As the second major of the season gets under way on Thursday, Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma hosts the 104th PGA Championship. With defending champion Phil Mickelson again absent there will be a new name on The Wanamaker Trophy in 2022. So, who might be claiming it?
With betting on any golf major, we always point punters in the direction of SkyBet, who offer more e/w places than any other bookmaker, with pay-outs on a full 12 places at 1/5 once more.
The favourite to win in The Sooner State this weekend is of course, world number one and current Masters champion Scottie Scheffler at 9/1, with SportNation giving 14/1 odds but with just 5 places at 1/4. Though Southern Hills is well known as Scheffler’s favourite course, could the New Jersey native be prepping for the upcoming Open double this summer instead, after only a T15 finish – his lowest since February – at last weekend’s AT&T Byron Nelson?
Jon Rahm, meanwhile, is second favoured in the markets and having won the Mexico Open at the beginning of the month, the Spaniard looks well placed to claim his second major at 10/1. Or, could the Tulsa course finally see Rory McIlroy break his eight-year major drought? A four-time major winner, the Northern Irishman’s last win was in the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla and following on from his best major showing since the pandemic began at Augusta, McIlroy also came close to winning the Wells Fargo for a fourth time more recently. Well poised to make a challenge, McIlroy is currently boosted at 14/1 for 12 places from 8 with SkyBet, or for a best outright value of 17/1 with MatchBook.
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth will likely be names to feature on Sunday as always, but there are some longer-shot names that could return a nice profit. One of which is Brooks Koepka. Like McIlroy, the Floridian has won this tournament twice before and defended the Trophy in 2019. Last year, Koepka just ran out of gas in finishing T2 behind Mickelson and though there remains questions over his fitness, backing Koepka e/w at 33/1 looks to carry shrewd potential in a competition he has always enjoyed.
Of the form group ahead of this week, Max Homa perhaps looks the most likely to make an impression. With two PGA Tour wins this season, Homa took the Wells Fargo crown in Maryland and has enjoyed a consistent campaign. A 40/1 punt looks excellent value.
In the same tournament, Keegan Bradley continued his good form to finish T2, just two strokes off the pace, that, after a late surge at Sawgrass ultimately proved a forlorn effort in coming home T5. With this in mind, coupled with the fact Bradley won the PGA 11 years ago at John’s Creek in Georgia, his 60/1 price looks outstanding value, also at a staggering 100/1 outright value with 10Bet.
The final individual name that appeals is one Tiger Woods. After making a comeback at the Masters, Woods struggled in the rather unlikely inclement weekend conditions in The Peach State but the rather warmer climes of Oklahoma could see Woods mount a more sustained threat. Aside from his 15 major titles, the Californian was a winner at Southern Hills in 2007 – the most recent of his four PGA Championships. Woods is being eyed as a real underdog contender through the weekend and at lofty 60/1 should be an e/w consideration at the very least, with SportingIndex carrying 80/1 odds.
Eyeing the specials markets finally, for either Thomas, Spieth or McIlroy to win a 9/2 boost might be a smart bet, whilst for both Scheffler and Rahm to finish T20 or better including ties, 2/1 odds will treble your money. Both boosts with SkyBet.
