Weekend Winners and Losers Ahead of the 2026 PGA Championship

Winner - Kristoffer Reitan

Playing in the final group alongside Alex Fitzpatrick on Sunday, Kristoffer Reitan carded a 2-under 69 to win the Truist Championship, the first PGA Tour victory of his career. One of the 10 players to earn PGA Tour status last year by way of the DP World Tour, the 28-year-old Norwegian got off to a slow start early in the season. But Reitan found his footing in the four starts leading into the Truist, and he now has a big-time piece of hardware with his name on it. “Happened way sooner than I would have imagined,” Reitan conceded. “Just absolutely thrilled.” A few years ago, Reitan lost his passion for the game and considered becoming a full-time YouTube content creator. Perhaps his story will inspire future generations of golfers mulling the life of competing professionally versus going for likes and subscribers, like two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau!

Winner - Alex Fitzpatrick

Two starts into his PGA Tour career as a full member, Fitzpatrick has quickly quieted any doubts about whether he belongs on Tour. The 27-year-old had a successful collegiate career at Wake Forest, but his professional career had been up and down prior to 2026. This year, however, he has now racked up a DP World Tour victory in India, a joint Zurich Classic win alongside his brother, and back-to-back top-10 finishes in signature events — a T-9 and a solo fourth. “I think just something is maybe being from Sheffield and you kind of got that sort of work ethic and I'll just outwork you,” his older brother Matt said on Sunday. “I think he definitely has that belief in himself that he kind of can look around and go, ‘No, I can beat these guys as well.’”

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Winner - Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler finished T-2 at Quail Hollow, his first top-five finish on Tour since the 2024 Zozo Championship and his fourth top 10 through 11 starts this season. Good to see Fowler playing solid golf again.

Winner - Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee at the Truist and tied for the second-most greens hit in regulation. A T-19 at one of his favorite courses in the world isn’t a particularly impressive result by his standards, but the quality of his ball-striking should build confidence entering Aronimink.

Winner - Yurav Premlall

Twenty-two-year-old South African Yurav Premlall won the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship by 14 shots on Sunday for his first DP World Tour victory. Ranked 598th in the world entering this past week, Premlall had not recorded a top-30 finish on the DP World Tour all season. But after posting 63-63 on the weekend, he obliterated the field, nearly matching the modern record for margin of victory (15) set by Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Given Premlall’s form and the margin of victory, it isn’t a stretch to call his performance one of the most unlikely tournament results of the decade. Mickelson in ‘21 and Premlall in ‘26?

Winner - Brandt Snedeker

Speaking of unlikely winners, 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker won on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2018. Myrtle Beach Classics don’t feature the strongest fields on Tour, but it is an impressive feat nonetheless for the 2026 Presidents Cup captain. With a spot in the PGA Championship now secured, Snedeker has immediately jumped to the top of the leaderboard for most entertaining potential PGA winner. Is it going to happen? No, no it is not. But imagine how much fun another playing-captain controversy would be. We deserve this.

Winner - Justin Thomas (On the Course)

Justin Thomas hasn’t looked quite as sharp as he would like so far this season, but he entered Sunday within striking distance of the lead, a glimmer of hope that he could be rounding into form. Entering a major championship he has already won twice in his career, it wouldn’t be crazy to see Thomas’ name near the top of the leaderboard at Aronimink.

Loser - Justin Thomas (Off the Course)

On Friday, Adam Schupak published comments from PGA Tour players lambasting the proposed equipment rollback. JT wasn’t shy with his opinion. “I feel a majority of guys out here are under the same opinion I am that there isn’t a problem with the golf ball,” Thomas said. “So, if that’s the case, I don’t know why we’d let a group of amateur golfers decide how we play the game.” So there you have it: a group of amateur golfers shouldn’t interfere with the preferences of professional golfers, who, given their playing credentials, surely know what’s best for the game. I do wonder if Thomas keeps that same energy towards Augusta National, a club with a rich history of being run by amateur golfers that also happens to host the most successful tournament in the world and preaches the importance of responsible equipment regulation. Should Augusta keep its hands off the game, JT? Like many other professional golfers who have come before him and been paid by OEMs, I suspect Thomas’ views on this issue may evolve over the next 30 years.

Loser - Cameron Young

Cameron Young lost 5.5 strokes on the greens on Sunday afternoon after entering the final round just two shots off the lead. It was an unfortunate flashback to the Young of old, whose putter frequently failed him. He will remain a popular PGA Championship pick despite the ugly putting performance on Sunday, but Young will need a short memory to leave a rough day on the greens in the rearview mirror.

Loser - Don Rea Jr.‍

In a Q&A with Eamon Lynch, PGA of America CEO Terry Clark confirmed that Rea will not speak at Wednesday’s PGA of America press conference at Aronimink. Per Clark, the karaoke star has been asked to focus on “non-public facing membership responsibilities.” It is the latest installment in what has been a disappointing fall from grace for the PGA of America president, whose role has steadily diminished following a tumultuous 2025 highlighted by the organization’s poor handling of the Ryder Cup. Currently serving the second year of his two-year term, Rea appears set to finish out his tenure in the last place he wants to be: out of the spotlight. Then it’s back to reality. Ope, there goes gravity…