Tour Confidential: 5 Burning Questions for the 2026 PGA Tour Season

Check-in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we look at the 2026 season, Scottie Scheffler’s prospects and who will win their first major in 2026.

After several weeks off, the 2026 PGA Tour season begins Thursday with the Sony Open in Hawaii. Last week we covered some bold predictions for this year, so this week we’re diving into the second part of our seasonal preview. Scottie Scheffler has won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award for the past four years, so will you take Scheffler or the field with you in 2026?

Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): I’m going to take the field. Scottie is getting better, but in the end he won’t win everything. At least, I think so.

Sean Zak, senior writer (@Sean_Zak): It would be a bit stunning not to see Scheffler win three times in 2026. That feels like his floor! So who’s going to beat that? Rory McIlroy could certainly take the crown, but that would have to happen at the biggest events. If Jon Rahm were a PGA Tour golfer, maybe I would think otherwise, but he isn’t. So I’m taking Scheffler against the field.

Jack Hirsh, Associate Equipment Editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Yes, it’s hard to bet against Scheffler. Last year we wondered how he would top a seven-win season. How about winning six more times and doubling his major total to set up a potential Grand Slam completion on Long Island this summer? Depending on how I’m feeling on a given day, I sometimes think Rory McIlroy can be the better player at his best, but he’s just not there every week like Scheffler is now. You just can’t bet against that kind of sustained greatness.

If Scheffler doesn’t win, who will? Or who will be his number two?

Schrock: I’m taking Tommy Fleetwood. With the PGA Tour monkey off his back, he wins three times, including a major, and wins the POTY.

Bag: I think Xander Schauffele will return to world record form, so I’ll put my chips on him. His floor was never real That low in 2025, despite some injury problems. This year he’s increasing it.

Hirs: I’m on the Fleetwood hype train too, but I still don’t think (even if he wins the Masters like I expect him to) he’ll beat McIlroy.

Last year, Ben Griffin started the season winless but won three times on the PGA Tour and earned a Ryder Cup pick. Who will you choose as a breakout player in 2026?

Schrock: I want to say Luke Clanton, but the results since he turned pro have been tough. He still has a lot of potential, but as a breakout player I’ll go a different direction and pick Michael Thorbjornsen to win multiple times in 2026. I’d also look out for Marco Penge, who has one of the best swings in golf and is fresh off three wins in 2025 on the DP World Tour. I wouldn’t be shocked if he stays hot and wins once or twice on his new tour, if the game stays in form.

Bag: Rasmus Hojgaard! I will plant my flag behind him as the better twin, with all due respect to Nico. He has won a lot and competed on the DP World Tour; enough that you’d expect him to do it on the PGA Tour. My dart throw is that he will have a win in the spring and maybe another in the fall.

Hirs: Does Cameron Young count? I know he became popular late in the season, finally got into the winner’s circle and was the LLVP (Least Least Valuable Player) for the Americans at the Ryder Cup, but I see him carrying that momentum to at least two more wins this season.

JJ Spaun made one of the most memorable putts of the season last year to win the US Open and claim his first major. Which major-less player will get his first win in 2026?

Schrock: I’ve already picked Fleetwood to win a major, so we’ll stay there. All eyes will be on him at the Open, but I think he can get it done at Shinnecock in June.

Bag: I’m going to rely on Viktor Hovland and his endless hunt. The talent is there. I hope everything falls into place in the weeks that matter.

Hirs: Fleetwood wins the Masters. Ludvig Aberg is the champion golfer of the year. Did I stutter?

And the Rookie of the Year 2026 will be…?

Schrock: Give me Penge. I like the swing and the attitude. He wins twice.

Bag: We keep the Norwegian atmosphere high and go for Kristoffer Reitan. DataGolf currently ranks him 39th in the world, which is about 40 spots higher than I expected. He hits it far enough and putsts it great. He can win on weeks when his irons are above average.

Hirs: I also like Penge a lot, but I’m going with Johnny Keefer, the KFT player of the year. He won almost $1 million on that Tour last year and finished T7 on the RSM at the end of the year. Sky is the limit for the Baylor boy.

And your latest bold wildcard prediction is…?

Schrock: Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler will both return to the winner’s circle in 2026. Spieth wins at Pebble Beach in February, while Fowler gets it done at the RBC Heritage.

Bag: Sepp Straka, great champion.

Hirs: The trio of over-40s, Justin Rose, Gary Woodland and Adam Scott, have three wins between them, and each is T5 in a major.