PGA Championship betting: Making money from the markets
PGA Championship betting: Top GB&I player
Assuming Rory McIlroy doesn’t lift his fifth major title, dipping into this market, rather than top England player for example, has the potential to yield a chunk of extra value.
At even money, McIlroy dominates the betting here, but you can back each way to third at a fifth of the odds and there’s a couple you should consider.
Paul Casey (10/1) is perennially around about the fringes of the leaderboard and at this price does seem attractive. Fifth last week at Firestone, that was his 11th top 20 of the season.
His worst finish in the majors is 26th at the US Open. He hasn’t played much at Quail Hollow in recent years but, given his form, it would be surprising if he bombs.
Ian Poulter (16/1) is also in great touch and has been ever since he was handed back his PGA Tour card in dramatic fashion.
Third in the Canadian Open last time out, Quail Hollow’s length might be a concern for a player who is by no means the game’s longest hitter.
But he’ll be popular with punters in the outright markets and I see no reason why he can’t give us a run for our cash here.
PGA Championship betting: 1st round match-bet
Daniel Berger (6/5) looks a decent outside bet for the championship, having put together some tidy form in recent weeks.
If that’s to be the case, then he’s really going to need to dispatch Kevin Kisner and Jim Furyk in their opening three-ball tussle tomorrow.
The weight of Ryder Cup captaincy may be weighing on Furyk, who hasn’t posted a finish better than tied 23rd all season.
He missed six cuts in a row and finished 75th last time out at the Canadian Open. If you can find him in a miss the cut market, he’s well worth backing there as well.
Kevin Kisner’s not pulled up any trees since winning the Dean & Deluca and backing that up with a top 10 at Memorial. He did finish top 20 in last year’s PGA but hasn’t posted a top 40 in any of this year’s majors.
Berger, who won the St Jude Classic and finished runner up at the Travelers, looks a class above.
PGA Championship betting: Missing the cut
It’s all a bit of a struggle for Billy Horschel (6/5) at the moment. Yes, he won the Byron Nelson but, looking at the rest of his season, this seems something like a freak result.
He’d missed four cuts in a row before that victory, and has missed three in the next seven afterwards.
If there’d been a halfway exit at the Bridgestone Invitational, Billy would have been packing his bags for the weekend there as well.
A final round 68 that can give him some optimism followed efforts of 76, 78 and 77 but, with only one top 30 in four goes at the PGA, I’m happy to bet on him booking another early flight home.
Why McIlroy isn’t a lock for the PGA Championship
How ‘major surgery’ brought Quail Hollow up to scratch
PGA Championship to move to May from 2019
Keep up to date with all the latest from Quail Hollow on our dedicated PGA Championship site
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
