PGA Championship: Why CBS analysts don't expect an underdog to win
PGA Championship: Why CBS analysts don't expect an underdog to win
Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-UnionThu, May 7, 2026 at 1:58 PM UTC
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The 108th PGA Championship will be May 14-17 at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., 20 miles from the statue of Rocky Balboa in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
But the CBS announcing crew for the tournament isn't sure there will be an underdog story in the season’s second major to match Rocky, the fictional boxer who came from obscurity to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Not when world No. 1 and defending PGA champion Scottie Scheffler, Masters champion Rory McIlroy, Players champion Cameron Young, three-time 2026 winner Matt Fitzpatrick and Farmers Insurance winner and the champion the last time a major was held near Philadelphia, Justin Rose (at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion), are coming into the week seemingly at the top of their games.
"I don't see it, personally," said lead CBS analyst Trevor Immelman on a videoconference on May 5. "The top five, six, seven ... maybe even you can go 10 players in the world are in such nice form that I see it coming from one of those guys."
Jim Nantz, who will be the anchor for the 36th consecutive time CBS has aired the PGA and the 43rd time overall, pulled out his Masters pick, Chris Gotterup.
But can a four-time PGA Tour winner really be considered an underdog?
Same for lead on-course reporter Dottie Pepper. She touted the possibility of Keegan Bradley winning, but he's a past PGA champion and has won eight times on the PGA Tour.
Cameron Young tees off on the 17th hole during the fourth round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Cameron Young won the tournament at 13 under par, one stroke over Matt Fitzpatrick.
In the end, the talent who will lead the CBS coverage seemed to converge on the fact that the cream will rise to the top come late Sunday afternoon at an old-school Donald Ross course and will play to a par of 70 and has enough twists and turns, hazardous bunkering and tricky greens complexes to favor the top shot-makers on the Tour.
Jim Nantz thinks Scottie Scheffler may prevail
Nantz pointed out the results of three recent events aired on CBS, the Masters, the RBC Heritage and last week's Cadillac Championship, and said Scheffler might be poised to get his breakout victory of the 2026 season.
"Four guys we're talking about, Rory, Scottie, Fitz and Cameron Young," Nantz said. "Those four go to Augusta, Rory finishes first, Scottie is second. Harbour Town Golf Links [RBC], Fitzpatrick's first, Scottie second. And then last week in Miami, you've got Cam Young winning and Scottie second.
Matt Fitzpatrick (left) is one of three players who have won golf tournaments since the Masters, with Scottie Scheffler (right) finishing second all three times.
"So it's been those four but the one constant has been Scottie," Nantz continued. "Scottie is going to come back and break through one of these days and get off the second-place train. This might be the perfect week. In my mind, if I go to the heavyweight division, I'll take Scottie."
CBS golf viewership has been strong
The golfers aren't the only ones bringing momentum to Aronimik. CBS is coming off a Masters Tournament that included the most-watched final round in 11 years, peaking at over 20 million viewers. CBS broadcasts of the PGA Tour are up 12 percent over 2025, off to the network's best start since 2015.
With technology enhancements such as a "dual array camera", and a lineup that includes Nantz, Immelman and Pepper, former Tour players Frank Nobilo, Colt Knost and Johnson Wagner, and veterans Andrew Catalon and Mark Immelman, CBS is "the best at what we do," said CBS Sports President David Berson.
"I cannot be happier with the chemistry of this team and their insightful and fun on-air presentation," Berson said on the videoconference. "It's been a great golf season so far."
First- and second-round broadcast coverage will be on ESPN from 12-7 p.m., then for another hour on ESPN2. Early coverage of the third and fourth rounds will be on ESPN from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and CBS will take over both days until the last putt.
Counting streaming coverage on ESPN+, there will be nearly 50 hours of live golf from May 14-17.
How to watch the PGA Championship
Monday, May 11
Golf Channel: Live from the PGA, 7-9 p.m.
Tuesday, May 12
Golf Channel: Live from the PGA Championship, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13
Golf Channel: Live from the PGA Championship, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; 7-9 p.m.
First round, Thursday, May 14
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ESPN+: 7 a.m.-12 p.m.
ESPN: 12-7 p.m.
ESPN2: 7-8 p.m.
CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+, Golf on CBS YouTube: PGA Scorecard, immediately following play (approximately 7 p.m.).
Golf Channel: Live from the PGA, 8-10 p.m.
Friday, May 15, second round
ESPN+: 7 a.m.-12 p.m.
ESPN: 12-7 p.m.
ESPN2: 7-8 p.m.
CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+, Golf on CBS YouTube: PGA Scorecard, immediately following play (approximately 7 p.m.).
Golf Channel: Live from the PGA, 8-10 p.m.
Saturday, May 16, third round
ESPN+: 8-10 a.m.
ESPN: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
CBS: 1-7 p.m.
CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+, Golf on CBS YouTube: PGA Scorecard, immediately following play (approximately 8 p.m.).
Golf Channel, Live from the PGA, 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, May 17, fourth round
ESPN+: 8-10 a.m.
ESPN: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
CBS: 1-7 p.m.
CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+, Golf on CBS YouTube: PGA Scorecard, immediately following play (approximately 8 p.m.).
Golf Channel, Live from the PGA, 7-9 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Championship: CBS analysts pick top players to win
Source: “AOL Sports”
