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2023 PGA Championship Sports News

2023 PGA Championship: Expert Picks, Odds, Predictions

Blake RobertsBy Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 16 May 2023
Blake Roberts Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

The first round of the 105th edition of the 2023 PGA Championship will commence on Thursday, May 18, on the revamped East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. This is the second Major of the year, as top golfers from around the world have their eyes on the prize. The best golf betting sites will also look at ramping up the scale of their services.

  • 158 golfers will compete in the 2023 PGA Championship, including defending champion Justin Thomas and world number 1 Jon Rahm
  • Six players, including Tiger Woods, have withdrawn from the 2023 PGA Championship
  • Of the 158 golfers, 18 will be from the rival circuit, LIV Golf League. These players are eligible to feature due to pre-set criteria

2023 PGA Championship: The Picks

In the second Major of the year, some golfers are looking for their first-ever Major title, while a few others are looking to complete a Grand Slam. Jordan Spieth is one of the top contenders to complete a Grand Slam at the 2023 PGA Championship. The world number 10 finished T4 with Patrick Reed and Russell Henley at the previous Major in Augusta. He came extremely close to winning the RBC Heritage tournament but eventually finished two shots behind Matt Fitzpatrick in the playoff.

Fitzpatrick is the world number 7 and England’s highest-ranked golfer. Despite winning the RBC Heritage tournament, the 28-year-old could not build on the momentum at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month as he finished T35 with four golfers. However, the Englishman will be one of the top contenders at Oak Hill Country Club. LIV Golf member and back-to-back PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka will be amongst the top contenders after finishing top-5 at the LIV Tulsa tournament at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Oklahoma a few days ago.

The momentum will also be strong with Jason Day, who had disappointing outings at the previous Major and at the Wells Fargo Championship. The world number 35 may have been amongst the underdogs initially, but his performance at the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament has revealed his potential. He also knows what it takes to win the PGA Championship, as this is the only Major Day has ever won in his career. Phil Mickelson finished T2 at the Masters in Austin this year and could put up another similar performance in Pittsford.

Apart from these players, the top favorites will be the golfers currently in the top three in the rankings. Jon Rahm will aim for back-to-back Majors, but it will not be a cakewalk for the world number 1, with Scottie Scheffler eager to reclaim his spot at the summit. Meanwhile, world number 3 Rory McIlroy will be eager to bounce back from his disappointing finish at the Augusta Masters and the Wells Fargo Championship. Overall, the player field is loaded with talented golfers, and the 2023 PGA Championship is expected to be mercurial.

2023 PGA Championship: The Odds

Player Odds
Jon Rahm +750
Scottie Scheffler +750
Rory McIlroy +1200
Brooks Koepka +2000
Jason Day +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick +2800
Jordan Spieth +3300
Phil Mickelson +16000

2023 PGA Championship: Predictions

The 2023 PGA Championship player field is highly competitive, and it will be challenging to predict the outcome. The field is strongest because the LIV Golf League players have not been banned from participating in the second Major of the year if they fit the pre-set criteria. Past PGA Champions like Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa, Shaun Micheel, John Daly and more have been included because they have won this tournament, irrespective of which golf circuit they are a part of now.

The golfers who have won any of the four Majors over the last five years have also been included in the playing field. The final spot was reserved for the AT&T Byron Nelson winner. Jason Day won but had already entered the PGA Championship because he has won this tournament in the past. The victory at the TPC Craig Ranch in Texas was important for Day as it ended his five-year winless streak that started right after he won the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018.

Some golfers have performed well in the tournaments between the first two Majors of the year. However, playing at a Major, under immense pressure, it will be one of the top guns that will eventually emerge on top. World number Xander Schauffele was impressive at RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo Championship. He finished fourth at RBC and second at Wells. However, at the Augusta Masters, he could only muster a T10. The top three players, along with some veterans, have the best chance to win the PGA Championship this year.

Scheffler has not won any of the last three tournaments he has played, including the previous Major. His last win came in March during The Players tournament. After that, he finished T10 at the Augusta Masters and will be eager to reclaim his world number one spot. However, the current world number 1 Rahm will not make that easy. Both these excellent golfers are the top favorites to win the 2023 PGA Championship.