By Rory Carroll
May 11 (Reuters) - Five storylines to follow during the 2026 PGA Championship, the second major of the year that begins on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania:
SCHEFFLER EYES REPEAT AFTER NEAR MISSES
World number one Scottie Scheffler will arrive at the PGA Championship in familiar territory: firmly among the favorites, even if his recent run has been marked more by near-misses than trophies.
Scheffler, the defending champion after winning last year's tournament
at Quail Hollow by five shots, has finished runner-up in his last three starts, including at the Masters, where Rory McIlroy beat him by one stroke at Augusta National.
The American also finished second at the RBC Heritage and the Cadillac Championship, the latter by six shots behind Cameron Young, continuing a sequence that underlined both his consistency and his frustration at not converting chances.
Scheffler has already won on the PGA Tour this year, capturing The American Express in January, but his form since the Masters has kept the spotlight on whether the 29-year-old can turn another week in contention into a successful title defense.
MCILROY SEEKS ANOTHER MAJOR SURGE
McIlroy will arrive at this week's major with the burden of the career Grand Slam behind him and another major milestone in sight as he seeks a third Wanamaker Trophy.
The Northern Irishman ended his long wait for a Masters title in 2025 to become the sixth player to complete the modern career Grand Slam, then successfully defended his Green Jacket last month to claim a sixth major championship.
McIlroy, 37, has already twice won the PGA Championship, triumphing by eight shots at Kiawah Island in 2012 before edging Phil Mickelson by one stroke at Valhalla two years later.
His most recent PGA Championship appearance was less memorable, as he finished well down the field at Quail Hollow in 2025 despite his strong record at the venue. But with two Masters victories in as many years, McIlroy heads to Aronimink with renewed confidence and the chance to move another step up golf's all-time major list.
SPIETH'S GRAND SLAM QUEST
Jordan Spieth believes his game is moving in the right direction as he prepares for another chance to complete the career Grand Slam by getting his hands on the Wanamaker Trophy.
The 32-year-old American, one of the PGA Tour's most recognizable names, has not won on Tour since April 2022 and has endured an extended spell of inconsistent form.
But Spieth said he is encouraged by the progress he has made as he tries to rediscover the form that carried him to three major titles earlier in his career.
"This year, I feel like I have progressed a little bit," he told SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio recently.
"I have pretty much led in each category at different times, but I just haven't quite put it all together to win a golf tournament."
Spieth has won the 2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open and 2017 Open Championship, and a victory this weekend would make him only the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam.
RAHM, DECHAMBEAU LEAD LIV CHARGE
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau will lead an 11-strong LIV Golf contingent into the PGA Championship as the Saudi-backed circuit faces fresh uncertainty over its future.
Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion, and DeChambeau, a two-times U.S. Open winner, headline the LIV players in the field with major championships, offering the breakaway league's biggest names a rare chance to test themselves against the PGA Tour's elite.
Other LIV players set to compete include former major winners Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson, along with Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann.
Their appearance comes after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said it would end its funding of LIV Golf after the 2026 season, raising questions about the league's long-term direction after more than $5 billion of investment. LIV has said it is seeking new investors as part of a restructuring effort.
NO TIGER OR PHIL
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will both be absent from this week's competition, leaving the year's second major without two of its most recognizable names and most decorated former champions.
Woods, a four-times PGA Championship winner, is not in the field despite being eligible as a past champion, having taken an indefinite break from golf after a March car crash and DUI arrest in Florida.
Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in 2005 and became the oldest men's major champion when he claimed the 2021 title at Kiawah Island at age 50, withdrew while dealing with a family health matter. First alternate Max Homa replaced him in the field.
Their absence removes two players who helped define golf's modern era and underlines how quickly the major stage is shifting toward a new generation.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
