The 2026 PGA Tour season begins this week with the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. After a four-month offseason, the golfers are back and ready to begin a brand new season. Making now a perfect time to offer up some bold predictions for what to expect this year in the sport’s most popular league.
Scottie Scheffler wins 8th PGA title
Over the last few years, Scottie Scheffler emerged not only as the best PGA Tour player but the best on the planet. In 2024, Scheffler won seven PGA Tour titles, besides his Olympic Gold Medal and his win at the Hero World Challenge. He followed that up in 2025 with six wins, including two majors.
As a result, this is the year Scheffler takes it up a notch with eight PGA Tour titles. That would be the most since Tiger Woods reached eight wins in 2006. It would also come with no hand injury to begin the season, unlike last year, which delayed his start.
Rory McIlroy wins two majors
In each of the last two years, a player won two of the four major tournaments. Xander Schauffele won the 2024 PGA and Open Championships, and Scheffler won the same two events last year.
After winning the Masters to also achieve the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy gets back on the major championship victory train with two in 2026. Prior to his Masters win a year ago, McIlroy had not won a major in 11 years. He goes on a run at two major championships.
Sahith Theegala wins three PGA Tour events, COPY
Last season, Sahith Theegala was limited due to a tweak in his oblique followed by a neck issue. This comes after finishing third at the Tour Championship 2024. As a result, Theegala will bounce back strong and return to that 2024 form when he won two events and competed in his first Presidents Cup.
He also had an unforgettable offseason, highlighted by proposing to his fiancée, Juju, in October. In addition to a wedding in 2026, Theegala will stamp the season with Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Brooks Koepka needs a strong finish to make playoffs
The biggest news entering the PGA Tour season is the return of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka. Koepka will play in a minimum of 15 events of the 2026 PGA Tour Regular Season. That begins with starts at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open within the first two months.
Getting back into the swing of playing a full season will be challenging at the beginning for Koepka. However, he will still make the FedEx Cup Playoffs behind a late surge, like Lucas Glover in 2023.
PGA Tour ends LIV Golf
With the news of Koepka returning to the PGA Tour, it questions the credibility of LIV Golf. Only those who won a major since 2022 – Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, and Jon Rahm – are eligible to return to the PGA Tour, but must do so before Feb. 2.
Although DeChambeau and Rahm said they were staying with LIV Golf in 2026, if they change their mind over the next two weeks, the draw for LIV Golf immediately drops, not having three of its biggest stars. That could ultimately lead to the end of LIV Golf.
Jordan Spieth returns to peak form
Last year, Jordan Spieth was recovering from wrist surgery that he had before the 2025 season. Despite not having a top-10 finish in the final two months, Spieth finds his way in 2026. He will be a contender from week to week. Especially once he finds his rhythm back, he can be an unstoppable force as the summer months arrive.
Neal Shipley wins Rookie of the Year
The PGA Tour welcomes 22 rookies in 2026. One of the notables is Neal Shipley, who was a standout during his college days at Ohio State. He was also paired with Woods during the 2024 Masters during the weekend. In his first season on the PGA Tour, Shipley shines with his first two PGA Tour wins. His success in 2026 will lead to capturing the Tour’s Rookie of the Year honors.
Worst score to win an event will be over par
There will be a PGA Tour event where the winner will win at over par. Although it is a rare occurrence, the combination of weather and course conditions makes it perfect to whip up high scores. This could even be in a major where the tournament committee cannot control the elements. However, the respective tournament committee, especially at a major, also has to ensure that the conditions are a challenge for the entire field.
Max Homa bounces back with two wins
Jordan Spieth and Sahith Theegala will not be the only two guys competing for Comeback Player of the Year. A third will be Max Homa, who did not make the top 100 in the FedEx Cup Standings last year. As a result, Homa will also rebound this season with a strong season, capped off with a trip to Eastlake for the Tour Championship.
