The European Tour heads to the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England this week for the BMW PGA Championship. The second oldest National Open in the world, the BMW PGA Championship dates all the way back to 1983. While there aren’t many big names from Europe competing in this year’s tournament, Rory McIlroy will headline the field along with a strong cast of South Africans including Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Dylan Frittelli. Which golfer is most likely to contend for the outright win this year? Let’s take a closer look at the key factors to consider this week. Betting odds are courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
Event Details
Event: BMW PGA Championship
Category: European
Date: May 24th-May 27th
Location: Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
The BMW PGA Championship is the first of eight Rolex Series events. Originally known as the British PGA Championship, this tournament is widely recognized as the European Tour’s flagship event. Here is a look at the best bets for this year’s BMW PGA Championship.
Past Five Winners
2017: Alexander Noren -11
2016: Chris Wood -9
2015: An Byeong-hun -21
2014: Rory McIlroy -14
2013: Matteo Manassero -10
The Field
McIlroy is the obvious sports betting favorite to win this event at +800 odds. The Irishman is listed well ahead of Grace, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren, which are all listed at +1400 odds to win outright. Francesco Molinari, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry round out the list of the sports betting favorites ranging between +2000 odds and +2500 odds. There are a number of past champions in the field as well that should be considered, including Chris Wood. Wood, who won here in 2016, is listed at +8000 odds to win this tournament.
What To Know About The Course
One of the best statistics to look at heading in to this week is Greens In Regulation, which has heavily factored in to the outcome of this tournament in recent years. Wood in particular ranked fourth in GIR back in 2016. He was the seventh winner in 11 years to rank inside the top-five in that statistic. Meanwhile, Putting numbers should also be taken in to consideration this week. The average Putting Average ranking of the last 13 winners of this tournament is 16.38. Strong GIR statistics and Putting Averages should be strong indicators of potential success at the BMW PGA Championship this week.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Alex Noren over Rory McIlroy
McIlroy is the sports betting favorite for a reason but it’s important to look at his tournament history here when evaluating his potential this week. McIlroy is playing at Wentworth for the first time since he missed the cut here in 2015. While he won here in 2014, he has also missed the cut in four of his last seven appearances at this tournament. Based on his odds to win it actually seems like a better idea to fade him this week. Noren might be the perfect pick to oppose him as the defending tournament champion. The 2017 winner has threatened to win on the PGA Tour several times this year and there is every reason to believe he will contend again this week. At +1400 odds to win outright, Noren is an excellent value pick to beat out McIlroy in the head-to-head sports betting matchup this week.
Top-Five Pick: Tyrell Hatton
Hatton is listed at +3000 odds to win the BMW PGA Championship outright, which makes him an intriguing value pick to finish in the top-five this week at the very least. Hatton hasn’t exactly dominated of late but he ranks 13th in Par 3 Performance and third for Greens In Regulation over the last six months of European Tour action. Hatton has already won three times on the European Tour so he does have the type of winning pedigree necessary to trust him. At decent odds, Hatton is worth backing as a potential top-five pick in England this week.
