Rory McIlroy finally got back to the top of the Mountain last week, winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, notching his 40th tour win. He’ll be looking to go one better as Major season kicks into life, at the second of the year – the PGA Championship.
The PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla Golf Course this year, providing a real test for a stacked field all chasing Major glory. If you’re looking for players to bet on this weekend, we have you covered.
PGA Championship: The lay of the land
Valhalla Golf Course plays host to the PGA Championship for the first time since 2014. Who won that year? None other than Rory McIlroy. The course has undergone some big changes since then, with a focus on making the fairways bouncier, the rough more hazardous, and putting a real emphasis on precision, which plays perfectly into the hands of consistent ball-strikers such as Rory.
But what do the odds look like ahead of the PGA Championship?
PGA Championship: The field
| Scottie Scheffler | +400 |
| Rory McIlroy | +750 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1400 |
| Jon Rahm | +1600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1600 |
| Ludvid Aberg | +2200 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +2800 |
| Colin Morikawa | +3000 |
| Max Homa | +3500 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +3500 |
Scottie Scheffler is the odds-on favorite here and it’s hard to really disagree with the sentiment. He’s the best player on the planet right now and is yet to finish outside of the top-20 this season. He also has 4 wins in his last 5 tournaments which is a truly staggering feat and not something we’ve seen in years. Every time you think of fading Scheffler because his price is too low, he comes back with another outstanding Sunday to win it all. I don’t like the price here in such a heavy field, but it feels like adding him to your wagers is almost a must at this point.
I do like Rory’s odds here. He’s succeeded at this course before, is coming off of a win last week and has been playing pretty solidly. Unfortunately, that just pales in comparison to what we’ve seen from Scottie this year, but it does mean for some enhanced exposure to a slightly underpriced line at the PGA Championship.
As far as the LIV crowd go, Jon Rahm is the obvious go-to. He’s a former World #1 and was red-hot before deferring to LIV golf. Since then, we’ve not seen the same kind of form from him. A +4 at The Masters and an underwhelming DP World Tour Championship appearance has left the Spaniard with plenty of work to do if he is to get back to winning ways. He’s usually a volatile play, but if he does catch fire, getting +1600 on such a talented player could be worth a punt.
Max Homa could be the first of several strong value plays at +3500. He was priced at +4000 here two years ago and the way I see it, he’s a much better Golfer now. His ball striking has always been pure, but we’re now seeing Homa emerge around the greens and find real confidence when it comes to scrambling. His impressive finish at The Masters stands out as a reason to be bullish and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in contention at a course that suits his strengths.
Speaking of premium ball-strikers, Tommy Fleetwood could also be a fun player to bet this weekend at +5000. He’s still chasing that first PGA Tour win but comes into this event as one of the best players around the green as well as ranking 4th in Driving Accuracy. With fairway-finding being a must this weekend, backing a player as steady as Fleetwood, who plotted his way around Augusta very nicely, feels like a good shout.
Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
