Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action at Truist Championship: Field, format and prize money for Signature Event

What is the Truist Championship? Who could impress at Quail Hollow? And will Rory McIlroy play? We get you up to speed on the PGA Tour's sixth Signature Event of the season, live on Sky Sports.

What is the Truist Championship?

Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action this week at the Truist Championship after the six-time major champion successfully defended his Masters title in April.

The Northern Irishman won the Truist Championship back in 2024 and is out to continue his fine start to the 2026 season at the PGA Tour's sixth Signature Event of the year.

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First played in 2003, many big names from the world of golf have triumphed at the Truist Championship, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa and new USA Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk.

McIlroy holds the record for the most victories at this event, with the 37-year-old winning it four times; 2010, 2015, 2021 and 2024.

Last year, European Ryder Cup player Sepp Straka was crowned champion after he beat Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas by two shots, to post a final score of 16-under par.

The event has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour calendar for many years and was known as the Wells Fargo Championship up until 2025.

Where is the Truist Championship being played?

A 42-member grounds crew has been working hard over the past few months to get Quail Hollow Club in tip-top shape as the Truist Championship returns to the North Carolina venue.

It's been a busy few years for this par-71 course, which hosted the Presidents Cup in 2022 and the PGA Championship in 2025.

Scottie Scheffler ticked off another milestone on his way to winning the career Grand Slam at last year's PGA Championship, beating a chasing pack of players, including Bryson DeChambeau, by five shots to post a final score of 11-under par.

With the 2025 PGA Championship being held at Quail Hollow, the Truist Championship was subsequently played at the Wissahickon Course at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Quail Hollow is renowned for its closing holes, 16, 17 and 18, which are dubbed 'the Green Mile'. They make for one of the most testing finishing stretches in the world of golf. At the 2017 PGA Championship, 91 golf balls ended up in the water hazards that weave their way around this tricky part of the course.

The par-three 17th hole might be the toughest of the three, with players required to carry their ball 190 yards over a large body of water.

"I think 17 is the most difficult of the closing stretch," McIlroy said. "Especially off that back tee, you're raised up and you've got that very skinny green. You're looking down on it, and you've got the water on your left. There's a bit of a bailout area on the right. I'd say that's the only hole that you can sort of play defence on."

Scheffler skips the Truist Championship

Scheffler has chosen to skip this week's Signature Event as he targets a victory at the PGA Championship at Aronimink.

The world No 1 has finished as a runner-up in his last three starts on the PGA Tour, and is bidding to become only the third player, behind Woods and Brooks Koepka, to win back-to-back PGA Championships next week.

But interestingly, Scheffler has never played in this event, with the two-time Masters champion typically choosing to take a week off before competing at the major championships.

Who can impress at the Truist Championship?

There is no doubt all eyes will be on McIlroy this week. He returns to a familiar hunting ground in Quail Hollow, where he also holds the course record, after shooting a remarkable 10-under par 61 at Quail Hollow back in 2010.

However, the Northern Irishman, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, will be out to improve on his underwhelming three-over par T47 finish at Quail Hollow during last year's PGA Championship.

Matt Fitzpatrick is enjoying his best-ever season on the PGA Tour, having won three times so far. Two of those wins came in each of his last two starts at the RBC Heritage and at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he triumphed alongside his brother Alex. Those victories saw the world No 4 become the first player to win back-to-back victories since Scheffler won The Masters and the RBC Heritage in 2024.

Fitzpatrick's approach play and his touch around the greens has been particularly impressive in recent weeks. On the 18th hole at The Zurich Classic, he sent the crowd into delirium with a sensational shot out of a bunker, enabling his brother to tap in a birdie. Keep an eye out for Alex Fitzpatrick this week, too. In his first start since winning a two-year PGA Tour exemption following the Zurich Classic, he wrapped up an impressive week at The Cadillac Championship, placing T9 with a final score of nine-under par.

Cameron Young is another player who is in red-hot form coming into this week. After winning The Players Championship in March, the American long-driver secured a dominant wire-to-wire victory at The Cadillac Championship last week, the third PGA Tour title of his career. Young is known as one of the biggest hitters on the tour, but in recent weeks, his putting has been excellent. At Trump National Doral Miami last week, the world No 3 drained multiple long-range putts to fend off the advances of Scheffler and win by six shots.

Straka is looking to be the first player to successfully defend his title at the Truist Championship this week after setting a tournament 72-hole record of 264 last year. It's been a mixed season for the Austrian, who finished T41 at The Masters and T42 at the RBC Heritage. But he bounced back at the Cadillac Championship, carding nine birdies in his back nine to wrap up his week with a final round of six-under and finish T4.

Justin Rose will also be keen to bounce back from his disappointing finish at last week's Cadillac Championship after the Englishman finished T65. It comes as Rose switched to a brand-new set of clubs before the tournament, manufactured by the McLaren F1 team's new golf subsidiary.

How much does the winner get?

As with each of the Signature Events, Players will compete for a $20m ($14.8m) prize purse, with the winner set to bank £3.6m (£2.67m).

Scheffler, who finished second at last week's Cadillac Championship, took home a cheque of $2.16m (£1.6m). It means that the player finishing in second at this week's Truist Championship is set to walk home with a similar fee.

The golfer who finishes in last place will walk home with $36,000 (£26,585).

Meanwhile, all-important FedExCup points will be up for grabs, with the winner set to bank 700 points.

How can I watch the Truist Championship on Sky Sports?

Early coverage of the first and second rounds commences on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports+, with full coverage commencing on Sky Sports Golf from 5.30pm.

The third round will be shown live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Saturday, before final-round coverage starts at 5pm on Sunday, with full-round coverage on Sky Sports Main Event at 7pm.

Can McIlroy win again at Quail Hollow? Watch all four rounds of the Truist Championship, live on Sky Sports. Coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action at Truist Championship: Field, format and prize money for Signature Event