PGA Championship: Schauffele Can Make Breakthrough

• Oak Hill Country Club hosts the PGA for the first time since 2013
• Justin Thomas is the defending champion 
• Jon Rahm is aiming to win his second Major of the season

PGA Championship Odds

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PGA Championship Picks and Predictions

• Xander Schauffele each-way at +1600 with bet365

• Matt Fitzpatrick to beat Cam Smith over 72 holes at -110 with DraftKings Sportsbook

• Gary Woodland for a Top 10 at +750 with DraftKings Sportsbook

See the best online betting sites for golf, here! 

After Jon Rahm landed the opening Major of the year in Georgia, the second of golf’s four most prized events will be contested in the northeast of the United States.

Oak Hill Country Club in New York has staged three US Opens and three previous PGA Championships.

Short hitters Shaun Micheel (2003) and Jason Dufner (2013) won the two previous PGAs this century but a very different Oak Hill awaits this time.

The removal of 600 trees and added yardage means this is likely to suit the big hitters better.

Coolish weather conditions and rain on the weekend could further play into the hands of those who hit it long and high. 

PGA Championship Recent Winners

Oak Hill Country Club Course Notes

• Oak Hill (East Course) is a par 70 measuring 7,394 yards
• It was designed by Donald Ross
• Andrew Green renovated the course in 2020
• The greens are bentgrass
• The course will play much longer than it did in 2013

Favorites to win the 2023 PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler (+750)

The 2022 Masters winner could only manage to tie for 10th when defending at Augusta National last month. But 2023 has still been a stellar year for the Texan, who has won at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship. He’s finished tied for 21st or better in 10 of the last 11 Majors.

Jon Rahm (+800)

After his brilliant win at The Masters last month, the Spaniard has won two of the last seven Majors. Now World No.1, Rahm should like this lengthy layout and has every chance of challenging again and improving on his previous PGA best: tied fourth at Bellerive in 2018.

Rory McIlroy (+1200)

It’s hard to imagine that the last of Rory’s four Majors came way back in 2014. That was this tournament, one he’s won twice following a first victory in 2012. A missed cut at The Masters was a shock but Rory posted five top eights in his previous six Majors.     

Side with Schauffele

Xander Schauffele has built an excellent record in the Majors since hitting the ground running with a debut tied for fifth in the 2017 US Open.

But despite 10 top tens, six of which double as top fives, he’s yet to find the win.

Oak Hills Country Club could be the venue where he finally tops the podium.

Americans in their 20s have a great record in this event so the 29-year-old from San Diego fits the bill.

His all-round game is suited to the demands of this week’s par 70 and his numbers are trending in the right direction.

Since reaching the last eight of the WGC-Match Play, Schauffele has finished 10th at The Masters, fourth at both the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The X-man has form in the region too so all the boxes seem to be checked.  

Take Schauffele each way (five places) at +1600 with bet365.    

Fitzpatrick to Outscore Smith

Matt Fitzpatrick ranks in the top 50 for Driving Distance on the PGA Tour this season, a surprise to those who still think of him as a shortish hitter.

Perhaps that added length helped him finish tied for 10th in The Masters at Augusta.

Or maybe that strong performance was just another sign that the Englishman is an elite player at this level.

He’s finished in the top 15 in the last four Majors on American soil and that includes a win in last year’s US Open and a top five in the 2022 PGA Championship.

A winner of the RBC Heritage three starts ago, I’ll take Fitzpatrick to beat Cameron Smith in a 72-hole pick ’em match bet.

Smith’s game is suited to The Masters and Open Championships and his record proves that.

The Aussie won the Claret Jug last year and has three top fives and a further top 10 at Augusta.

But on long US Open and PGA Championship tracks, he struggles. 

That’s shown by zero top 10s in seven starts at this event and missed cuts in each of the last two US Opens.

Playing LIV courses won’t help him change that so Fitzpatrick is a confident shout at -110 with DraftKings Sportsbook to win this match-up.  

Woodland to Land Top 10

Gary Woodland’s power-hitting should serve him well this week.

Already a Major winner after capturing the 2019 US Open, the big-hitting American was also tied for 10th in this event last year and tied for 14th in April’s US Masters.

Woodland, who ranks 8th in Driving Distance this season, continued his consistent form with tied 14th in the Wells Fargo Championship last time. 

He’s +750 to land a top 10 and, to give that context, that’s the same odds as Scottie Scheffler is to win the actual tournament. 

If Woodland has a good putting week, he’s very capable of being a leaderboard presence.

Back him for that top 10 with DraftKings Sportsbook.     

How to Watch the PGA Championship

• Tournament: PGA Championship
• Location: Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, NY
• Date: THURSDAY MAY 18 - SUNDAY MAY 21
• How to watch: THURSDAY-FRIDAY 7 a.m.-1 p.m. ET (ESPN+), 1 p.m.-7 p.m. (ESPN). SATURDAY-SUNDAY 8 a.m.-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m.-7 p.m. (CBS). And all four days on Sky Sports.