PGA Championship Bets: First Round Leader Bet Picks

PGA Championship Bets: First Round Leader Bet Picks

Barry Devoe
2 years ago
2 min read
Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 4th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship

The second major championship is here for golf fans, with the 104th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The action begins on Thursday, May 19th, with the winner hoisting the Wanamaker after the tournament on Sunday.

We've got a rundown of the best bets on which golfer will sit atop the leaderboard after Thursday's opening round of competition. All the information you need is below.

Rory McIlroy (+2000)

The 20-time PGA Tour winner is expected to make some noise this week at Southern Hills. McIlroy has some of the best odds to win the tournament and is the favorite player to finish the first round at the top.

The 33-year-old tees it up with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in the morning wave, which is expected to produce the lower rounds of the day based on weather conditions. McIlroy ranks 52nd on tour in round one scoring.

Cameron Young (+5000)

The PGA Tour rookie was quietly become one of the darkhorses to win this week in Tulsa. The 25-year-old has posted T3 and T2 tournaments over his last two starts, with both opening rounds in the 60s.

Young is 12th on tour in round one scoring and is another recipient an AM tee time. Don't be surprised if the rookie finds himself at the top of the page on Thursday evening.

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Matt Kuchar (+5500)

This season has been a quiet one for Kuchar, but the 43-year-old has heated up over the last two months since missing the cut at the PLAYERS. Four opening rounds of 67 and one of 68 over his last five tournaments has led to four top-20 finishes and a pair in the top-10.

While Kuchar has just three top-10 finishes over 14 events this year, he's gotten off to great starts in tournaments ranking fifth in first-round scoring. With an 8:55 a.m. tee time, Kuchar gets the favorable draw of Thursday's opening round.

Joaquin Niemann (+6500)

Niemann can get off to a hot start with the second-best first-round scoring average on the PGA. The Genesis Open Invitational winner has carded eight of his last nine rounds in the 60s.

The 23-year-old tees off at 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, but he is the one player we are comfortable taking from the later wave of players. Niemann was T3 after the first round at Agusta and could position himself even better at Southern Hills.

Brooks Koepka (+7500)

The four-time major champion and two-time winner of this tournament hasn't been talked about much this week. Koepka hasn't played since missing the cut at the Masters, but if history tells us anything, it's that the 32-year-old has extra motivation for the major tournaments.

Koepka ranks 47th in first-round scoring this year, but you can't overlook his 20-under first-round scoring over the past six PGA Championships. Five out of those six rounds, Koepka has finished T9 or better in the opening round. Brooks goes off at 1:03 p.m.

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