US PGA championship preview and quiz.
Tommy Does Golf - The Podcast
EPISODE 11
SEASON 01
7 May 2026
tommy: Welcome to Tommy Does Golf, the podcast where three old timers give you our opinions on everything golf. I'm Tommy Long, joined by fellow PGA Professionals, James Morgan and Paul Charman. With over 100 years and counting in the golf industry between us, we are well into our back nines. We'll do our best to stay on topic, but just like our tee shots these days, this podcast could go anywhere.
We're hoping you enjoy the banter, and maybe, just maybe, we'll share a few pearls of wisdom along the way. Let's get into
it. The 2026 US PGA Championship will tee off on the 14th of May at the Donald Ross-designed Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania. The course looks beautiful, but don't be fooled, it's an absolute brute. In this episode, we'll break down what the golf course demands, who it suits, and why it could produce some serious fireworks.
Then, back by popular demand, the quiz. I've been digging through the archives and history books, and I've put together a fresh set of questions on this major. I'll test the crew, but wherever you're listening from, you can play along too. After that, we briefly revisit our pre-season picks and throw out a few more names that we think have a real shot at taking this thing out.
Joining us for this one, our tipster supreme, Neil Hickman. Neil, it's great to have you with us, mate. But before we get into any of that, a very quick thank you is most definitely in order. When we launched this podcast at the start of the year, we didn't expect this kind of response. The feedback's been incredible, and the crazy number of downloads coming in from all over the world is something we can't get our heads around.
We're hugely grateful, so thank you very much. Okay, let's get into it. It's quiz time. I'll ask the questions, there'll be a few seconds of thinking time, and then I'll go to the crew to see if they can come up with the answers. Gents, it's time to switch your brains on. Here we go. In what year was the first PGA Championship held? anyone?
james: 1916.
tommy: Mate, good knowledge
it was 1916
james: do you know who the winner was?
tommy: Go on, give it to me.
james: Jim Barnes.
tommy: Fantastic.
james: Only English winner of the US PGA Championship.
tommy: Amazing. All right, question two: What was the winner's prize in the inaugural tournament in US dollars?
paul: $25.
tommy: No. No, that wouldn't have been fair. Oh. 500 US dollars
paul: That was a lot of money back in those days. What year was that?
tommy: 1916.
paul: That was a lot of money.
tommy: Okay. Well, this one, if you've done a bit of research, you boys should get this, but we'll see. Until what year was the USPGA Championship played as match play?
james: 1957 was the last lot of match play. '58 was the first round of stroke play.
tommy: Very good. Any idea why they changed it?
james: Just to fit in with the other tournaments. Match play was starting to be less popular.
tommy: Yeah. There's a little bit of that. To improve television appeal. Yeah. And the other thing that they mentioned was that stroke play ensured the top players remained in contention longer.
There was a danger that one of the top seeds would go out in the first round in match play, so that was another reason why they did it. Okay, another question: What year did the PGA Championship move from August to May, and why?
james: That's reasonably recent.
tommy: It was. Have a stab.
james: Uh, 2016.
tommy: Paulie, what do you reckon?
Paul: I'm gonna go 2012.
tommy: Yeah, not bad. James was closest. 2019. Right. It was done to improve scheduling and avoid conflicts with the NFL season, and apparently to increase the interest in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
tommy: Which venue has hosted the PGA Championship the most times?
james: Not a scooby.
tommy: Paulie, have a stab in the dark.
james: Wouldn't know.
tommy: Okay. It's Southern Hills Country Club, which has hosted the PGA Championship five times.
James: Wow.
tommy: Okay. Wow. I reckon you might get this one, though. This is an easy one. We've gone from quite hard to quite easy. Which golfer has the most runner-up finishes in PGA Championship history?
james: Any- I'm gonna guess Jack Nicklaus
tommy: Yeah, Nicklaus finished second four times in this tournament, as well as winning it the five. That's pretty incredible, really, isn't it? Yeah.
james: Yeah.
tommy: Okay, here we go: Who won the rain-delayed 2009 USPGA Championship at Hazeltine? Come on. Anyone?
james: I know who it is
tommy: Come on then
james: Y.E. Yang
tommy: He did Y.E. Yang. Absolutely. And in doing so, he became the first Asian-born men's major winner.
James: Wow.
tommy: So pretty good. All right, here's one for you. How many times did Tom Watson win the PGA Championship?
paul: Trick question.
james: Yeah.
tommy: You think it's a trick question?
james: I think it's zero.
tommy: Okay. Well done, boys. I did try and trick you. Yeah, he didn't win it. Out of his eight majors, he never won the PGA- Wow ... which denied him the Career Slam. Wow. Amazing. Okay. All right. Which famous golfer finished runner-up three times but never won the PGA Championship?
Neil: Colin Montgomerie?
tommy: No.
james: Nick Faldo?
tommy: No. You can have a stab Paul.
Paul : Arnold Palmer.
tommy: Arnold Palmer. And this also prevented him from completing the Career Slam. That's amazing. Okay. Who won the first sudden death playoff in PGA Championship history? And I'll give you a clue. It was in 1977, so that'll give you a bit of an idea on who it might be. Anybody?
James: Tom Weiskopf.
tommy: No. It was Lanny Wadkins.
paul: Lanny.
tommy: At Pebble Beach. He defeated Gene Littler. Okay. I'm pretty sure if you've done a bit of research, you're gonna get this one right, but we'll have a crack anyway. Mm. Who is the youngest winner in US PGA Championship history? James?
james: Gene Sarazen.
tommy: It was Gene Sarazen. Do you know how old he was?
james: He was 20 years and 174 days.
tommy: Oh. Cool. Fantastic. Well done. All right, we're gonna go, who's the oldest winner in PGA Championship history? James, you go again.
james: Phil Mickelson.
tommy: Okay. How old was he?
james: He was 50 years and 11 months.
tommy: I'm quite impressed with that. Who holds the record for the largest margin of victory, and how many strokes did he win by?
james: What year? Give us a clue.
tommy: 2012. That's your clue.
james: Okay. DJ. Dustin Johnson
tommy: No.
paul: Rory.
tommy: It was Rory.
paul: Ooh.
tommy: Okay, so go on, have a stab at how many.
paul: I’ll go six.
tommy: It was eight shots- Eight. Oh, wow ... which is a tournament record.
paul: Wow.
tommy: Yeah, pretty cool. Okay, well, this is easy. I shouldn't really even ask this one, but who is the only golfer to win the US PGA Championship in three different decades?
james: Has to be Jack Nicklaus
tommy: It is Jack Nicklaus '
james: cause they were seventeen years apart.
tommy: Sixties, seventies, and eighties. Yeah. Okay, next question. Tricky one. Who won the US PGA Championship in two thousand and three?
Neil: Sean Michelle.
tommy: Sean Michelle? He might quite like that. I don't know. I'd say Shaun Micheel. It remains his only PGA Tour victory.
james: A one-shot lead up the last, and they thought he was gonna crumble, and he stuck it to two foot.
tommy: Yeah. Thanks for coming. Yeah, best, best approach of his life. Well, probably wasn't.
That's a bit unfair on him, but yeah, under pressure, I would say it would have been. Yeah. All right, another one. Which player is the only alternate to win the US PGA Championship, and where was it played?
james: Give us a clue. I'm not gonna give you a clue. What year?
tommy: I'm not even gonna tell you that 'cause that's too much of a clue. The only alternate to win the PGA Championship Come on, Neil.
Neil: John Daly. Yeah, the light went on there, didn't it?
tommy: right. Where did he win that?
james: Oh. He drove through the night, didn't he?
tommy: He drove through the night. But do you not remember him when he's gone up the last, and he's clicking his fingers together, waving his arm about, and the crowd were going mental. Crooked Stick Golf Club. Crooked Stick. All right, nineteen ninety-one, he entered as the ninth alternate.
Nick Price pulled out, and so he drove through the night, and he won it without a practice round. Amazing.
james: So for the listeners that don't know what an alternate is, it's when they have a reserve list, and if people pull out, the alternates go in.
tommy: That's what I'm always hoping for.
james: Are you?
tommy: Alternate spots.
james: Yeah, I got an alternate spot.
tommy: Did you? Yeah. Who did you poison?
james: I was seventy-sixth alternate though.
Tommy: All right. Okay, here we go. Who won the two thousand and eleven PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club? Neil.
Neil: Keegan Bradley.
tommy: Keegan Bradley did. Who did he beat down the stretch? It was actually a playoff, so there's a clue. I'll give you more of a clue. Loved a club waggle.
Neil: Oh, Jason Duffner.
tommy: Yes, he did. Well done. It was a good clue, eh? All right. I remember counting forty-eight of them once before he took the club away.
It was incredible. Didn't get to fifty though, thank God. All right. So who won the twenty twenty PGA Championship, the first major played during COVID-19? You've been up all night, Neil. Go on, give it. Give it to me.
Neil: Collin Morikawa.
tommy: Collin Morikawa. He did. He won at TPC Harding Park with no spectators present.
Paul: Did he have COVID?
tommy: No.
James: That par four he drove, was it on the back nine? Like, he knocked it to, like, a foot pin. unbelievable.
tommy: I didn't watch it. I was in bed with COVID. All right. Who won the 2023 US PGA Championship at OakHill?
paul: Brooks. Koepka
tommy: He did. in doing so, he secured his third PGA Championship and his fifth major. Yeah.
paul: Whoa.
tommy: Pretty cool. Okay. Who was the first champion to successfully retain the US PGA Championship title in the stroke play era? James, tell me. You look like you know.
james: I wanna say Jack Nicklaus.
tommy: Okay. Anyone? Oh.
paul: I'm gonna go Tiger.
tommy: Yeah, you're right. It is Tiger. Tiger defended his title in two thousand after winning it in 1999. I like this one. Which player became the first to win the US PGA Championship wire to wire in the stroke play era? James?
james: Ray Floyd is my answer.
tommy: Absolutely. All right. So I love that about Ray Floyd 'cause I always think he's a little bit overlooked. He was a bit of a legend. Okay. Which golfer won the USPGA Championship despite hitting it into the water on the eighteenth hole in the final round? Do you want a clue?
james: Yes.
tommy: Okay. He narrowly defeated Tiger Woods. It was the two thousand and two championship at Hazeltine. And he's one of those out-the-box winners. One major.
james: Another one of those.
tommy: Rich Beem.
james: Oh. Don't remember that
tommy: Rich Beem. Yeah.
james: where are they now?
tommy: Well, he's commentating, isn't he? Great commentator.
But I think he was also a mobile phone salesman as well. I think, I think he was. I think he was. He's probably a very good one as well. Which golf course has hosted the PGA Championship in three different decades? Anyone?
james: No.
tommy: Valhalla. Valhalla. It hosted in 1996, 2000 and 2014, showing its longstanding importance in major championship golf. :Well, that's the end of the quiz. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Fellas, you did better than I thought you would. You came up with some pretty good answers there.
But now it's time to talk about the golf course, the test that is Aronimink Golf Club. I've done a little bit of research on the course layout and green complexes. Truth be told, I've probably spent a little bit more time on this than I should have. But to make sure this segment of the podcast doesn't drag on, I've condensed it down.
So here's my summary. Aronimink is a classic Donald Ross design. Its layout will test every facet of the game. The scorecard reads as a par seventy, but don't be fooled by that. This year, the course will play somewhere between seventy-three and seventy-five hundred yards. It's got 12 par fours, four par threes, and only two par fives.
The opening hole, a 434-yard par four with an elevated green, has a fairway that falls away aggressively. If players miss the short stuff from the tee, they'll immediately be scrambling, and scrambling onto Donald Ross greens from missed fairways can be a nightmare. Adam Scott said it best. He said, "It's not just about hitting greens.
It's about controlling your wedge distances into those tricky sloping greens. Ten feet below the hole, you're in business. But finish above it, good luck. It's three-putt city." Now, Donald Ross believed that long iron play was a golfer's ultimate test, and Aronimink is most definitely a second shot golf course.
If the players don't have their irons dialed in from 185 to 235 yards, then it's likely they'll be sitting out the weekend. So who wins? Well, we'll come to that in a minute because the boys are gonna share their picks. But I think it's safe to say it has to be a player comfortable shaping the golf ball both ways, someone who can control their distance and trajectory into the challenging greens, and add to that, someone who can putt really well.
One thing's for sure, it's a really demanding test, and that's why I can't wait for this one. So there's my thoughts on the golf course. Anything to add, fellas? Neil, have you got anything for us in terms of toughest holes or anything else to look out for?
Neil: Lots of bunkers. They're saying approximately between 174 and 178 bunkers.
The 11th hole especially has 20 bunkers on it. Toughest holes, the eighth hole plays the toughest. 246-yard par 3 is the eighth, and then for the second toughest hole is number 15, which is a par 4, 502 yards. And just to put another one onto it as well, the 17th hole, par 3. They're the three toughest holes.
Easiest holes, the 16th, which is a par 5, and then the ninth hole, par 5. It's gonna be a great tournament. It
tommy: will be a great tournament.
Neil: I mean, interesting, one stat I did find, the last winner in 2018 was Keegan Bradley, and on his final round, he birdied all of the par 3s.
paul: Did he really?
Neil: He birdied the four par 3s in the final round for 64 and beat Justin Rose in the play-off.
paul: Par 70, two par 5s. Whose hands does that play into? 'Cause I mean, if you're playing to par 72 with five par 5s, generally you start thinking the longer hitters, possibility of getting on the greens for two, eagles. But when there's only two par 5s- Yeah ... and they're not gimmes, what sort of player is going to perform best on this sort of golf course?
Yeah. 'Cause it's, it's still not short.
Tommy: James, you're looking like you want to say something. What have you got for us?
james: I just found a quote for the US PGA. I looked at the course setup, and it popped up and said, "It will be a supreme test of long iron play and strategic accurate course management." So whoever you think fits into that category- will be your winner.
tommy: At the start of the year, you selected Scottie Scheffler to win this one Which has Paul and myself quaking a little bit because obviously you picked Rory to win the Masters. If you go two from two, there's no coming back for me and Paul, is there really from there? We're dead. And obviously Scottie has been hitting the straps a little bit in the last couple of weeks.
He's been showing a bit of form. And to be honest, the more I've looked into this golf course, the more I feel like he is one of the players who really has the attributes needed to win this tournament. But James, the other three names, I'm interested. I'm assuming that you've done a little bit of homework on this, or I'm hoping you have.
Paul might have just plucked them out of thin air. Its worked for him fairly well in the past.
paul: As long as they're playing in the tournament.
tommy: Exactly. All right, but James, can you tell us who you have got for us? What other players do you expect to be in contention? Take it away.
james: So my first pick is Matthew Fitzpatrick, who's just won his last two starts.
Winning with his brother, so he's having some time to recuperate and get himself ready. His driving was a little bit erratic under the pump, but he must be super confident. Really, really confident. He's paying twenty-three dollars. And then I've then gone with two which are more from the heart. Yeah.
Because you know what I'm like when I'm backing anyone at golf. I've got a shocking record. Tyrrell Hatton, he is a great ball striker. He doesn't get given enough credit, and I think this golf course could set up nicely for him. He's paying forty-one bucks. And then the real one with the heart is Gary Woodland.
tommy: Okay.
james: He's come back. He's had a win. Watching him play last week, he's starting to hit the ball really well. And a couple of the par threes, there was one that was like two thirty, and he stuck it like two feet from the heart.
tommy: Yeah.
james: So looking at that, long holes, I'm hoping he's fit enough to be able to last the four rounds.
tommy: Paul Now we'll come to you. We will find out who you pulled out the hat.
paul: Obviously, my first choice was Rosie. Justin Rose
tommy: Yes, you did pick Justin Rose at the start of the year, which is a good pick.
Paul: Okay, so look, my top favorite, just on current form and the way he's playing, is Cameron Young. I just think he's in a groove.
He just seems to be at the top of the leaderboard at the moment, and I think he's waiting for the opportunity to just go out there and show us what he's really made of, and I think this could be the tournament. He's long, he's straight, he's just cool, he's calm, collected.
tommy: Yes.
paul: So I do think that this tournament could suit him very, very well.
I'm gonna stick with one of my favorites, Min Woo Lee. Let me down a little bit at the Masters. Just a little bit. But I just think, again, this guy, he's got it in him. At some point or other, he's gonna fire, and it's all gonna go his way. And then I'm gonna go slightly outside the box here. This guy can do it. Watched him the other day, and there was a different demeanor about him.
Paul: Jordan Spieth.
james: Watching him play, he's actually swinging it better than he's ever swung it.
paul: Yeah.
james: And the one thing that's let him down, which has always been his strength, is his putting. Right. So if he fixes that in the next few days I think you've actually got a good pick there.
tommy: Okay. So we're going Cameron Young- Cam ... Min Woo Lee, and Jordan Spieth. Jordan Spieth. Three good picks. Yeah. Cam Young's probably paying the least amount.
Neil: He's fourth paying 15.
tommy: 15, okay. And what about Jordan Spieth? Have we got a number for him? He's gotta be what, 40?
Neil: Uh, 51.
paul: 51, okay.
tommy: Not bad. Neil, I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna jump in and give my selections quickly.
I've got Ludvig Åberg in play because I picked him at the start of the year, but I've got a couple of other players I think might do all right. First up, Justin Thomas. Hasn't been in amazing form of late, however, he has won this tournament twice before, winning it in 2017 and 2022. To do well around this golf course, you've gotta be a fantastic wedge player, and Justin Thomas is pretty handy with a wedge.
He also has a knack of picking apart challenging layouts. I think his imagination and his wedge play is perfectly suited to this test, so I've gone for him. I don't know what odds he is, but I reckon he's worth the punt. The other player I've gone for, and this isn't from the heart, this is definitely with the head, is Patrick Reed.
He's a brilliant shot-maker, fantastic with a wedge, and when he gets that flat stick going, he doesn't miss many. He started the season well on the DP World Tour, notching up a couple of wins. He's got a great pair of hands around the green, and he does have the ability to play so many different shots.
Again, I don't know what odds he's paying. Would it be 40-ish, Neil? No,
Neil: 67.
paul: Wow.
tommy: He's 67?
paul: All right.
tommy: Well, I might actually go to the bookies and have a little flutter on him. Right. We're gonna go to you, Neil, our tipster
supremo. We are gonna find out who you are going for.
Neil: Yeah. Well, first pick, I feel like changing 'cause Paul's picked him, but- I mean, Cameron Young how good is he playing at the moment? He's leading all the stats on the par 3s- Yeah ... on the PGA Tour, and the key is the par 3s, I think, on this golf course. But I will change that one. I'm gonna go Xander Schauffele. He's playing well in the big tournaments. He seems to be coming back to form. He won this tournament in 2024, and that's obviously a different golf course.
So my first pick, Xander. He's playing 17. I
tommy: It's funny, I've been watching a lot of Xander over the past probably two, three months, and I just feel with him, if he can get that flat stick going and get that putter hot, then he's really in with a shout 'cause he's so solid, isn't he, Xander? And he does have that awesome temperament.
Nothing fazes him, you know? But like I said, I just feel like he just hasn't quite got the flat stick going and he hasn't been holing those sort of 12-foot birdie putts regularly enough. But if he gets it in the right spots and he starts dropping a few, yeah, that could be a really good shout. It could be.
Neil: So second pick is gonna be Sam Burns.
tommy: Yeah.
Neil: Um, you know, putting seems to be the key at this tournament. He's up there regularly. He's a good ball striker. So Sam Burns paying 51.
tommy: Okay.
Neil: And a complete outsider for me, just keep it interesting, Ben Griffin.
tommy: Yeah.
Neil: Bit of an unknown name but, you know, he, he had such a good year last year.
He's just found some form again. He's paying 71. So they're my picks for winning. So
tommy: you're going Xander?
Neil: Yep, Xander Schauffele one, Sam Burns two, Ben Griffin three.
tommy: Yeah. And we've all named some players there. Not one of us has mentioned Rory. I mean, at this moment in time, the Grand Slam is still on.
No one's ever done it in the calendar year.. So it is still on. So it's gonna be interesting to see how Rory goes round there.
james: He's had a bit of time off, though, hasn't he ?
tommy: has he ?
Neil: Statistically, pulling my stats here, Rory struggles on par threes. He's something like 60th ranked for scoring on par threes.
tommy: Okay.
Neil: But maybe the rest will do him some good.
tommy: Yeah. I think it's really nice that we're playing a golf course that's a par 70, because that doesn't happen that often. This golf course had the US PGA in 1962. Gary Player won this tournament in 1962 at two under par. They've stretched this golf course out, obviously, distance-wise since then, but retained the par 70.
I think we should all have a bit of a stab. I know it's difficult to say, 'cause we don't know what the weather's gonna be doing, and we haven't looked at the rough. And we also don't know the speed of the greens. But what do we think? If we were gonna have just a guess, what's the winning score gonna be on this golf course?
60-plus years on, what are we gonna go for? I'm gonna go for 13 under par.
james: I was gonna go 12 under.
tommy: Okay. What about you? Paul
Paul: Eight. Eight under.
Tommy:Neil?
Neil: 14. 14.
james: Oh, that's cause you've now got the overs.
tommy: Fair play. I'm gonna be amped watching this thing now, and I'm gonna either be pulling for people or pulling against them, depending on what you lads have said. So thanks for joining. Really good pod. We'll see whether James keeps his streak going. Yeah. All right. Take it easy. Yeah. We'll see you all soon, eh?
paul: Cheers, boys.
tommy: Cheers,
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