Scottie Scheffler Dominating PGA Championship Betting

Posted on: May 16, 2022, 01:01h. 

Last updated on: May 16, 2022, 01:26h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
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If you have money on Scottie Scheffler winning this year’s PGA Championship, you’re not alone.

Scottie Scheffler PGA odds Jon Rahm betting
The two top-ranked golfers on the planet — no. 1 Scottie Scheffler (right) and Jon Rahm — compete at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2021. Scheffler and Rahm are the betting front-runners for this week’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma. (Image: Getty)

While there might be a Tiger in the field, it’s the 2022 Masters champ that is commanding the lion’s share of the betting action. BetMGM told Casino.org today that the 25-year-old Scheffler is the book’s largest liability this week at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Ok. And it’s not even close.

Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer since March, is on nearly 11% of BetMGM’s PGA Championship wagers. More concerning for the book is that he’s responsible for 20% of the handle — or total money wagered.

BetMGM opened its 2022 PGA Championship odds long before Scheffler ascended to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings. When he won his first major at Augusta National, the MGM Resorts sportsbook had the Texan at 50/1. Those odds imply a winning chance of about 2%. A winning $100 bet would net $5,000.

Today, those odds are long gone. With a bounty of betting activity on Scheffler, BetMGM has greatly shortened his PGA odds to 12/1. A winning $100 bet now nets $1,200.

Southern Hills will play at more than 7,500 yards at a par of 70. Each of the two par 5s can play more than 600 yards. The first round tees off this Thursday, May 19.

Tiger Still Commanding Action

The PGA of America might not be overly disappointed that defending champion Phil Mickelson will not be in Oklahoma this week. Lefty is opting to continue his self-imposed silence since making numerous controversial comments earlier this year regarding the PGA Tour and the newly formed Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf league.

Mickelson playing the PGA Championship would have created a media circus that likely would have overshadowed the tournament itself in the leadup to this week’s start. But for oddsmakers, Mickelson’s absence is a major loss. Any bets on Mickelson for the 2022 PGA have been returned.

Mickelson, along with Tiger Woods, attracts much betting action whenever they tee it up. While Lefty won’t play this week, Tiger will. And despite not winning since 2019, and Tiger continuing to recover from his nearly fatal automobile accident in February of 2021, Woods is attracting considerable action.

BetMGM says Woods is responsible for 3.9% of its PGA tickets and 4% of the handle. The sportsbook will gladly take more action on the 15-time major champ, as BetMGM has only lengthened his line from 50/1 to 66/1 amid the plentiful action.

At 66/1, BetMGM oddsmakers are giving Woods a 1.5% chance of winning come Sunday. If he pulls off the unlikely feat, Tiger would add a fifth Wanamaker trophy to his resume and join Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen for the most PGA Championship titles.

PGA Favorites

Scottie Scheffler shares the PGA Championship betting front-runner status with Spaniard Jon Rahm. The former world no. 1 — now no. 2 — is also at 12/1. Rahm is behind 5.4% of the BetMGM money on golf’s second major of the year.

Notable front-runners include Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas at 14/1, and Jordan Spieth and Colin Morikawa at 18/1. Brooks Koepka, who finished T2 last year at the PGA and won the major in 2018 and 2019, is at 40/1.

Koepka hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since early 2021, and has since battled knee and hip injuries.