail Hollow looking strange, abrasive, and generally bored. He never fully strayed from that worldview for the rest of the ’25 major season.
It wasn’t until he arrived at Augusta National for the first time as champion that the switch was reversed. McIlroy arrived at the 2026 Masters with all the calm, self-assured confidence I assumed I’d see from him at Quail Hollow. He then won his second green jacket and spoke of a reset after feeling like the Grand Slam was the final “destination” of his career. He said he’s found a new hunger and enthusiasm to compete in the majors at this stage in his life – and if that’s true, this week he could provide confirmation of a new type Rory.
4. Where are you, Scottie?
Far be it from me to suggest that Scottie Scheffler isn’t playing great golf. He is still the player no. 1 in the world. He is still the biggest threat to win every tournament he plays in. He’s still good enough to play a really, really tough sport – as he often reminds us with a laugh.
But Scottie Scheffler hasn’t been the same untouchable force in 2026 that he was in most of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
A few thoughts on this: 1. It’s not inherently a bad thing that this is true – Scheffler would have to be the best golfer in history to survive half a decade without a single lull in his game, and even then it might be unrealistic to think. 2. It’s not like Scheffler’s “fall” is spelled out: DataGolf World Ranking they still have him as the best player in the world three-quarters of a stroke. 3. It’s still early in the season — early enough that a win would quickly dispel these conversations entirely.
In other words, Aronimink is Scottie’s chance to shut us all up.
3. Forever young
It’s hard to imagine a player who fits the profile of a winner better this week than Cam Young, a burly Northeasterner who plays a burly Northeastern golf course. Young has played the best golf of his life in 2026, ripping wins at Players Championship and Doral en route to a career-best OWGR rank Number 3 in the world.
He profiles as the type of ball-striker to win at least one major in his career, and his recent success in regular golf tournaments and majors suggests his game is peaking in time for this week. This is a story worth monitoring.
2. New leadership
If you’ve only been paying attention to golf’s slew of other existential changes, you may have missed the leadership challenges unfolding at the PGA of America, where new CEO Terry Clark will preside over his first major championship since taking over for Derek Sprague’s brief tenure.
Clark has his plate full already at the PGA of A, including addressing golf ball return issues, the PGA Championship’s role in golf’s larger hierarchy, developing a true championship identity and the path to avoiding the ongoing crackdowns that have dominated the governing body’s past few years ($800 for arresting World Cup players $800 between them and tickets to No. We’ll take our look first look at his governing philosophy during a presser this week, and we’ll pay attention to what comes next.
1. Philly, baby!
Philadelphia is one of the most overlooked cities of golf pros, and there’s no really good reason for that. There may be no metro area in the United States with a better combination of great golf courses and rabid golf fans. The city will play a big part in the entertainment this week and hopefully it will be a good opportunity for golf in a regular major championship rotation.
