Day 2 Update
After one day of the PGA Championship, world Number 2 Scottie Scheffler has emerged as the massive betting favorite at Oak Hill CC. While he was a favorite heading into the event, a 3 under Thursday round has propelled him all the way to 2.2/1 to hoist the Wannamaker trophy. It is a bit staggering to see those odds, for a guy that is not even leading the tournament.
LIV Bonanza
The man in front at the moment is Bryson DeChambeau who fired a -4 round Thursday. The exiled LIV golfer has cut down his protein shake intake, and looks to be returning to the form that won him a US open a few years ago.
Speaking of exiled Tour players, DJ is lurking at 12/1 and just two shots back of the lead. The one time major champ looks to be at home on this golf course that rewards all-around game. His ability to keep the ball in the fairway has been a key to this point, and will be crucial the rest of the way.
Not So Number 1
The number 1 ranked player in the world, John Rahm, was completely incapable of doing so on Thursday, and finished with a very uncharacteristic +7 round. It was shocking to see from a man who seems to be in contention every week and took home this season’s first major.
With Rahmbo out of the mix, Viktor Hovland has emerged as a candidate to capture his first major, and finds himself with 11/1 odds as of Friday morning. Hovland has been knocking on the door recently, and certainly has the game to get the job done. Justin Rose and Corey Conners find themselves in the mix after Day 1, with Rose at 16/1 and Conners at 14/1. The two of them possess tremendous ball striking ability, which is a very common theme on this leaderboard.
Eyes on These Guys
While Scheffler is the best player on the board, his odds are too short at this point to consider betting it. Two guys I am looking at are the aforementioned Viktor Hovland from Norway. He has every bit of what is required to win majors, and is one of the best ball strikers on the planet. He has been in contention before, which is a key to taking home your first major. At 11/1, I like the value you can get on him now, while he only sits 2 shots off of the lead.
If you are willing to go a little further down the leaderboard, you can find another guy who has long been knocking on the door of his first major championship. At 18/1, Xander Schauffele is just 4 back and looks to be in great form this week. Sure he hasn’t shown the mettle to get it done previously, but his game is sharp and he does just about everything well on the golf course.
Live Bets
I will be taking live bets on both Hovland and Xander, hoping that one of them can come from behind this weekend to hoist the largest trophy in golf. Enjoy the golf this weekend!