We are just one day away from golf’s second major of the year. It’s crazy to think that after countless articles, golf’s major season is almost halfway finished. Nonetheless, we are lowering our pads and hitting the hole with full force; there’s money to be made.
This year’s PGA Championship is played at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. From the rumblings of the professionals, this course is playing just as difficult as it looks. It’s a long par 70 course. It has the narrowest landing areas on Tour, and rough is thick. The difficulty of the rough isn’t necessarily just due to the length. It’s long, but it’s more of how the rough grabs the club at impact. A few golfers mentioned that there are areas on the course where if you narrowly miss the fairway, you could have trouble advancing the ball.
If you want to find out whom I am betting on in the outright market this week, please check out my article here. Below you will find my placement bets for this week’s PGA Championship.
2023 PGA Championship Placement Market Bets
To Finish Inside the Top 40
Sam Burns (-120)
These prices might have changed since I posted them on my Twitter page. However, if you find playable prices, please fire away at these bets. The first of the placement bet I like is Sam Burns top 40. I played this over on FanDuel, so dead heat is in effect if there’s a tie. This is a shot I am taking on a proven winner who fits the course setup pretty well. Burns has finished inside the top 40 in three of the last four majors. He’s a great ball striker who should be priced closer to -190 to finish inside the top 40.
To Finish Inside the Top 30
Justin Thomas (-140)
The defending PGA Champion has been disrespected all week. His odds keep falling. They are almost at a price where I want to take a stab and bet on him to win the tournament. His game isn’t in the same place as when he won last season, but he should be a dark horse to consider, at least a golfer you bet in the derivative market.
Thomas excels at everything that will be required of the golfers this week. He’s strong off the tee and one of the best long-iron players in the field. His touch around the greens is almost second to none, and most importantly, he’s a previous major champion. I understand the price, having just missed the cut at the Masters. However, I still like the price that we are seeing for him.
To Finish Inside the Top 20
Xander Schauffele (-125)
Xander Schauffele is one of my favorite golfers to win the tournament. He’s also my favorite bet in the placement market. He finished inside the top 20 in all four majors last season. He’s a beast off the tee and has become a proven winner. He’s second in Strokes Gained: Approach and fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green. Schauffele’s entering this week with back-to-back close calls and four straight top-20 finishes.
Sungjae Im (+120)
There might not be a more consistent golfer in the field than Sungjae Im. He’s rattled off four straight top-20 finishes and has finished inside the top 20 nine times this season. More importantly, he finished inside the top at the Masters. Im is strong off the tee, great with his long irons, and currently plays like a top 10 player worldwide.
Jason Day (+110)
Jason Day is coming off his first win since 2018. That terrifies me more than if he had missed the cut. After that much pent-up energy finally releases, there’s sometimes a drop in performance after. It’s just hard to ignore how brilliant Day has been this season. He’s second in my model and is live to win this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+120)
When thinking about which golfers I want to attack, Matt Fitzpatrick wasn’t the first name that came to mind. Then when I dissect the qualities that make Fitzpatrick great, he became a must-bet. Fitzpatrick is great off the tee. He’s improved in both distance and accuracy. He’s a sniper with his long irons, mainly because of how much work he’s put in with them when he wasn’t that long off the tee. He’s a major champion and enters this week in great form.
