PGA Championship Sleeper Betting Picks: 9 Outsiders (Including Multiple Major Winners) Tipped To Contend At Aronimink Golf Club
Check out who some of Golf Monthly's tour experts have picked to be a surprise contender at Aronimink with plenty of great value on offer in 2026
The 2026 PGA Championship could be regarded as one of the most wide-open Majors in recent history.
Rory McIlroy is coming off a disappointing return to action as well, and the rest of the world's top-10 appears to be in a constant state of fluidity.
In terms of outright betting tips for the PGA Championship, there are several legitimate claims to be made. What that also does is create a deeper field with plenty of other guys who hold bigger prices being dragged into the mix.
Nevertheless, the winner this week must do plenty well. While the early consensus is there is room off the tee via slightly wider fairways than normal, the rough at Aronimink is unflinchingly penal and will take strokes at will.
Playing from the fairway is always recommended, but especially so at this classic north-eastern layout. One of the key metrics for success here is elite ball-striking.
Greens on this Donald Ross design are typically brutal as well and only the best putters will have a chance of lifting the Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening.
In short, a razor-sharp all-round game is the only way to win the PGA Championship at Aronimink. There are plenty who possess the potential to enjoy a perfect week, but who is most likely?
Below, three of Golf Monthly's tour experts have shared their sleeper picks for the 2026 PGA Championship and briefly explained why each might have an outside shout.
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PGA Championship Sleeper Picks
Nicolai Hojgaard (+6000 To Win)
We've known for many years that the Hojgaard twins were set to be superstars, but the pair haven't quite pushed on as soon I thought they would. Nicolai is currently the more in-form brother and I like his chances to contend for the title after a brilliant start to the season.
He has two runner-ups in his last five starts, including last weekend at Quail Hollow, as well as T3rd, T4th and T6th finishes already in 2026.
He is gaining strokes in every department and he is 6th in Scoring Average on the PGA Tour for the season so far. If he can keep this form up, he could well find himself in the mix on Sunday.
The Norwegian is very high-priced this week considering his strong PGA Championship record. In six appearances he has six made cuts with finishes of T2nd in 2023 and 3rd in 2024.
He is playing very solid golf right now, with just one missed cut plus one WD from his last 27 starts. He has gained strokes in all areas this year aside, bizarrely, off the tee, which has typically been one of his strengths.
If he can have a good driving week I think he could well contend for the title and make it back-to-back Norwegian wins on the PGA Tour.
You can never count the 2019 Open champion out at Majors, especially the PGA Championship. As well as owning the joint-lowest score with a 62 in 2024, Lowry has five top-12 finishes in his last eight PGAs.
He has played well this year, notably at the Dubai Invitational and Cognizant Classic where he gifted away the titles in the latter stages. He was also just two back heading into the final round of The Masters before a disastrous 80.
I'm sure Lowry would love to join good friend and countryman Padraig Harrington with the Claret Jug and Wanamaker Trophy in his cabinet. He was T23rd in his last start at Doral and primed to go well at Aronimink.
Aronimink is the kind golf course which tests all aspects of a player's game to the max, but the two most important areas relate to approach play and putting. Rickie Fowler is flying in both this year.
Mr Sunday Orange has gained at least 0.93 strokes on the green in five of his 11 appearances this year and he's gained strokes in all but two events over that same period when it comes to approach play.
His results on corresponding courses across his career fill me with plenty of confidence, too, as does the three top-10s in a row to this point. In such a wide open PGA Championship, why not Rickie?
For the same reasons I believe Fowler could challenge, Patrick Reed is someone else who has the capabilities to do very well at Aronimink.
The ultimate ball-striker with a razor-sharp short game and great accuracy off the tee, Reed certainly fits the bill in terms of a sleeper pick.
He hasn't played since The Masters, which is the only real drawback alongside a slight lack of distance off the tee, but there are so many positives I'm willing to overlook them and expect Reed to be well inside the top-20 at very worst come Sunday.
Chris Gotterup is my third and final sleeper pick in what I feel is such a deep PGA Championship this year. He's a huge driver of the ball with fantastic approach stats and an incredibly impressive year on the greens so far.
He doesn't have anywhere near as much correlating-course history as the other two, but Gotterup's Major form proves the moment isn't too big for him and he's moving along on a steady upwards trajectory more generally, so I wonder if this week could be one where he once again proves just how high his ceiling is.
The American has had a steady 2026, with a handful of top-10s coming at notable events like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Masters.
It's the T7th at Augusta National that is making me pick Burns, as he seems to love the big championships. Earning top-10s at the 2024 and 2025 US Open, he has two top-20s in PGA Championships, and it appears his game suits Aronimink Golf Club well, so I expect that run of results to continue.
Like Burns, Lee has had a handful of top-10s this year, and finished very strongly at the Truist Championship last week, where a seven-under-par final round of 64 gave him a T14th finish.
His driving is a big strength and, with his short game starting to fire, I'm hoping the Australian will be able to overpower the course this week.
For me, if Lee is to win a Major, it would be the PGA Championship as power is a requirement for success - something he has in abundance.
The current US Open champion has carried over his form from last year with a win at the Valero Texas Open in April. What's more, he enjoyed a fine week at the Truist Championship, firing an 11-under-par total to finish T5th.
He may have missed the cut at The Masters, but he's had three straight top-25s since then, indicating it was just an off week for Spaun.
He's a current Major champion and, as shown from the results, his game stacks up on different courses, indicating to me that he offers great value this week.
