The second major golf championship of the season is upon us with the best golfers in the world set to take on Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. The par-72 course has a rich history of hosting major events, with the PGA Championship last being played here in 2014. The Ryder Cup was also played at Valhalla in 2008.
Three of the best golfers in the world, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler, all come into the tournament in red-hot form which makes this one of the most eagerly anticipated majors in several years. Add into the mix the return of last year's Cinderella story, Michael Block, and the second appearance of the season for Tiger Woods and we have a special weekend on the cards.
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How the bookies view it: PGA Championship odds
Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler has been priced as the favourite to win the PGA Championship. The 27-year-old has won four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour and is being tipped by many to win all four majors this season after picking up the green jacket at the Masters in April.
Scheffler hasn't played in four weeks, though, which could open the door to the chasing pack. The next two players on the list are Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. McIlroy has thrived in Scheffler's absence and has won the last two PGA Tour events while Koepka won LIV Singapore on his last appearance.
The top ten favourites at the PGA Championship this week:
- Scottie Scheffler – 4/1
- Rory McIlroy – 7/1
- Brooks Koepka – 14/1
- Xander Schauffele – 14/1
- Jon Rahm – 16/1
- Ludvig Aberg – 18/1
- Bryson DeChambeau – 25/1
- Max Homa – 25/1
- Collin Morikawa – 28/1
- Joaquin Niemann – 30/1
PGA Championship 2024 betting tips: Our each-way picks
Rory McIlroy E/W (10 places) – 6/1
Rory McIlroy is enjoying a brilliant couple of weeks on the golf course after a disappointing showing at the Masters. The Northern Irishman took great confidence from winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Shane Lowry at the end of April and was sublime at Quail Hollow last week as he took home the Wells Fargo Championship.
It feels like the stars have aligned for McIlroy to end his ten-year major drought this week. Valhalla Golf Club was where he last tasted major success at this same event in 2014 so he is evidently capable of playing his best stuff around here. If that wasn't enough, the course has been lengthened since then which makes driving distance even more important.
McIlroy leads the way on the PGA Tour this season in terms of driving distance and driving accuracy while he's also second in the field this week on strokes gained off the tee. He has the form, the ideal game and the course know-how to get over the line this week.
Brooks Koepka E/W (10 places) – 12/1
Brooks Koepka is someone who always brings his A-game to major championships and is one of a few LIV Tour players who have been able to continue to perform at golf's biggest tournaments since leaving the PGA Tour.
The PGA Championship is also a tournament that Koepka loves. Three of his five major tournament triumphs have come in this tournament, including last year when he became the first-ever LIV Golf player to win a major.
Koepka comes into this tournament with plenty of hope and confidence. He won LIV Singapore a fortnight ago and Valhalla is a course that should suit his game due to its length. His average driving distance is over 300 yards, something he will need on this mammoth golf course.
Bryson DeChambeau E/W (10 places) – 20/1
Bryson DeChambeu is the second LIV player that I think is worth keeping an eye on this week at the PGA Championship. DeChambeu showed that he can still compete at major tournaments when he finished in a tie for 6th at the Masters and Valhalla is a course that suits him even better.
He leads the way in LIV Golf for driving distance this season with an average of 319 yards per drive. He is also the king of making eagles on the breakaway tour with seven eagles to his name this season, however, we perhaps shouldn't read too much into that given the level of the courses they play on in LIV.
DeChambeau is having a decent enough season on the whole and has recorded four top-ten finishes in seven starts.
The prize for this week's winner at the PGA Championship – Photo by Icon Sport
PGA Championship 2024 betting tips: Our sleeper picks
Wyndham Clark E/W (10 places) – 33/1
Wyndham Clark is our first sleeper tip for the PGA Championship and for good reason. Clark is already a certified major champion after winning the US Open last season and he has had a pretty good season so far on the PGA Tour which makes his long odds somewhat surprising.
He won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and enjoyed back-to-back second-placed finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship. He trails only Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour this season when it comes to driving distance so he has the tools to make a real fist of it this weekend.
Min Woo Lee E/W (10 places) – 50/1
Min Woo Lee is another fabulous ball striker who should be priced at shorter than 50/1 this week. The Australian is one of the brightest young talents on the PGA Tour and has nothing to lose this week which makes him a dangerous proposition, particularly when you consider he is inside the top ten for shots gained off the tee.
The 25-year-old ranks second on the tour this season for driving distance and accuracy combined, something that should give him an immediate advantage over his opponents this week. The only thing missing from his season is a victory with this best performance so far being a 2nd-placed finish at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.
Adams Scott E/W (10 places) – 80/1
There is a feeling that Adam Scott is past his best as a competitor but the 2013 Masters champion has shown he isn't quite done yet this season. Scott has only missed one cut this season on the PGA Tour, which is pretty good going for a 43-year-old and his putting is improving by the week.
That side of the game could be important this week as the green being used are Bentgrass greens, which is far from the norm on the PGA Tour. Scott has a good record on these greens, though, with three of his PGA Tour wins coming on Bentgrass greens.
The Australian performed well at Valhalla the last time the tournament was held here and finished in a tie for the 15th.
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
