PGA Championship: Golf One and Done Picks Strategy (2026)

We go through odds, popularity, stats, and future value to find the best PGA Championship One and Done Picks and sleepers this week.

by Jason Lisk - May 11, 2026

The PGA Championship week for Golf One and Done pools is here, sitting at a crossroads for pool players. We have made it through the first half of the year — including a run of high-profile events and the Masters — and now arrive at the second major of the season, where the full complement of PGA Tour players are eligible to compete.

The PGA Championship has recently trailed both The Masters and U.S. Open in total purse, but still represents a high leverage opportunity, due to the much larger field and cut. Add in some players like those from the LIV and DP World Tour who are in the field, and there are more options to choose from.

We’ll break down the top PGA Championship One and Done picks this week, who’s likely to be popular, and how you should approach this key event.

---

The PGA Championship One and Done Picks: Purse Info

The PGA Championship purse has not been officially announced, but last year’s total purse was $19,000,000, with $3,420,000 going to the first-place winner. Any increase this year would push it closer to the typical Signature Event prize money, and maybe just above recent events like the Truist and Cadillac Championships, but with a much larger field and a cut.

If you want to see where this tournament’s purse ranks in your specific PGA One and Done pool, you can set up your pool entry in our Golf One and Done Picks product.

---

The PGA Championship Overview for One and Done Pools

This analysis is a complement to the data in our product, which provides customized weekly pick grades that account for factors like:

• The total number of picks you need to make this season
• The specific tournaments included in your pool
• The golfers you’ve already used so far

Here are a few notable highlights for the 2026 PGA Championship field:

• 156 golfers in the 2026 field. The PGA Championship traditionally features one of the largest fields of the major season.
• Top 70 and ties will make the cut. This is a larger cut than the Masters, which typically means more of the broader field survives the weekend.
• The course: Aronimink Golf Club, near Philadelphia. This is only the second PGA Championship held at Aronimink, with the first coming back in 1962. The course plays as a par 70 at 7,394 yards, featuring a large number of bunkers and large greens. It is not as long as some other major venues, but iron play and accuracy off the tee are expected to be key factors this week.
• Big names have been rolling recently. The 2026 season has been notably competitive. Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, and Matt Fitzpatrick have each won in the stretch leading up to this event, while Scottie Scheffler — despite finishing second on three separate occasions — is still seeking his second win of the season. Most recently, PGA Tour rookie Kristoffer Reitan won the Truist Championship, underlining the depth and unpredictability of this year’s tour.
• Alex Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, and Matt McCarty are among hottest golfers: In addition to Reitan’s big win last week, some others have been surging and putting themselves into consideration as lower-owned options here, including Alex Fitzpatrick, who has had a whirlwind month of getting his Tour card by winning the Zurich team event with his brother, then following it up with two great weeks in a row. Rickie Fowler has also been Top 10 in his last three starts, while Matt McCarty has been Top 12 in three straight.

---

The PGA Championship One and Done Picks Video

Jason will be going LIVE at 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 12th with a PGA Video that will cover multiple pool types, including Golf One and Done.

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the PoolGenius YouTube Channel so you don’t miss when each Golf One and Done strategy breakdown is released.

---

The PGA Championship One and Done Picks Advice

Top 15 in Win Odds

Here are the top 15 (and ties) in betting odds to win the 2026 PGA Championship:

1. Scottie Scheffler +345
2. Rory McIlroy +870
3. Jon Rahm +1325
4. Cameron Young +1550
5. Bryson DeChambeau +1750
6. Ludvig Aberg +1900
7. Xander Schauffele +1900
8. Matt Fitzpatrick +2150
9. Tommy Fleetwood +2500
10. Brooks Koepka +3400
11. Collin Morikawa +3600
12. Justin Rose +4400
13. Justin Thomas +4500
14. Russell Henley +4700
15. Patrick Cantlay +4900

---

Projected Most Popular PGA Championship One and Done Picks

Here are the most popular projected One and Done picks for the PGA Championship, as of Monday afternoon and includes everyone at 2% or more:

• Bryson DeChambeau – 14.1%
• Scottie Scheffler – 10.9%
• Rory McIlroy – 9.8%
• Xander Schauffele – 7.2%
• Cameron Young – 6.9%
• Jon Rahm – 6.7%
• Ludvig Aberg – 6.1%
• Matt Fitzpatrick – 5.7%
• Tommy Fleetwood – 3.7%
• Collin Morikawa – 3.3%
• Patrick Cantlay – 2.7%
• Brooks Koepka – 2.6%
• Justin Thomas – 2.4%
• Si Woo Kim – 2.0%

How will One and Done players treat the top two players from the LIV Tour. Both Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm disappointed at The Masters, and the rival tour appears to be on its final legs and causing distractions and uncertainty for its members. We would guess they would less popular overall than they were at Augusta, where 30% to 40% of all picks were on the duo.

DeChambeau was generally the less popular of the two, and is more available. That, and his recent history at the PGA Championship, where he has been runner up twice, has us still projecting him to be popular, but not nearly to the extreme of Rahm at the Masters, or McIlroy last week.

---

Top Recommended One and Done Picks for The PGA Championship

Grades can differ from entry to entry depending on who has been used, so check your individual entries. Here are some of the golfers appearing near the top in pools:

• Scottie Scheffler
• Xander Schauffele
• Rory McIlroy
• Jon Rahm
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Ludvig Aberg
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Cameron Young
• Tommy Fleetwood

---

How Our Golf OAD Expert Is Playing It

Who I have used … and who I want to save on entries for the Memorial, U.S. Open, and end of season … is really dictating my approach to this week. I’ve used enough Scheffler that I want to have more of him in play at the next two events (Memorial, U.S. Open). Same with Rory McIlroy. I am also entirely saving Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick as well on entries that still have them, but have used other top golfers.

I am focusing on my double-up picks on the contenders just below that top group, but who should come in a little less popular, with multiple entries with Aberg, Fleetwood, and Schauffele. I use Rahm and DeChambeau on some where I also want to save other golfers, and mix in more unique picks on Fowler, Kitayama, and Spaun on trailing entries.

• Xander Schauffele (2)
• Tommy Fleetwood (2)
• Ludvig Aberg (2)
• Scottie Scheffler
• Rory McIlroy
• Jon Rahm
• Bryson DeChambeau
• J.J. Spaun
• Rickie Fowler
• Kurt Kitayama