PGA Championship betting: Who wins the first major of 2020?

We’ve had to wait until August for the first major of this messed up 2020 calendar, but with 96 of the game’s top 100 players – including brand new World No 1 Justin Thomas – in the field, it’s guaranteed to be worth the wait. So who will take the Glory’s, err, first shot? Here are my PGA Championship betting tips…

Venue: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, USA

Date: August 6-9, 2020

Course stats: Par 72; 7,234yards

Course summary: Harding hosts a major championship for the first time having previously held two WGCs and a Presidents Cup. This is an undulating parkland course with narrow, tree-lined fairways and thick penal rough. A run of three par-5s in four holes at the turn will certainly interest players, and that could be a crucial area of the golf course come Sunday.

Purse: $11 million

Defending champion: Brooks Koepka (-8)

PGA Championship TV coverage

Thursday: Main coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm

Friday: Main coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 11pm

Saturday: Main coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm

Sunday: Main coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm

PGA Championship betting: Each-way tips

Daniel Berger (40/1 with bet365) made a late surge to the top of the leaderboard at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational, which is a key indicator for success in the PGA Championship. With a win and six top-10 finishes this season, the Florida golfer knows how to contend in strong fields. Berger ranks 8th in Total Driving, and is one of the more accurate players on tour off the tee. This will be key at Harding Park, especially when you consider that he ranks 24th in SG: Approach, creating plenty of opportunities to make birdies or better. At that price, he represents great each-way value and is a confident selection.

Tyrell Hatton (45/1) clearly enjoys the pressure of playing in the game’s biggest tournaments, evidenced by a top-10 finish in a major or WGC in each of the last five years. Hatton ranks in the top 10 for SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Approach and SG: Putting. But, as we are well aware from Hatton’s previous performances since the restart, putting four rounds together and maintaining that consistency is the crucial missing piece of the puzzle for the Englishman. If he can find that, he becomes a very interesting each-way contender.

Maybe it’s the golf romantic in me, but this might just be the year Jordan Spieth (55/1) completes his career Grand Slam. At this price I am fully on board for the ride. Spieth has been showing glimpses of a return to his title-winning form since the restart, including a T30 in Memphis. Like Hatton, Spieth is putting together three good rounds before stumbling on Sunday. Things will click for the Texan and it doesn’t feel far away.

PGA Championship betting: The long shot

Shane Lowry (70/1) has started to show the standard of performance that helped him become a major champion in 2019, with a consistent game that has very few flaws. A T6 finish at the FedEx St Jude will have given him a lot of confidence heading to Harding Park and that saw his price slashed from 125/1 to 70/1 overnight. Statistically Lowry suits this challenge, as a relatively long and accurate driver of the ball who ranks 32nd on tour in scoring average, and this price for someone who knows how to win a major championship is certainly appealing.

PGA Championship betting: Top tip

Another player who relishes the challenge of a major, Xander Schauffele (22 /1) is primed to improve on his five top 10 finishes in just 11 starts – including runner-up spots at the 2018 Open and 2019 Masters.

I very nearly tipped Schauffele for the FedEx St Jude because he has been so consistent since the restart, with six cuts made and five top-20 finishes. I’m pulling the trigger this week, and he represents great value compared to the other market leaders. It won’t be a surprise to see him lift that huge Wanamaker trophy on Sunday.

For more prices, visit bet365.

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