McIlroy, Rahm, Thomas On Top Heading to Oak Hill

sportsbookreview.com

18 January 2023

McIlroy, Rahm, Thomas On Top Heading to Oak Hill

Justin Thomas is among the early favorites for the 2023 PGA Championship as he tries to defend his title from 2022. Our look at the best PGA Championship odds compares the prices from our best sportsbooksand hunts for value in the golf futures markets.

For the first time since 2013, Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY, will host the PGA Championship. The second major of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season will take place in mid-May. For now, golfers from the LIV Golf Invitational Series are set to take part.

Several contenders for this year's event played in the 2013 PGA Championship. Those include Adam Scott (T-5), Dustin Johnson (T-8), Rory McIlroy (T-8), and Hideki Matsuyama (T-19). Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman, Rickie Fowler, and Webb Simpson also participated. Tiger Woods finished in a tie for 40th, while Jason Dufner edged out Jim Furyk for the Wanamaker Trophy.

Read on as we preview the 2023 PGA Championship and break down the odds for the favorites, contenders, and long shots to follow (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and PointsBet).

2023 PGA Championship Info

When: Thursday, May 18 - Sunday, May 21
Where: Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, NY
How to watch: ESPN and CBS

2023 PGA Championship Odds

2023 PGA Championship Best Bets

Scottie Scheffler (+1500 via FanDuel) - Jan. 11, 2023
Patrick Cantlay (+2200 via Caesars) - Jan. 11, 2023
Tom Kim (+3600 via FanDuel) - Jan. 11, 2023

2023 PGA Championship Odds: Favorites

Rory McIlroy (+1200 via PointsBet)

McIlroy's the consensus favorite for each of the four majors in 2023 at most of our best sportsbooks. Luckily, we're still getting some early value via PointsBet and FanDuel for the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the year's second major.

McIlroy will be 34-years-old when the PGA Championship begins and he hasn't won a major since taking home the Wanamaker Trophy in 2014, but his T-8 finish in his previous trip to Oak Hill will draw the attention of bettors this spring. Act early at this number.

Jon Rahm (+1300 via FanDuel)

Rahm hasn't played Oak Hill professionally and he has just two top-10 finishes in six appearances at the PGA Championship in his career. However, he opened 2023 with a win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and any more victories before May will drop his closing number well below this +1300.

Justin Thomas (+1500 via FanDuel)

Thomas was just +1600 to win the 2022 PGA Championship prior to Round 1 and that victory snapped a five-year major drought. A win in a marquee early-season event or a good finish at Augusta National in April will drop Thomas' odds much closer to those of McIlroy and Rahm.

Scottie Scheffler (+1500 via FanDuel)

After winning last year's Masters Tournament as part of four victories in a six-event stretch, Scheffler missed the cut at the PGA Championship last May. Making that even weirder, he tied for fourth and eighth in two previous appearances at the season's second major. Last year's result could keep this number elevated, but similar success in the first four months of the year would erase any possible value.

Jordan Spieth (+2000 via BetMGM)

Always a public betting favorite in the U.S., there isn't much value in this early number for Spieth, but it's tough to envision the number rising. He'll receive plenty of media attention in May while looking to complete the career grand slam at Oak Hill.

Spieth's last two PGA Tour victories were both in April, including last year's RBC Heritage, and yet another good showing in Augusta will have the hype train running at full steam.

Cameron Smith (+2000 via DraftKings)

As to be expected, the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year is the top contender from LIV Golf heading into the 2023 major season. I certainly wouldn't bet the +1500 available via FanDuel, and would advise even holding off on this +2000 in anticipation of the odds rising for nearly everyone from the rebel tour as they continue to fade from the public eye.

Xander Schauffele (+2100 via FanDuel)

Schauffele finished in the top 15 at each of the final three majors of 2022. After being held out of the PGA Tour's winner's circle since 2019, he claimed victory at the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open last year. Expectations will be high in both April and May for Schauffele to finally claim his first major, and he'll be a very public bet.

Collin Morikawa (+2200 via Caesars)

Morikawa shockingly let a runaway victory slip away at the Sentry TOC to begin January. That seemed as if it would be his first victory since the 2021 Open Championship. While his first major win was the PGA Championship, that event was played in mid-August and on the West Coast. This number should creep upward.

Patrick Cantlay (+2200 via DraftKings)

I was very high on Cantlay heading into the 2022 PGA Championship and was rewarded with a missed cut. Though he claimed his eighth PGA Tour win in his defense of the BMW Championship in August, I'd need to see better major form at the Masters before re-investing in Cantlay in one of golf's biggest events.

2023 PGA Championship Odds: Contenders

Dustin Johnson (+2800 via FanDuel)

Johnson has one playoff victory and two co-runner-up finishes through eight events on the LIV Golf Invitational Series. He has been the best golfer on the rebel tour through one season, but carrying over proper motivation to the majors will remain in question. Like with Smith, I'm staying away until closer to the tournament.

Will Zalatoris (+2800 via PointsBet)

Zalatoris collected six top-10 finishes through the first 10 major appearances of his career before winning his first regular PGA Tour event last summer. The 2023 major season will be his first with a win under his belt, and that could alleviate some of his regular late-round putting troubles. This is a good value.

Viktor Hovland (+3200 via FanDuel)

Hovland finished 2022 at No. 10 in the OWGR despite recording just a single win. His T-4 finish in last year's Open Championship was his first top-10 placing in a major, but this is an enticing price.

Hideki Matsuyama (+3300 via BetMGM)

Though it seems as if he's been on the PGA Tour much longer than he has, Matsuyama doesn't turn 31 until late February. He's just a year removed from his Masters victory, and he finished fourth in last year's U.S. Open. This number is higher than it should be, especially with his T-19 finish at Oak Hill as a 21-year-old in 2013. The +2500 available elsewhere is much less enticing.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+3600 via FanDuel)

FanDuel is way out of sync with its pricing on the reigning U.S. Open champ, as other shops have odds as low as +2500. He also tied for fifth in last year's PGA Championship and finished no worse than T-21 in any of the four majors. Fitzpatrick should be a contender in majors for a long time and this is excellent value.

Tony Finau (+3600 via FanDuel)

PointsBet is offering odds as low as +2800 for Finau to win the 2023 PGA Championship, so be sure to run to FanDuel. He claimed three victories in 2022 and has four wins since August 2021. He should quickly rise from No. 11 in the OWGR early in 2023. His odds for each of the four majors will drop accordingly.

Shane Lowry (+3600 via FanDuel)

Lowry had a win and five other top-10 finishes in 23 international events last year. That was one of the 35-year-old's best-ever seasons, and it included a T-3 finish in the Masters. This is likely to remain around the closing price.

Brooks Koepka (+3600 via FanDuel)

Yes, Koepka is a four-time major winner, including two Wanamaker Trophies. However, he finished no better than 55th in last year's four majors after joining LIV Golf. Stay far, far away.

Tom Kim (+3600 via FanDuel)

Kim was priced as the pre-tournament favorite for the first time in his young career for the Sony Open in Hawaii. That's after recording two PGA Tour victories between August and October. Continued strong form and similar success against more competitive fields will have his odds in the 20/1 range by mid-May. Get a ticket on Kim for each of the four majors as quickly as you can.

2023 PGA Championship Odds: Values

Sungjae Im (+4100 via FanDuel)

We have a major discrepancy in the odds for Im to win the 2023 PGA Championship, as he's as low as +3300 via BetMGM. He skipped last year's PGA Championship following a T-8 finish at the Masters and a career-best T-17 showing at the 2021 PGA Championship. It's tough to see this number getting any better than +4100, so act now if you want a piece.

Bryson DeChambeau (+5000 via PointsBet)

DeChambeau has had less success on the LIV series than both Johnson and Koepka, and he's no longer in the same class as Smith. However, the +5000 price point for a former major winner is somewhat enticing, especially compared to the +3500 odds available at DraftKings. If DeChambeau's odds to win the PGA Championship close around this number, I'd take a small-unit flier.

Max Homa (+5500 via FanDuel)

We have a drastic 20-point difference between Homa's odds at FanDuel and what's available at Caesars. Now 32, his best career finish in a major was his T-13 at the 2022 PGA Championship, but the five-time PGA Tour champion should soon break through in one of the biggest events.

Tiger Woods (+6600 via BetMGM)

BetMGM is the place to back the GOAT as PointsBet is offering more modest odds of +5000. We're likely to see Tiger tee it up only once this year prior to the PGA Championship (at Augusta National), but he'll always remain the public bet. However, his previous T-40 finish at Oak Hill isn't as inspiring as his past success at most other major venues.

2023 PGA Championship Odds: Long Shots

Corey Conners (+8000 via BetMGM)

Pounce on this number for the 34th-ranked golfer in the world entering 2023, as PointsBet has odds of just +5000 for the top Canadian. His regular success at the Masters has yet to carry over to any of the other three majors, but it's tough to see that being the case for much longer.

Mito Pereira (+10000 via BetMGM)

Recent reports suggest Pereira may soon join LIV Golf, so this number may rise even higher by mid-May. If it does, I'd jump on last year's T-3 finisher in the second major.

Russell Henley (+12000 via FanDuel)

Henley, 33, is close to matching his career-best OWGR rank of 30th. He claimed his fourth PGA Tour win in November after a five-year drought. Though he hasn't ever finished in the top 10 of a major, his iron game can play anywhere and this is a number that should only drop early in 2023.

Sepp Straka (+20000 via BetMGM)

Though differences in pricing in this range aren't as drastic as they seem due to the implied win probability, Straka is offered as low as +15000 elsewhere. Either number is far too high for the 27th-ranked golfer in the world entering 2023. As far as long shots go, Straka is a worthwhile investment after winning, and losing twice in playoffs in 2022.