The second major championship of the year starts this Thursday, and it's already been a busy week from a news perspective from a sport that often doesn’t have any news. Scottie Scheffler’s wife was finally confirmed to have given birth, which means that he’s free to resume his duties as the king of golf.
On Tuesday, it was also reported that Rory McIlroy had just finalized his divorce, which adds a little wrinkle into his preparation plans. And in some people’s eyes, that even makes him a better bet this week.
On top of that, we have the typical injury drama around Hideki Matsuyama (neck, everything) who withdrew directly before the event last week and caused a brew-ha-ha with bettors and daily fantasy enthusiasts. Swede sensation Ludvig Aberg’s lead-in was also disrupted thanks to a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from last week’s event as a precaution.
I went over the course and some betting trends on Monday in our early week PGA Championship course and betting preview, so today, I’m honing in on specific bets. Since we have more markets to choose from this week, I’m also not limiting myself to just outright or placement bets. Before we get to the good stuff, here are a few notes about the 2024 PGA Championship to keep in mind.
- It’s a 156-man field with the cut line taking place after Friday. The top 70 players and ties will make the weekend.
- There are 20 teaching pros in the field along with several other past champions who are well past their prime.
- Scottie Scheffler leads the field in betting odds (+400, DraftKings).
- There are three different players (Scheffler, McIlroy, and Brooks Koepka) who have shorter than +1800 odds and are each coming off a win in his last start.
- The weather is tracking to have several thunderstorms roll through on Friday and Saturday, which could cause stoppages. Early week rain is also likely to help soften up the course.
2024 PGA Championship Betting Odds
Scheffler again leads the betting odds and is listed at the same price he was listed at before the Masters. He took two weeks off due to the birth of his child but returns to action this week looking to capture the second leg of the grand slam. It says a lot about Scheffler's form given that his odds remain the same at the second major despite the two-week break and less-than-ideal lead-in.
Here are the top-10 names in betting odds for the 2024 Masters (DraftKings):
| Name | Odds (DraftKings) | Last start |
| Scottie Scheffler | +400 | Win - RBC |
| Rory McIlroy | +750 | Win - Wells |
| Xander Schauffele | +1400 | 2nd - Wells |
| Brooks Koepka | +1600 | Win - Singapore |
| Jon Rahm | +1600 | T10 - Singapore |
| Ludvig Aberg | +2200 | T10 - RBC |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +2800 | T27 - Singapore |
| Max Homa | +3000 | T8 - Wells |
| Joaquin Niemann | +3500 | T7 - Singapore |
McIlroy has been the big mover among the elite names, having gone from +1000 down to +750 or lower after his brilliant Sunday at Quail Hollow. Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg’s price has also dipped down to +2200 after he withdrew from the Wells Fargo last week with a knee injury.
Best Bets for the 2024 PGA Championship
Brooks Koepka
- Outright (+1600, FanDuel)
Koepka defines himself by winning major championships. Other players talk the talk, but Koepka is one of the few players who truly bases his entire schedule around the big events.
Over his nine to 10-year PGA TOUR career, Koepka has grabbed nine wins, four of which came at the major championships. Since having moved to LIV, he’s won on that TOUR four different times but also moved his major title count to five after his win at the 2023 PGA Championship.
May 5, 2025; Singapore, SINGAPORE; Brooks Koepka during the third round of LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Edgar Su/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports
Koepka may have mistimed his peak for Augusta, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be making the same mistake for the PGA, an event he’s come to love thanks to its difficult setup. He posted a T9 in Australia directly after Augusta, and his last start yielded a multiple-stroke win over in Singapore at another rain-softened course just two weeks ago.
Despite the perfect lead-in, his odds haven’t moved much due to McIlroy’s win last week, and Koepka is still available at +1600 or better at several books. It’s a close call between Koepka and Jon Rahm in this range. Rahm certainly looks too big at +1600 as well, but I’m fine leading with Koepka. He’s already benefited from this lighter LIV schedule once and looks primed to do so again at his favorite major.
Joaquin Niemann
- Outright (+3500, DraftKings)
- Top-10 (+330, DraftKings)
I already mentioned Niemann in my early-week betting article.
“Niemann’s T22 effort at Augusta wasn’t his best but on a week where he tied Rory McIlroy and beat Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka, I’m not sure we can fault him too much for his finish there. I’m more impressed by the fact the Chilean was able to pick up almost right where he left off on LIV, after Augusta, posting T3 and T7 finishes in Australia and Singapore, and effectively shooting 26-under over six competitive rounds.
Niemann is also long and straight off the tee which is sure to help on these fiery zoysiagrass fairways and has a solid record at other Jack Nicklaus designs he built up during his time on the PGA TOUR. He finished T6 at Muirfield Village back in 2018 and bettered that effort with a T3 there in 2022. His T3 in the 2020 FedEx playoffs at the very tough Olympia Fields also stands out just given how long that venue played and the fact it featured pure bentgrass greens similar to what the players will see this week.”
Ultimately, Niemann’s overdue for a breakout in a major championship, and I think this course suits him perfectly. He’s not someone I want to leave out of betting plans even if his betting numbers have come down a bit since the start of the year.
Bryson DeChambeau
- Each-way 1/4 top-5 (+2800, Bet365)
The closer we get to tee off, the more I’m convinced that the softer course and longer layout are setting up perfectly for DeChambeau. He’s still got plenty of length off the tee despite having slimmed down, and he comes into this week off a T6 at the year’s first major in which he also led after Round 1.
DeChambeau also led this event after Round 1 last season, and players who show that kind of consistency out of the gate in these bigger events typically aren’t that far from putting it all together (see Dustin Johnson back in 2015 to 2016).
Apr 14, 2024; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Bryson DeChambeau lines up his putt on the tenth hole during the final round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
While his major win came at the U.S. Open back in 2020, the PGA Championship has been DeChambeau's best major in some ways, as his T4 from last season represented his second top-five finish at this event.
Despite the solid start to 2024, DeChambeau’s price has remained relatively unchanged from Augusta, a course where he had never had success prior to this season. I think there's a good argument to be made that his chances are just as good or better than several players below him in odds. This makes DeChambeau a good outright target as well as a good each-way bet for what's shaping up to be his strongest major.
2024 PGA Championship Longshot Bets
Byeong Hun An
There's no way that I'm hopping off the An train now. After having come through for us with top-five placings two weeks in a row now with some long-overdue confidence with his putter, An now comes to a longer venue where his distance off the tee should give him a decisive edge.
He’s first in driving distance on the PGA over the last 24 rounds and would likely benefit as much as anyone from a softer course due to his lackluster short game. An's long irons have continued to improve (sixth in proximity from over 200 yards), and that’s shone through with results like his T16 at Augusta and solo 3rd showing last week at Quail Hollow.
The South Korean has now accumulated six top-8 finishes over his last 16 PGA TOUR starts and seems overdue to make some noise in a major. With less complex greens and a Jack Nicklaus design (2nd at Muirfield in 2018), An should have a better chance of landing his first major top-10 and potentially more.
Sepp Straka
Straka’s results over the past two years would likely surprise people if they actually went and looked them up. He’s now accumulated two wins over the past two seasons along with multiple top-10s in majors.
While he doesn’t have the same kind of distance off the tee as some of the elite names in this field, Straka has asserted himself well at plenty of longer venues, including Oak Hill, site of last year’s PGA. There, he finished T7 and gained 10.4 strokes on approach.
Straka's His putter has also been on a heater as of late (+2.5 strokes or more putting in four straight starts). If that club shows up for him, Straka's irons are elite enough to allow him to contend on a potentially wet course where scrambling may not be a huge factor.
Denny McCarthy
- Top-20 ties included (+300, BetMGM)
Ideally, I’d want a bit bigger price for a shorter hitter like McCarthy. However, looking at his history suggests that this is a good spot for him. Since 2022, McCarthy has posted back-to-back top-20 finishes on the PGA on six different occasions.
He also had a string of four straight top-20 finishes back in June and July of last year, which also included a T20 at the U.S. Open.
Apr 13, 2024; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Denny McCarthy chips on the second hole during the third round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network
McCarthy’s a putter-based player, but his ball-striking did take a small tick up last week. Plus, it was only just over a month ago that he birdied seven straight holes to get himself in a playoff at the Valero.
You can take a slightly shorter number on this bet at Bet365 to include ties and avoid dead heat rules, which I like doing. I also would certainly not put anyone off sprinkling him at +12500 (Bet365) for the win, but his lack of distance makes going overweight on the top-20 option a far better proposition.
First-Round Leader Bets for the 2024 PGA Championship
Sahith Theegala
Theegala had a roller coaster-like tournament last week. He shot a second-round 65 and gained 3.14 strokes on approach, but then he shot 80 in Round 2 while losing over 8.0 strokes in APP + ATG combined.
Still, he's resilient and has been in good form all season. I think a quick bounce-back makes sense, and we can take advantage of Theegala's early tee time this Thursday. He’s also shot 66 or better in Round 1 this season with his first-round 66 at the RBC coming off a somewhat disappointing Masters.
Cameron Young
I don’t trust Cameron Young enough to bet him as an outright at a major right now. That said, he's certainly a talented player and capable of picking apart a softer course for a day, even one as long as Valhalla.
Young also has an afternoon tee time, which gives us exposure to the other side of the draw. He also wasn’t all that bad last week, having gained over 3.0 strokes on approach.
Like Theegala, Young has shown us some solid upside in the first-round markets, having finished in T2 after Round 1 of the Cognizant Classic in February. While I like Theegala’s upside a little more, the prices for a top-20 after Round 1 on Young are appealing. He’s often been a fast starter in majors, having shot 64 at the Open in Round 1 back in 2022 and 67 at the Masters in Round 1 in 2023.
Erik van Rooyen
- First-round leader each-way ¼ top-5 (+12500, Bet365)
I’ll take one wild stab in the first-round leader market, as it does often produce some winners with massive odds. Van Rooyen has flashed upside a couple of times this season and is coming off a solid week in Myrtle Beach where he finished T4 and gained over 6.0 strokes putting.
He’s got an early tee time as well, which I slightly prefer for Round 1, and he's more than capable of putting together one big round, much like he did at PGA National in February when he ended with a 63. The softer conditions we may get this week also means that I would rather target a player like van Rooyen. He has oodles of approach and putting upside compared to another bomber who may just be looking to grind out a solid start.
