Golf
2022 PGA Championship Odds, Picks to Win, and Best Bets
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterPublished18 May 2022
The second major of the 2022 PGA Tour schedule is right around the corner, as the world’s best get set to tee off from Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. this weekend for the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler is understandably the betting favorite at +1200, but there are plenty of valuable bets to be made as we gear up for what should be a stunning and entertaining major championship from start to finish.
Let’s get right to it!
Outright bets for the 2022 PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler +1200 (FanDuel)
I hate betting the favorite in PGA Tour events, but you’d be foolish to leave Scheffler off your outright card this week. Not only is he the hottest golfer on planet earth, but Southern Hills is also his favorite course to play.
I’d be shocked if he isn’t in contention come Sunday afternoon.
Hideki Matsuyama +2500 (BetMGM)
If you checked out my “Golfers to bet right now” story from earlier this week, you’re sitting on a 32-1 Hideki Matsuyama ticket. Congratulations to you, because that number doesn’t exist anymore. Still, I’d be OK taking the ball-striking wizard at 25-1 right now.
Matsuyama ranks sixth on the PGA Tour this season in stokes gained approaching the green, and he’s a much better chipper of the golf ball than he gets credit for. Coming off a T3 at the AT&T Byron Nelson where he led the field in SG: APG, Matsuyama is looking healthy and ready to secure his second major championship.
Shane Lowry +3500 (BetMGM)
Shane Lowry has quietly been one of the hottest golfers on Tour over the last few months, and he has the perfect skillset to compete this week. The wind will be whipping at Southern Hills throughout the tournament, which is music to the Irishman’s ears.
Lowry is also a genius around the greens, and he ranks fourth on Tour in SG: APG this season. In difficult conditions, the 2019 Open champion is the perfect player to target.
Brooks Koepka +5500 (DraftKings)
Throw the stats and recent form out the window for this one. A two-time PGA Championship winner who’s finished 15th or better in seven of the last eight runnings of the event cannot be 55-1. Plain and simple.
If Brooks Koepka wins, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking him at this price.
Best bets for the PGA Championship
Cameron Smith top-10 finish +250 (BetRivers)
In major championships with tough conditions, you need a guy who can string birdies together and scramble his butt off to keep the momentum going. Cameron Smith is that guy.
Smith is one of the most creative chippers on Tour, and he’s going to have a field day on these bentgrass greens. He’s also having the best season of his career with his irons, as he ranks seventh on Tour in SG:APG in 2022. Smith hasn’t proven just yet that he can win a major, but he should be right in the mix yet again.
Shane Lowry top-20 finish +130 (BetRivers)
I laid out above why I love Lowry to compete for the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend, so I’ll be happy to take plus-money on the big man to finish inside the top 20.
How to bet Tiger Woods at Southern Hills
I won’t be betting Tiger at his current odds to win the tournament or finish inside the top 10 or top 20, but I’m confident he can at least play well enough to see the weekend. Woods says he’s feeling “a lot stronger” than he did a month ago, and everyone following him throughout the week has said he looks like a different player than he did at Augusta National (where he also made the cut).
If you read my “Woods prop bet” story from earlier this week, you got this bet at -115. I still love it at -130.
Tiger Woods to make the cut -130 (DraftKings)
Good luck on all your action this week!
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