We’ve touted and tweaked our betting cards and DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports lineups throughout the week, and in just a few moments, the 104th PGA Championship will be underway.
All top players are in attendance this week, but there’s no suspense with the top-2 golfers in the odds and the rankings. Scottie Scheffler finished top-15 after recording a triple bogey last week, and Jon Rahm is coming off a win in Mexico. Both profile great at Southern Hills, and the world No. 1 has proclaimed his love for this course - it’ll be hard to defy stats and narrative street.
Jordan Spieth looks ready to drop the last proverbial checker on his connect-four career grand slam board, but Cameron Smith will be ahead of him in this year’s power rankings. Spieth could’ve easily had back-to-back wins, two total this season, but I’ll side with the golfer who’s won twice and has a top-15 and a top-3 in the Masters and THE PLAYERS this year. Both are firmly inside the top-10, but Smith gets a bump.
Viktor Hovland is the enigma I cannot figure out this week. He can compete on any course with his extraordinary ball-striking, and maybe the difficulties around the green will equalize the field, where both good and bad short game players meet in the middle. Still, of all the elites, I find myself less interested in the OSU Cowboys Alum and side with other golfers ahead of him like Sam Burns, Brooks Koepka and Hideki Matsuyama. Hovland could (and probably will) make me look like a fool for dropping him, but them the breaks.
Will golfers like Russell Henley, Ryan Palmer and Harold Varner III pop this week? All three possess the necessary lead-in form, traits and experience to play well. Still, Billy Horschel has my eye as someone who could outkick his “odds” coverage this week, ranking seventh in SG: Total over the previous 24 rounds. He’s made eight of nine cuts at the PGA and has two top-25s in his last three starts at this major. He’s only lost strokes with approach once in his PGA Championship career and has one of the best short games this season, ranking 39th in sand saves, 21st in scrambling, 34th in SG: ARG and sixth in putting over the previous two dozen rounds.
PGA TOUR Power Rankings
| RANK | GOLFER | PRE-TOURNAMENT ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| RANK | GOLFER | PRE-TOURNAMENT ODDS |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | +900 |
| 2 | Rory McIlroy | +900 |
| 3 | +1000 | |
| 4 | Patrick Cantlay | +1400 |
| 5 | Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
| 6 | Sam Burns | +1800 |
| 7 | Sungjae Im | +3500 |
| 8 | Joaquin Niemann | +3500 |
| 9 | Davis Riley | +4000 |
| 10 | Aaron Wise | +5000 |
| 11 | Seamus Power | +2800 |
| 12 | Harold Varner III | +3500 |
| 13 | Keegan Bradley | +2800 |
| 14 | Tony Finau | +4000 |
| 15 | Mito Pereira | +3500 |
| 16 | Tommy Fleetwood | +4000 |
| 17 | Brian Harman | +4000 |
| 18 | Webb Simpson | +8000 |
| 19 | Marc Leishman | +5000 |
| 20 | Brendan Steele | +6500 |
| 21 | Brendon Todd | +10000 |
| 22 | +4000 | |
| 23 | Maverick McNealy | +8000 |
| 24 | Denny McCarthy | +6500 |
| 25 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +6500 |
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
Place your golf bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (ONT), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY; 19+ ONT). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/ONT/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.