PGA Championship tips – Rory favourite to win
The 2021 PGA Championship takes place between 20-23 May at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, with the world’s leading golf players competing in the 103rd PGA Championship and this is the second time that the Ocean Course is hosting a major, with the 2012 PGA tournament being held here.
Can Rory McIlroy Return to Winning Ways?
McIlroy is undoubtedly one of the best golfers in the world, although the Northern Irishman has not triumphed in a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, with many fans having expected him to have added to the tally of four major titles that were accrued up until that point.
Rory is the betting favourite to win at Kiawah Island and it’s hardly a surprise considering that he recently ended an eighteen-month drought without a tour victory after landing the spoils in the Wells Fargo Championship, with the Brit now back up to seventh in the world.
McIlroy has previously won the PGA Championship at this course and perhaps this will be a glittering 2021 for someone who excelled with his short game at Quail Hollow and appears to be in good order.
Who Are the Main 2021 PGA Championship Challengers?
John Rahm is one of the best players on the PGA Tour without a major to his name and the Spaniard will hope he doesn’t have to wait too long for his maiden victory, with Rahm having finished joint-fifth in the Golf US Masters a few weeks ago and he was last on the winners’ rostrum in August when triumphing in the BMW Championship.
Dustin Johnson has a stronger major track record and he already has a win to his name in the Masters and US Open as he bids to secure the third leg of the American major triple crown, with some bookies going as big as 14/1 about the American landing the spoils.
Justin Thomas is another player from the United States of America who regularly features near the top of leaderboards and he’s likely to be a popular each-way golf bet when it comes around to this tournament, with compatriot Bryson DeChambeau someone else who is capable of exploding off the tee and driving the ball close to the flag.
What Are the Best Bets for the 2021 PGA Championship?
Collin Morikawa was the winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and could well compete at the business end when it comes to Kiawah Island, with Jordan Spieth also likely to be among the leading contenders and the latter has enjoyed a return to form which means he’s now worthy of serious consideration.
Brooks Koepke was the player to beat in golf major championships a few years ago and he could be a good each-way bet if you find a golf betting site with good terms, with Will Zalatoris the other player who has strong claims.
The 2019 PGA Championship will be the second golfing major of the calendar year and all eyes will be on Tiger Woods after an emotional fifth Green Jacket victory at Augusta in April.
Many golf fans wondered if we’d ever see Woods competing for another major again after a series of injuries along with a heap of personal problems. However, the legendary American landed victory in the Masters and the bookies now have him as favourite to win the PGA Championship.
Tiger is currently trading at around the 9/1 mark to win the PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black Course, with the 43-year-old having previously won this tournament in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007.
Can Tiger win the 2019 PGA Championship?
Tiger Woods has won a major at Bethpage Black Course before. The fifteen-time major winner was victorious in the 2002 US Open where he won by three shots and will enjoy returning to a course which is noted for being particularly long and with narrow fairways which therefore reward accurate play.
It’s strange to see Tiger featuring at the top of any betting market considering his trials and tribulations, although the way in which he held himself together during four days of competitive play during the 2019 Masters means that Woods could be the player to beat at the PGA Championship.
The bookmakers clearly expect a deluge of bets on Tiger to land victory at the PGA Championship in May and will therefore price him up at short odds considering he was nearly double these odds when competing in the Masters, although we should bear in mind that the Green Jacket win was his first major success since 2007.
Will Rory End his Major Drought?
Rory McIlroy made the cut at the 2019 Masters although the Northern Irishman was never really in contention to win a first Green Jacket and now heads to Long Island hoping to land a third PGA Championship title.
Indeed, Rory has experienced the most success in this major after triumphs in 2012 and 2014, with McIlroy triumphing at Kiawah Island in South Carolina before claiming a second title at Louisville in Kentucky. However, it’s now becoming a long wait for another major despite his game being in great nick.
Rory claimed an Open Championship and a PGA Championship triumph in 2014, although we’re now five years down the line and the 29-year-old has not continued the winning streak in majors, even if he’s among the more prolific winners on the tour.
Koepke, DJ and Thomas Lead the American Charge
In addition to Tiger Woods, there are three other Americans who are near the head of the betting, with Brooks Koepke the reigning PGA Championship champion and he’s got a remarkable strike rate when it comes to recent major tournaments.
The 28-year-old has won consecutive US Open titles in 2017 and 2018, with that PGA Championship triumph illustrating that he could yet be the player to beat at Bethpage, while he also acquitted himself well in the 2019 Masters and should be among the leaders of this particular competition.
Dustin Johnson also made a late charge at Augusta and the American will be looking to double his major tally after previously winning the 2016 US Open. However, the player known as DJ hasn’t been able to trouble the top of the leaderboard in the past three renewals, missing the cut before tying for thirteenth and then tying for twenty-seventh.
Justin Thomas is a former PGA Championship winner after triumphing at the Quail Hollow Club in 2017, with the 25-year-old clearly a massive talent who will also be going in search of a second major title. He’s generally trading at odds of 12/1 and could be a good each-way bet.
Will an American win for a fourth consecutive time?
So we’ve had Jimmy Walker winning in 2016, Justin Thomas in 2017 and then Brooks Koepka in 2018. That means that the Americans are bidding to be victorious for a fourth consecutive occasion. As mentioned, there are several leading contenders from the States who are involved in this tournament and that also includes Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
However, there are several other returning PGA champions, with Jason Day having landed the spoils at Whistling Straits in 2015 and the Australian will hope that he can overcome any injury complaints to compete in the second major tournament of 2019.
Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley are other Americans who have had their name on the trophy in recent years, while it’s easy to forget that Martin Kaymer, Yang Yong-eun and Padraig Harrington have also lifted the trophy in the past decade.
Which Players can Tame Bethpage Black?
There’s no denying that the Bethpage Black Course at Long Island near New York is a very difficult golf course and it might be that the winner simply has to make even par over the four rounds in order to lift the trophy.
In the 2002 US Open at the same course, Tiger Woods was the only player who went under par in order to win, while Lucas Glover won in 2009 finishing at four-under and there were only five players in total that finished under par.
This golf course will clearly punish any player that is errant off the tee, meaning that customers should look at betting on golfers who are straight on to the fairway, while punters might also be rewarded when backing those who can scramble well.
There will be several elevated greens to make life difficult for the competitors, with the greens being fairly small. This is a long golf course and so the ability to drive further than other rivals could be a good asset.
2019 PGA Championship Tips
One player we haven’t yet mentioned in this article is Francesco Molinari and there seems little reason to desert a player who is clearly at the peak of his powers. Having won the 2018 Open Championship, the Italian performed brilliantly for three rounds at the 2019 Masters before coming a cropper during the final round where he was playing with champion Tiger Woods.
We’re going to swerve Woods despite his recent Green Jacket success as we think that Bethpage is an altogether different kind of test to Augusta, although we can’t ignore the fact that Brooks Koepka has been so outstanding when faced with these sort of challenges in recent majors.
We’re also happy to get with Xander Schauffele who keeps knocking on the door when it comes to major tournaments and we feel as though these three players can give punters a big run for their money.