Big Three Props Headline PGA Championship Betting

Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer in the world, and he goes into this weekend’s PGA Championship as the heavy favorite to win. And the one potential pitfall that could have kept him out of the tournament, the birth of his first child, has now happened. Congratulations to Scheffler and his wife, Meredith. And thank you to Baby Scheffler for making sure your dad will play this weekend.

Scheffler is red-hot, winning four of his last five tournaments. But the man right behind him on the odds board, Rory McIlroy, also heads to Valhalla Golf Club on a winning streak. He won the Wells Fargo Championship by five strokes on Sunday, two weeks after winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Scheffler is at the top of his game, McIlroy is at the top of his game, and the golfer who is third on the odds board, Brooks Koepka, is also at the top of his game. A week ago in Singapore, Koepka won his second consecutive LIV event, his fourth LIV title, and he is, of course, the PGA Championship winner from last year.

The golf between these three is going to make for a great watch, and it makes for some really interesting wagers.

Big Three vs. The Field

Scottie Scheffler has won two of the last three Masters, and Koepka has won three of the last six PGA Championships. McIlroy has four major wins in his career, but none since 2014.

Is it worth the +160 to take these three great golfers against the rest of the field?

It pays -215 to take the field. That includes Xander Schauffele, who just finished second at the Wells Fargo Championship, Jon Rahm, who was top 10 at LIV Singapore, and up and coming Swedish sensation Ludvig Åberg. The 24-year-old turned pro last year, and just last month he was the Masters runner-up.

Odds to win outright for these top six golfers are Scheffler at +400, McIlroy at +700, Koepka at +700, and Schauffele, Rahm, and Åberg are all at +1600.

There are a total of 16 former PGA Championship winners in the field, and a bet against the Big Three is a bet on all of them as well.

Winner in the Final Group

When Scheffler won the Masters in April, he was in the final grouping. He was the 54-hole leader, putting him in the final pairing with Colin Morikawa.

When Koepka won the PGA last year, he, too, was in the final group, leading by one stroke through 54 holes. When McIlroy won the PGA at this same course 10 years ago, he was also in the final group.

Last year’s winner of the Open, Brian Harman, was in the final group. Wyndham Clark was in the final group when he won last year’s U.S. Open, and Rahm was a final group winner at the 2023 Masters.

Betting on the winner this weekend to come from the final group pays -250, and you can see why. Getting out in front of the field and then closing the door on Sunday is what tends to happen. If you want to bet on a final-round comeback and buck the trend, it’s +175 for the winner to come from another group.

The last time that happened was at the 2022 Open, when Cameron Smith won in the second to last group.