Spieth Firms for PGA Championship Honors
It’s in May at Southern Hills Country Club
The PGA Championship is the next major on the calendar. It’s not too early to look at the betting moves.
Held at Tulsa’s Southern Hills May 16th-22nd, it will be a tough test, and at the top of betting markets is Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.
Golf odds have a plethora of players given chances to win, making it a wide-open market.
Money for Spieth
Jordan Spieth regained winning form, taking the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Patrick Cantlay.
It was the American’s first win in a year, and the confidence should give bettors every reason to jump on board at the PGA Championship.
Despite a putting leaving him in the final round, Spieth was able to prevail. It was an excellent bounce-back effort after missing the cut at The Masters, He’s been eyeing a major for some time.
“I never missed a cut at the Masters before,” Spieth told Golf Digest, “and very rarely had not had a chance to win. So I hated it. The worst feeling, the worst feeling as a golfer that I’m able to remember.”
The sportsbook has trimmed his odds to 20-1, or +2000, which still represents value. He’s likely to shorten with every week, so it could pay to “lock him in”.
Rahm Searching for Answers
The former world No. 1, Jon Rahm, is on a slippery slope, and he’ll need to improve at Southern Hills.
Despite finishing T27 and T55 at The Players, there’s still strong betting support for the Spaniard, as the bettors assume he’ll find his best form sooner rather than later.
The 27-year-old plays beyond his experience, so we’re not that concerned about him. However, after Rahm opened as favorite, Scheffler garnered support and has overtaken him.
I think Jon Rahm is the guy for the next 10 years,” veteran PGA Tour pro Pat Perez, who plays with Rahm often at their club in Arizona, said recently on a Golf Magazine podcast. “I don’t think anyone is going to beat Jon Rahm consistently for a decade.”
That could be true. The pressure is on, though. He needs to produce at Southern Hills.
A First-Time Winner?
The PGA Championship has produced many first-time winners, and there are a host of players seemingly ready to break through.
Leading in betting online markets are Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris.
Hovland is one of the rising stars in golf, and so we have little doubt that he’ll win a major in the next five years. With only four available each year, they’re not easy to win, but the PGA Championship is there for the taking.
The Norwegian has made the cut in both PGA Championships to date, but hasn’t produced a top-25 finish.
Schauffele has come close to winning on multiple occasions, including a T2 finish at the 2018 Open Championship and 2019 Masters.
He missed the cut at the Masters where he shot +7, so he’s another one looking to rebound.
“Majors are still at the forefront for me,” Schauffele said. “They’re what I wanted to win as a kid. This (Olympic) gold (medal) may potentially mean more than a major just from the family side of things, but I don’t have a major and I’m hungrier than ever to win one.”
Schauffele is +2500 to win, which we expect to shorten. Hovland is a +1800 chance and Will Zalatoris, who plays best at the Masters, is a solid +2800 chance.
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