Top storylines heading into the 2026 PGA Tour season - ESPN

The 2026 PGA Tour season tees off Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa and defending champion Nick Taylor are among the top golfers competing at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu this week.

The start of the season comes a week later than usual, as The Sentry was canceled because of drought conditions on Maui. The West Coast swing will continue with four tournaments in California and one in Arizona through late February.

While world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler and reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy are still the men to beat, there are plenty of intriguing storylines heading into the season.

Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is back, after he resigned from the LIV Golf League on Dec. 23 and accepted severe financial penalties to return to the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour also opened a pathway for LIV Golf captains Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith to return, but those golfers seem committed to staying where they are, at least for now.

Here are the top storylines for 2026, rookies to watch, and the golfers who are looking to bounce back or win their first major championship in 2026.

How to watch 2026 PGA Sony Open on ESPN

Last season, all eyes were on McIlroy, as he became only the sixth golfer to join golf's most exclusive fraternity with his long-awaited victory at the Masters.

Now, after Scheffler added PGA Championship and Open Championship wins in 2025 to his two Masters green jackets, he's only a U.S. Open victory away from becoming the seventh.

The world No. 1 became one of the tour's better putters last season by using a new claw grip, perhaps eliminating the only shortcoming in his game. He was trying out a new driver, the