GOLFICITY BETS: The 2020 PGA Championship Gambling Guide

2020 PGA Championship Tournament Preview

We’re two-thirds of the way through 2020, and finally we get to enjoy the first major of the calendar year!

Normally, the PGA Championship – whisper it – might be considered the least-attractive of the four big ones, but this year we’re almost salivating at the prospect of seeing the best in the business go at it at a host course which should, hopefully, live up to the major billing.

Tiger will be on the prowl in an increasingly rare start, and if you head back to 2005 you can find a win for the Big Cat at TPC Harding Park in one of the few times the layout has hosted an elite-level event.

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He should be in prime condition for an assault at another major, albeit lacking in competitive action, but he faces some almighty competition this week – Justin Thomas, the newly-crowned world number one, will battle for favoritism with Brooks Koepka, who found some form at TPC Southwind last time out.

Are you going to write off Rory? Dustin? Jon Rahm? Bryson? That’s the beauty of the majors, there’s stacks of different players who can take the title, and that’s why we can’t wait for the action to get underway this week!

2020 PGA Championship Course Preview

Aside from a couple of WGCs more than a decade ago, and the President’s Cup of 2009, TPC Harding Park is rarely seen at the top level of world golf.

And that’s a shame, because the set-up here is perfect for the majors. This is a stretch where lengthening holes isn’t the only defense – there’s six or seven tight doglegs, thin fairways pretty much across the board and juicy rough that will be left untamed – that will be a headache for all the players, even the most accurate off the peg.

At 7,234 yards for its Par 70, this will be a long grind too with just a couple of Par 5s to lighten the load – it will be absolutely imperative to make hay on these.

Pin positioning will be a huge factor this week too. Numerous bunkers protect the front of greens, but back pins won’t offer much of a respite either with the Bentgrass/Poa Annua greens undulating in places and protected by run-off areas at their backs.

Factor in a 15-20 mph wind that looks consistent across the board, and TPC Harding Park should be fun to watch – if not play – this week.

2020 PGA Championship Outright Winner

In a parallel universe, Brooks Koepka would have won the St Jude Invitational last week and gone into the PGA Championship as a heavy favorite with GolfBet and the sportsbooks.

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But he didn’t, because Justin Thomas got a favorable bounce and Brooks himself made a rare error heading down the back straight.

We shouldn’t be put off though because Brooks was in incredible form, with ball-striking of the highest order. If he had putted better over the first 36 holes, he could have been out of sight by the weekend.

You know all about his major pedigree already, and forget about his knee complaint – Koepka will be ready to rock this week.

2020 PGA Championship Top 5 Finish Pick

We backed Xander Schauffele in this slot last week….and he went on to finish T6.

Commiserations aside, it was still an excellent effort from a player whose trademark laser irons were off the mark – if he improves in that area, he will be a real handful this week.

Hailing from California, you won’t be surprised to learn that Schauffele is comfortable on Bentgrass/Poa, and the presence of a fierce wind won’t put off a player at home in the breeze.

So good around the greens last week, it seems a given that Schauffele will win majors in his career – could he even get started this week?

2020 PGA Championship Top 10 Finish Pick

Don’t be put off by the lack of golf played by Adam Scott recently – that’s just how the Australian rolls.

A lack of action didn’t stop Scott from winning the Genesis Invitational in February, and that’s a high-quality event that has an almost major-like quality to it.

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He absolutely thrives on the west coast and on Bentgrass/Poa, and as an Aussie who lived for a long time in Florida a stiff wind is not going to unduly worry him. Scott is an under-the-radar contender for the title this week.

2020 PGA Championship Top 20 Finish Pick

Top 20 plays have to be guys who are completely rock solid and who will be there or thereabouts all week, and for us Chez Reavie falls into that category.

The miniature maestro makes his living from finding fairways of all shapes and sizes, and that immediately gives him an edge should TPC Harding Park play as tough as anticipated.

Reavie is quality with both irons and wedges in hand, and his only weakness if his putting stroke – he has previous on Bentgrass/Poa, so hopefully that will improve exponentially this week.

2020 PGA Championship Match-up to Watch

We’re looking to fade Rory McIlroy this week – more on that in the next section, and that notion is backed up nicely by the fact he will face some fearsome match-up opponents his week.

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Take your pick from Justin Thomas or Brooks Koepka, whoever your sportsbook is pairing against the Irishman, for many of the reasons given above and below.

Even Jon Rahm appeals in a matchup with Rory – he’s striking the ball with much more authority right now, although if we were you we’d leave any Bryson games untouched – the strong winds could play havoc with his bombs off the tee.

Who to Fade this Week

Only a fool would write off Rory McIlroy, but at a course where his driving is likely to be diminished somewhat we can perhaps fade him here with more conviction than we would anywhere else.

The Irishman has not been at his best in recent weeks, and with his short game showing signs of low confidence it would be a tough ask for him to lift the trophy here. 

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