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The PGA Championship, professional golf’s second Major tournament of the season, returns to Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, for the fourth time in club history. Oak Hill hosted this event in 1980, 2003, and 2013, with Jason Dufner winning the most recent edition. This venue has also hosted three US Opens, a Ryder Cup, two US Amateurs, and multiple Majors on the Champions Tour circuit.
A recent Golfweek piece described how Oak Hill has changed since the last time the pros played there in 2013. Architect Andrew Green oversaw the removal of hundreds of trees, installing modern drainage technology underneath each green, and the recontouring and re-filling of dozens of bunkers around the course. The goal was to return the historic course to its original design as much as possible, which Donald Ross produced in the early 20th century.
This northern New York course hosting a tournament in May could present weather challenges. It’s not abnormal for morning temperatures to measure in the 40s at that time of year and for copious amounts of rain to fall. Both situations played out at the 2008, and 2019 Senior PGA Championships held there. Compared to recent venues in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and California, Oak Hill could be challenging for reasons other than the course design and wind conditions.
American Justin Thomas secured his second PGA Championship a year ago at Southern Hills in Tulsa. He defeated Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff to tie the largest comeback in tournament history after trailing by seven strokes entering the final round, according to a Golf.com piece. The winning score of 5-under-par was the highest score to par for a PGA Champion since Padraig Harrington’s 2008 victory at Oakland Hills in Michigan.
Thomas’ pre-tournament odds closed at +1900. His fellow playoff combatant, Zalatoris, was +2900 entering the first round last year.
Among the favorites, Scottie Scheffler (+1200) and Jon Rahm (+1500) faltered, with Scheffler missing the cut and Rahm tying for 48th. Rory McIlroy (+1300) finished 8th, his best finish in four years and only his second top ten at the event since his win in 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. The PGA Championship will return to that venue in Louisville, Thomas’ hometown, for the 106th playing in 2024.
2023 Front Runners
Not much has changed year to year in terms of the betting favorites. Scheffler, McIlroy, and Rahm again lead the way on the odds sheet. Scheffler and Rahm are seeking their first PGA Championship and second Major, pending the results of the 2023 Masters Tournament. McIlroy has two previous wins at this event, in 2012 and 2014.
Thomas and Cameron Smith trail slightly behind golf’s three-headed monster. A third victory at this championship for Thomas would leave him trailing just Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods for career wins since the event changed to a stroke-play format in 1958.
Smith is playing to win a Major in consecutive seasons after the Sunday charge at St. Andrews in the 2022 Open Championship earned him his first.
The usual suspects are grouped behind the top contenders. Major winners like Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, and Dustin Johnson want to add more hardware to their collections at Oak Hill. Spieth and Moriawa have won PGA Championships previously, while Johnson has finished second twice outside of his infamous loss in 2010 at Whistling Straits.
Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland, and Will Zalatoris are among the top contenders to win their first Major at the PGA. Zalatoris, in two appearances, has finished tied for 8th in addition to being last year’s runner-up. Finau has made seven of eight cuts with three top tens in his PGA Championship trips, while Schauffele and Cantlay each have one top-ten finish.
Cameron Young is also among this group of hopefuls, though he’s waiting for his first win on the PGA Tour. Young finished in the top three at last year’s PGA and had a solo second-place result behind Smith at the Open Championship two months later.
2023 Underdogs
Rickie Fowler is still searching for his first Major victory and has been trending upward in the world rankings since bottoming out last summer. He has three career top-ten finishes in PGA Championships and finished T19 at Oak Hill in 2013. Fowler has finished inside the top 20 in six of his last ten starts with three top tens and has some value at +7500.
England’s Tyrell Hatton has five top tens in his last seven worldwide starts since November. 2023 will mark his ninth PGA Championship, where he finished T13 last year and has three top tens. Hatton was the solo runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at The Players and tied for fourth at Bay Hill the week before.
Mito Pereira’s lost tee shot on the 18th hole at Southern Hills cost him his first Major victory in 2022, and he’s since moved to LIV Golf. The Chilean is +12000 to win at Oak Hill after a runner-up finish on the Japan Tour in November and a T2 result at the Saudi International in February.
Tom Hoge, the 25th-ranked player in the world, just tied for third at TPC Sawgrass and was tied for 9th in last year’s PGA Championship. At +16000 odds, Hoge has some upside as a long shot.
Chris Kirk is another player with recent solid form who hit it well at Southern Hills. The Georgia Bulldog won for the first time on Tour since 2015 at this year’s Honda Classic and secured his first-ever top five at the PGA Championship last season. His odds are among the longest heading into this year’s event at +19000.
Finally, Ryan Fox, a DP World Tour regular, has found some form of late and will make his fifth appearance at this event in 2023. He has four top-20 finishes in his last five events and is at the bottom of the list with +35000 odds to win for the first time on US soil.
With the top three players separating themselves from the field by a wide margin through the first three months of the calendar year, we’ll focus our early wagers on players with more value. Stay tuned for updates after the conclusion of The Masters in April as the 105th playing of the PGA Championship comes more into focus.
The updated PGA Championship odds reflect the separation that the top three players have created relative to the best golfers in the world. Jon Rahm (+750), Scottie Scheffler (+750), and Rory McIlroy (+1300) are the only players with odds shorter than +2000 to win at Oak Hill.
Rahm has finished T15 at Harbourtown and solo second at the Mexico Open since his victory at Augusta. Scheffler tied for 11th at the Heritage and is teeing it up at the Byron Nelson this week before the PGA. Finishing this top three recap, McIlroy struggled to a tie for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship in his lone start since missing the cut at The Masters.
This odds shift toward the clear-cut top three players means that a dozen players are jumbled in a pack with odds between +2000 and +2800. Included here are players like the defending champion, Justin Thomas (+2400), the resurgent Brooks Koepka (+2100), who nearly won his first green jacket last month, and newly minted six-time PGA Tour winner, Tony Finau (+2900).
Rickie Fowler’s odds have improved since we placed our future back in March, now at +7500. The 3-time runner-up in Major championships has moved back into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and is currently 18th in DataGolf’s strokes-gained model.
The only player among our original best bets not to have their odds shortened since the original post is Tom Hoge, who’s held steady at +15000. Cameron Young is now +3200, joining Cam Smith and Jordan Spieth at that number, and Ryan Fox is still a long shot at +20000.
PGA Championship FAQ
Did you know that the first-ever PGA Championship was held way back in 1916? With a storied history that goes back this far, it's easy to see why the PGA is considered one of golf's most prestigious tournaments. Because of this, we know that folks may want to learn more about the PGA Championship.
The following FAQ section will arm you with the knowledge that you're looking for. Feel free to send in your questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @EatWatchBet
What golfer has won the most PGA Championship titles?
The golfer with the most PGA Championship titles is Jack Nicklaus, who won the tournament a total of 5 times. He won the PGA Championship in 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, and 1980. Nicklaus is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time, and his record of 18 major championships remains unmatched to this day.
Where is the PGA Championship held?
The PGA Championship is held at different locations each year, rotating among various golf courses in the United States. The tournament is organized by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America), and it is one of the four major championships in men's golf. The selection process for the host courses typically takes into account factors such as the course's design, its location, and its ability to accommodate large crowds. Some past venues for the PGA Championship include Bethpage Black in New York, Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, and Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
What is the name of the PGA Championship trophy?
The name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship is the Wanamaker Trophy. The trophy was named after Rodman Wanamaker, a department store magnate who is credited with playing a key role in the founding of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) in the early 20th century. The Wanamaker Trophy is one of the most prestigious trophies in golf, and it is considered one of the sport's major championship trophies. The trophy is a large silver cup that stands nearly two feet tall and weighs over 27 pounds, and it is engraved with the names of all the PGA Championship winners since its inception in 1916.
Who is the biggest underdog to ever win the PGA Championship?
There have been several golfers who have won the PGA Championship as underdogs over the years, but one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history occurred in 1991 when John Daly won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana. Daly was a relatively unknown golfer at the time, and he had only qualified for the tournament as the ninth alternate after several other players dropped out due to injury or other reasons.
Despite his low ranking, Daly put on a remarkable performance over the four days of the tournament, hitting the ball prodigious distances and sinking some incredible putts. He finished the tournament with a score of 12-under-par, beating runner-up Bruce Lietzke by three shots to claim his first major championship. Daly's victory at the 1991 PGA Championship is widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in golf history, and it helped to launch his career as one of the sport's most popular and iconic figures.
Has a golfer ever won the PGA Championship 3 years in a row?
Yes, a golfer has won the PGA Championship three years in a row. Walter Hagen accomplished this feat in the 1920s, winning the tournament four times in a row from 1924-1927. Hagen was one of the dominant golfers of his era and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. His record of four consecutive PGA Championship victories still stands today as the longest winning streak in the tournament's history.
Nicholas Berault is a proud Penn State alum whose past work has been featured on FantasyPros. He is an avid golfer and a collector of pin flags and sneakers. He covers NBA betting for EatWatchBet.
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21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA).
