The best golfers in the world will make their way to Charlotte, North Carolina and the Quail Hollow Country Club for this week’s US PGA Championship event. While this venue has been used to host the Wells Fargo Championship every May on an annual basis each of the last 14 years, Quail Hollow will have the honor of hosting its first-ever major tournament in 2017. That will mean we have even more information at our disposal when breaking down the field for this event, which will also include the numbers recorded at the first three major tournaments of the season.
Details
Event: PGA Championship
Category: PGA
Date: August 10-13
Location: Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
Jimmy Walker will defend his title after winning the PGA Championship in 2016. However, Walker will have some tough competition with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler all looking to take him down. McIlroy in particular should feel very comfortable this week as a two-time PGA Championship winner who has also won the Wells Fargo Championship twice. McIlroy will be the sports betting favorite this week but with so much elite talent there will be plenty of legitimate contenders to consider.
Past Five Winners
2016: Jimmy Walker -14
2015: Jason Day -20
2014: Rory McIlroy (2) -16
2013: Jason Dufner -10
2012: Rory McIlroy -13
What To Know About The Course
The course at Quail Hollow will look slightly different this year after some minor alterations. The implementation of Champion Ultradwarf Bermudagrass on the greens and some new holes are among the notable changes but the course remains the same for the most part. Distance and accuracy off the tee will be important, but Scrambling might be the key statistic to consider this week. It will also be important for the contenders to take advantage of their opportunities on the greens with strong Putting statistics.
The Field
McIlroy is the sports betting favorite to win the PGA Championship for a third time this year at +800 odds. Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth is considered the second-most likely contender at +1000 odds, followed by Hideki Matsuyama at +1200 odds. Dustin Johnson is listed at +1400 odds as he attempts to recapture his elite major form while Rickie Fowler is listed at +1800 odds. The defending champion Walker is listed as a sports betting long shot to repeat at +10000 odds. Jason Day, who win this tournament in 2015, is listed at +2500 odds to win the PGA Championship for the second time.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Zach Johnson over Phil Mickelson
While Johnson might not clinch the outright win this week he is available at an excellent value in a sports betting matchup with Mickelson. Johnson has placed in the top-15 in each of his last thee starts including a 14th-place finish at the Open and a runner-up result at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last outing. Meanwhile, Mickelson has cracked the top-15 only once since the WGC-Mexico Championships and he is trending in the opposite direction with a missed cut and a 39th-place finish in his last two outings. It makes sense to capitalize on the value and bet on Johnson over Mickelson in the head-to-head sports betting matchup this week.
Top-Five Pick: Rory McIlroy
While this pick might seem obvious it is also impossible to ignore considering how the numbers line up. McIlroy has produced top-five finishes at the Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last two starts. He is a two-time PGA Championship winner and he has absolutely dominated at Quail Hollow throughout the course of his career. McIlroy has two wins and six top-10 finishes in his seven starts at this venue. He also set the course record with a 61 in 2015 when he won that year by seven strokes. He is the sports betting favorite to win this tournament outright for many reasons. McIlroy should be a lock to finish in the top-five at the PGA Championship this week.
Odds To Win 2017 PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy +650
Jordan Spieth +905
Hideki Matsuyama +1050
Dustin Johnson +1150
Rickie Fowler +1550
Jon Rahm +2050
Brooks Koepka +2050
Jason Day +2550
Adam Scott +3050
Justin Rose +3050
Henrik Stenson +3550
Sergio Garcia +3550
Justin Thomas +3550
Paul Casey +3550
Thomas Pieters +4550
Daniel Berger +4550
Charley Hoffman +3550
Matt Kuchar +5500
Branden Grace +5500
Alex Noren +5500
Marc Leishman +5500
Phil Mickelson +5500
Tommy Fleetwood +6550
Zach Johnson +6550
Bubba Watson +6550
Patrick Reed +7550
Rafa Cabrera Bello +7550
Jason Dufner +8550
Kevin Chappell +8550
Tony Finau +7550
Gary Woodland +8550
Ian Poulter +8550
J B Holmes +7550
Kevin Kisner +7550
Charl Schwartzel +9050
Louis Oosthuizen +9050
Jimmy Walker +9050
Francesco Molinari +10000
Brendan Steele +12000
Xander Schauffele +12000
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