A Tiger Woods PGA Championship Win Would Be Disastrous for Sportsbooks

This is a risky week for sportsbooks, as the world’s most popular golfer is playing in a tournament as a longshot. Tiger Woods is playing in his second tournament since a severe leg injury stemming from a car crash in February 2021. He started strong at the Masters last month, going 1-under in the first round before sliding back by the end.

Will an extra month of rehab make a difference at Southern Hills this week? Sportsbooks tend to not think so.

All the odds you need to know for Tiger at the PGA Championship 🐅 https://t.co/w8XqC62M84

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) May 19, 2022

Knowing that the public loves to bet on popular teams and players, odds at BetMGM were set at +6600 for Woods to win the PGA Championship.

That means a $100 bet would pay out at $6,600 if Woods were to win. As a comparison, Scottie Scheffler is the favorite going in at +1000, so +6600 are quite long odds indeed.

PGA championship GOAT Watch: Tiger Woods (+6500) – there is a $20K bet on him to win that would pay out $1.2M, one of the largest payouts in golf betting history if it hits #PGAChamp #dadlife #PGAChampionship pic.twitter.com/984WcSkyI8

— TraderDads (@trader_dads) May 19, 2022

But because so many people have jumped on those odds—nearly unheard of for potentially the most competitive golfer of all time—an actual win by Woods would be a huge loss for betting companies.

In an interview with Golf Digest, a BetMGM representative said that a Woods win “would be the biggest losing result in BetMGM history.”

As of this writing, Woods birdied his first hole in the opening round at Southern Hills, and his odds dropped from +6600 to +4500.

Cover Image Via Sporting News