Rory McIlroy makes his return at the 2026 Truist Championship in Charlotte

2026 Truist Championship preview and predictions: Rory McIlroy makes his return to action following Masters

The final event before the second major championship takes place this week in Charlotte, North Carolina

By Patrick McDonald

May 5, 2026 at 5:00 pm ET • 5 min read

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Another week, another signature event. After going to Philly Cricket Club in 2025, the 2026 Truist Championship will return to Quail Hollow Club for the final event before the PGA Championship. The tournament is back at Quail Hollow after the course played host to the PGA Championship a year ago where none other than Scottie Scheffler slammed the trunk doors with the Wanamaker Trophy in his possession.

The world No. 1 will not be in attendance this week -- neither will Russell Henley or Shane Lowry -- as he prepares for his title defense next week in, coincidentally, Philadelphia. In his place, however, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy will make his first start since grabbing green jacket No. 2 in his successful title defense at Augusta National.

McIlroy has done little wrong at Quail Hollow throughout his long career, although last year's trip provided some awkwardness as his driver was ruled non-conforming ahead of the PGA Championship. He ultimately was not a factor amid his Masters hangover, but this time around feels different as McIlroy himself sounds different.

Knowing there is more good golf out there in front of him and not satisfied with the career grand slam (and now six major championships), McIlroy should hit the ground running in a field that includes the likes of Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg and Robert MacIntyre, who all skipped last week's Cadillac Championship.

In their absence, world No. 4 Cameron Young carried the day and the lead for the entirety of the tournament as he went wire-to-wire for his second win in his last four starts. Jumping to a new echelon in the game, Young looks to grab his third win this season to pull him next to Fitzpatrick for the most on the PGA Tour this year.

Tommy Fleetwood, Si Woo Kim, Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland and Hideki Matsuyama all look for their first victories of their 2026 campaigns while past winners at Quail Hollow like Jason Day, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler round out the action.

2026 Truist Championship schedule

Dates:  May 7-10 Location:  Quail Hollow Club — Charlotte, North Carolina Par:  71 |  Yardage:  7,583 |  Architect:  George Cobb Purse:  $20 million

2026 Truist Championship odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

- Rory McIlroy (6-1): Jordan Spieth dubbed this "Rory McIlroy Country Club" ahead of last year's PGA Championship and for good reason. The six-time major champion has won at Quail Hollow four times with his first PGA Tour win in 2010 coming at this venue. McIlroy is more than well-rested heading into this week as he has completed just four tournaments through the first four months of the year. He is setting himself up for a busy summer run, where he wants to remain fresh and in contention as much as possible, which is likely to start this week given his form and fit. - Cameron Young (17/2): Any golf course where drivers are required in bunches should fit Young's eye, but it has yet to materialize for whatever reason at Quail Hollow. The two-time winner this season is without a top-30 finish at Quail Hollow in three prior trips, but the argument could be made that he has never arrived as such a player. His par-4 scoring at Trump National Doral was key in his lapping of the field and his putter could do no wrong as it was his best putting performance since his win at last year's Wyndham Championship. - Xander Schauffele (11-1): It's time for the two-time major champion to get it into gear. Schauffele struggled out of the gates and has since started to pick up some steam with four top-12 finishes in his last four starts. Only The Players Championship podium result felt like a true run at the winner's circle, however, as final-round flurries were the cause of the other nice finishes. He finished runner-up at this golf course in 2023 and 2024 and is the second-best ball-striker in this field over the last three months. His chipping and pitching are something to keep an eye on. - Matt Fitzpatrick (16-1) - Ludvig Åberg (17-1): The Sunday scaries have probably overshadowed just how consistent Åberg has been this year. He has four top-five finishes in his last five starts as not only has the iron play rocketed to new heights, but the chipping has elevated his floor performances. Quail Hollow is an ideal fit on paper, but the tale of his week will be told if he finds himself in contention on Sunday as the last two attempts at TPC Sawgrass and TPC San Antonio have not produced trophies. - Tommy Fleetwood (24-1) - Si Woo Kim (24-1) - Adam Scott (30-1): Even at 45 years of age, Scott is the best iron player in this field. The former Masters champion arrives off a sizzling 64 in the final round of the Cadillac Championship, which was good enough for his second fourth-place finish in a signature event this season. Changing his posture ever so slightly with the broomstick over the weekend, the Australian was able to roll the rock more consistently. That will be the key for him this week (and the rest of the summer) as he has had some favor at this golf course in the past. - Sam Burns (31-1) - Patrick Cantlay (31-1)

2026 Truist Championship picks

Matt Fitzpatrick Winner (16-1): He can't possibly win three golf tournaments in a row, can he? After entering the season with only two PGA Tour wins, Fitzpatrick is going to grab three in a blink of an eye? Sure, why not. He re-emerged from the depths last year at Quail Hollow when he finished inside the top 10 at the PGA Championship. Over the last three months, Fitzpatrick ranks top five in driving accuracy, strokes gained tee to green, strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach and strokes gained around the green. That's pretty good.

Sahith Theegala Contender (92-1): It wasn't the week he hoped for in Miami, but Theegala finished in a flurry with a final-round 64 to make dinner taste a little bit sweeter. He is really close to stringing together some top-notch golf together, and a driver heavy golf course like Quail Hollow could be what he needs to unleash it. Theegala has top-10 finishes this season at Torrey Pines, Bay Hill and Memorial Park -- big ballparks like the one this week.

Matt McCarty Sleeper (120-1): The left hander now has four top-25 finishes in a row with the last two doubling as top 15s at the RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship. Known for what he can do on the greens, McCarty is making a name for himself with his ball striking in these big-time spots. It has allowed him to hold his own in these signature events and should give him an outside chance to keep his run of quality results going this week. He ranked third at Trump National Doral in terms of strokes gained approach.

Who will win the 2026 Truist Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world?  Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard , all from the model that's nailed 17 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past five Masters, and find out.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/truist-championship-2026-predictions-odds-picks-field-rankings-pga-tour-preview/)._