The second major of the year, the USA PGA Championship takes place at the Southern Hills Course in Oklahoma and we select 4 players to take on the field.
I am still battling to get used to the fact that the PGA Championship now takes place in May and not August, but not being stuck at the end of the calendar has certainly raised the profile of this tournament.
The Southern Hills course plays to a par 70 and the course underwent extensive renovations in 2019. Southern Hills is a very long par 70 layout and with generous fairways it looks likely to favour the long hitters. The greens are fairly small though and aside from distance, positioning in the fairway for approach shots will also be important. There also looks like being some wind around this week which could play a significant role.
Looking at the betting at the time of writing this preview, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are 12/1 joint favourites with Rory Mcilroy 16/1, Thomas 18/1 alongside Jordan Spieth and you can get 20/1 and better the balance.
PAST WINNERS (different courses)
2016 Jimmy Walker -14
2017 Justin Thomas -8
2018 Brooks Koepka -16
2019 Brooks Koepka -8
2020 Collin Morikawa -13
2021 Phil Mickelson -6
BETTING – Click here to bet
Jon Rahm 12/1
Scottie Scheffler 12/1
Rory Mcilroy 16/1
Justin Thomas 18/1
Jordan Spieth 18/1
Collin Morikawa 20/1
Dustin Johnson 22/1
Viktor Hovland 25/1
Patrick Cantlay 25/1
Cameron Smith 25/1
28/1 and better the balance, prices correct at the time of posting but are subject to change
SELECTIONS
Jon Rahm each way at 12/1 (paying 6 places)
Rahm has been incredibly consistent in the majors, but he was disappointing last time out in the Masters only finishing in the Top 30. Prior to that he had reeled off 5 Top 10’s in succession including a victory. Rahm has been battling to justify short prices this season, but he did win a few weeks back, all be it, against a weak field and I am expecting the big man to put in a strong performance this week.
Scottie Scheffler each way at 12/1
I don’t usually go for the two top players on the betting boards, but I am going to allow myself that luxury this week as I fancy both of them strongly. Scheffler was too strong for the field in the US Masters and has subsequently had a Top 20 and a Top 15 finish. I think last week’s preparation would have been perfect for him as he never had the pressure of contending, but got to fine tune his game. This course should suit him and the way he is playing now he is worthy of his place at the top of the betting boards.
Cameron Smith each way at 25/1
Smith was 3rd behind Scheffler in the Masters having led early and he has been lightly raced since then with a missed cut and a Top 25 finish in his last start 4 weeks back. He has the perfect game and temperament for the Majors while somewhat surprisingly he hasn’t featured in the PGA Championship, but I am expecting that to change this week.
Will Zalatoris each way at 40/1
Zalatoris missed the cut last week which was a bit of a surprise for me and a disappointment considering I had money down on him. I am hoping that is because his focus was on the PGA Championship and he certainly had some consistent form before that with 3 Top 6 finishes in succession. It is also worth noting that he Top 10’d in his PGA Championship debut last season.
