The 2nd golf major of the year is upon us as the best golfers in the world head to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the PGA Championship.
As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the major championship below.
PGA Championship Betting Tips
Southern Hills Country Club, Thrusday 9pm (AEST)
The Field
As expected, the field for the PGA Championship is absolutely staked full of the best talent in the world. It seems like a carbon copy of the Masters last month in the fact that the two biggest stories in the lead up to the tournament is the absence of Phil Mickelson and the uncertainty of Tiger Woods.
Mickelson, who is the defending champion of this touranment, is still heavily connected to the breakaway golf league funded by the Saudis and has therefore been all but ostracised from the PGA Tour. Although he is yet to fully commit, Tiger Woods looks certain to play this week, which will give the tournament some extra buzz in the lead up. The Big Cat has won the PGA Championship four times and will be looking to add another to his trophy case.
The No.1 ranked player in the world and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler will be looking to win his 2nd major of the year and headlines a star studded field including Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.
The Course
Southern Hills Country Club
Par 70, 7556 Yards
The PGA Championship will return to Southern Hills Country Club for the first time since all the way back in 2007. Tiger Woods won his fourth and most recent Wanamaker Trophy back in 2007, while other winners at Southern Hills include Nick Price, Raymond Floyd and Dave Stockton.
Driving is not overly difficult at Southern Hills, instead, the test lies within the approach shot on most holes. With elevation and inclines that can make for tricky lies and hole locations that make players hit into tight windows, we'll be targeting strong iron players heading into this week at Southern Hills.
Power Rankings
1. Colin Morikawa ($17 at Ladbrokes)
Widely regarded as the best iron player in the world, the 2020 PGA Champion comes in at No.1 on our power rankings this week. Morikawa finished 5th at the Masters last month and has since finished T26 at the RBC Heritage and T29 at the Zurich Classic. He ranks 5th on the PGA Tour for GIR% and 8th in shots gained on approach.
2. Justin Thomas ($15 at Ladbrokes)
JT is 2nd on our list and like Morikawa, he is considered an incredibly strong iron player. The 29 year old ranks 5th on the PGA Tour for shots gained on approach and 5th in scoring average. Finished T8 at the Masters before finishing T35 at the RBC and T5 at the AT&T on the weekend.
3. Scottie Scheffler ($12 at Ladbrokes)
We couldn't possibly have the World No.1 any lower than 3rd on the power rankings heading into this weekend. Scheffler put on a show at Augusta, four putting the 72nd hole to still walk away with a three stroke win. He has already won four events this season and since his win at the Masters he has finished T18 at the Zurich Classic and T15 at the AT&T.
4. Xander Schauffele ($23 at Ladbrokes)
Xander has bounced back from a disappointing missed cut in the Masters with a win at the Zurich Classic alongside Patrick Cantlay and a T5 at the AT&T on the weekend. He has a brilliant iron player and seems to be the forgotten star amongst the top 10 ranked golfers in the world at the moment. $26 is great value for the 28 year old this week.
5. Rory McIlroy ($15 at Ladbrokes)
He hasn't won a major championship in 7 years, but he has won just about everything else there is to win in that time. 11 PGA Tour victories, two WGC events, a Players Championship, two FedEx Cup trophies and a couple of Ryder Cup trophies just to name a few. The No.7 ranked player in the world has competed in 7 evseven PGA Tour events this season with one win, only one missed cut and five top 20 finishes.
Dark Horses
Matt Kuchar ($151 at Ladbrokes)
Webb Simpson ($126 at Ladbrokes)
Jason Day ($67 at Ladbrokes)
