Key Points
- The second Major Championship of the year
- Five big players and plenty of places
- Check out my 350/1 wildcard pick
The US PGA returns to Oak Hill, New York!
I’m excited to be heading to Oak Hill in New York this week, to take a look at the second Major Championship of the year and I cannot wait for the action to start. Over the past two weeks I have managed to put up two winners: Adrian Meronk at 20/1 in the Italian Open and then Jason Day at 18/1 in the AT&T, so I'm looking to make it three on the bounce.
The course: Oak Hill, NY - 6897 yards - Par 70
Before we go on to look at the selections, it’s worth taking a look at the course. The Oak Hill golf course is 6897 yards long and has been host to both the US PGA Championship and the US Open for many years and it presents a true test for golfers.
Not many can come to Oak Hill and shoot really low scores and even if they do, there aren’t many that can keep it up over all of the rounds. You need a really classy player to win here!
The last time the US PGA was held at Oak Hill, which was in 2013, Jason Dufner won, with a score of ten under par and that is the lowest four-round score in the history of pro events at this course.
It may not be the longest course on paper, but its tight fairways and heavy rough make it feel much longer. To cap it all, the final three holes are really long, tough par 4s. It really isn’t over, until it’s over at Oak Hill, and I can’t wait to watch the action this week.
Free Bets all round!
With four days of great golf to watch, and so many opportunities for value at this week's PGA Championship, I thought I'd bring you two different free bet offers to choose from this week. Both bookies are offering a whopping 10 places for the second Major Championship of the year and both are also offering a special, where you can bet on a dual forecast, so I simply couldn’t pick out a favourite.
My first pick is Ladbrokes, who have a fantastic golfing offer of
Bet £5, get 4 x £5 free bets
up for grabs. I’ll tell you about the next one a bit later.
Ginger Joe’s PGA Championship Best Bets!
Today, I have five main selections for you, plus two whopping wildcards. I will give you my main selections in order of strength, with my best bet coming first, then I'll move on to my two big-priced hopefuls.
#1 Brooks Koepka @18/1
My best bet for this week's PGA Championship is going to be two-time winner of this event and four-time Major champion
Brooks Koepka, at a tasty price of 18/1. Oak Hill requires length off the tee and Brooks has power in abundance.
This is one player that really seems to light up when he plays in Major tournaments. He finished second in this year's Masters and played really well last week in the LIV Golf Tulsa event, where he finished in a tie for fifth, with rounds of 68, 65 and 65. So, he’s sure to be coming into this event full of confidence.
Brooks has a lot of the tools needed to be able to contest on this course. He has a solid approach to the game; he drives the ball a long way and his putting stats are right up there with the best this year too.
At Oak Hill it’s very rare that you see players shoot low and back it up and you need a player that has the ability to gain shots on the field on the longer holes as they are able to challenge from further back in the pack with this advantage.
Beyond obvious top contenders Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm,
Brooks is the one who has the best shot at opposing those three
and at 18/1, he is the best bet of the tournament in my opinion.
#2 Hideki Matsuyama @ 40/1
Hideki Matsuyama
has been a regular selection of mine this year and every week I feel like I tell you that his game is nearly back to its best. The signs were there again in last week’s AT&T at the Byron Nelson, where he finished in a tie for 23rd place, shooting rounds of, 66, 67, 70 and 66 and his play was rock solid throughout.
The part of Matsuyama’s game that I like the most for this week, is his iron play. He has always been really solid in that department and is a player that hits a lot of greens in regulation, which will give him a firm chance of being in the mix come Sunday.
The 2021 Masters Champion has eight Top 10 finishes in Major tournaments to his credit and
I think he could have a really big part to play this week. There’s no denying that 40/1 is very good value indeed for this in-form player.
#3 Adam Scott @ 70/1
Adam Scott
is very much getting back to something like his best just lately and like Matsuyama, he has won the Masters in the past and also has great iron play, a top attribute for this week's test. His swing has been dubbed as poetry in motion for many years and this is what has enabled him to compete at the top level for so long.
It could well be time for Adam to add Major number two to his trophy cabinet. He had a place in the Top 10 at the Byron Nelson last week and carded two superb 63’s along the way, so he must be feeling good and looking forward to this week.
The US PGA often throws up
a top-calibre player who slightly goes under the radar. I think Adam is that guy this year and he won’t feel the pressure like Rory this week, that’s for sure. I imagine Adam will just go about his business and be there, or thereabouts, at the finish. The 70/1 price tag is an insult to his ability at a course that should suit his game perfectly.
#4 Tony Finau @ 22/1
Tony Finau
has finished in the Top 5 in all four Majors and is often labelled as a money-making machine for that exact reason. The US PGA is a great opportunity for first-time winners and this year, Tony could easily be the player who pulls it off.
He battled on really well to fend off a sustained challenge from Jon Rahm in the Mexico Open and that will have given him the world of confidence. If it gets tight at the top of the leaderboard, he now knows he has the game to get the job done.
There is nothing too flashy about Tony Finau, he’s just a class golfer who keeps things simple, but one that is
most surely ready to take on the top three
and give a solid account of himself too.
#5 Cameron Smith @ 28/1
In my opinion, Aussie
Cameron Smith
is the best player on the LIV Golf circuit, despite Brooks being my number one for this week. Cameron may have jumped from the PGA and gone to the LIV Tour, but he still seems hungry as ever for winners and is as solid as they get.
He is a bit of a regular selection of mine and I like the fact that even when Cameron isn’t firing, he still has the game to compete and that is the sign of a seriously good player. He has a British Open title under his belt and
it won’t be long until he wins another Major. I’d be devastated if he won this week and I hadn’t tipped him up again.
More freebies for you!
If you have backed my selections for the past two weeks, you will be sat with a decent amount of profit. So, why not take advantage of another great opportunity to increase that profit even more? As well as 10 places on offer, Coral has a
Bet £5, Get £20 in free bets
deal for new customers to take advantage of. Use a small part of your profit and you could back the rest of my selections without even touching your own funds.
Wildcard Picks!
Wildcard #1 Eric Cole @ 350/1
As mentioned earlier, the PGA Championship can throw up some surprise first-time winners and Eric Cole is a likely suspect. Eric is a player I really like and at a colossal price of 350/1, I was easily tempted in, especially with the 10 places available. He played really well last week at the AT&T and finished 5th in the Mexico Open behind Rahm and Finau before that, so his confidence going into this will be high.
Despite Eric not yet winning on Tour, he is a young player on the up and you're getting 70/1 just for him to place here, so it just doesn’t feel right to leave him unbacked. Just to put this into context, there’s plenty of talent in the field here, like Lucas Herbert and Christian Bezuidenhout, but they are only at 200/1.
Eric Cole is no doubt as good as these guys
so you are getting huge value here.
Wildcard #2 Ben Griffin @ 300/1
Ben Griffin
is similar to Eric Cole, in the sense that he is a maiden on Tour, but has had some good results nonetheless. Admittedly he has missed his last three cuts, but I’m not bothered by that this week with it being a Major.
He may feel the pressure, which is the one factor that could go against him, but he is also a player we know is capable of winning sooner or later. Basically, if he finds his groove in the first two rounds, it sets up what
could be a big weekend for Ben Griffin. So, 300/1 for an up-and-coming American youngster…why not?
Even more free bets here…
So, there you have it, my best bets and some wildcard picks for this week's US PGA Championship. Also, if you already have an account with either of the two bookies I’ve recommended, don’t worry, as there are plenty more free bet offers to check right here at Betting.co.uk.
1.
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non-UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
2.
£20 Back-Up Bet as Free Bet
Min. Deposit: £10
18+ | New UK players only | Min deposit req. £10 | Certain deposit methods excluded | Place 1 sport bet (3+ selections) | Excl Horse Racing | Min stake £10 | Max stake £20 | Min Odds 2/1 (3.0) | Max FreeBet £20 for football only | FreeBet valid for 7 days | FreeBet stake not returned |
T&Cs apply.
3.
Bet £10 Get £30
Requirements (WR): £10 Slots bonus on selected slots
18+ Opt in, bet £10 on any football (odds 1/1+) within 3 days of sign up. Get 2x£10 and 1x£5 Free Bets for set football markets + £5 Slots Bonus on Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, max redeem £125. Bonuses expire in 14 days. Click for T&Cs. GambleAware.org
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Bet £10 Get £30 Surprise Bet
Min. Deposit: £10
New customers & 18+ only. Min. deposit of £10. Qualifying real money bet of £10. Min odds greater than or equal to 1.5 required. E/W bets excluded. Offer awarded immediately but could be issued the next working day in exceptional circumstances such as technical fault. Additional T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
5.
Bet £10 Get £50
Min. Deposit: 10
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Who will be your winning pick for this week?
I hope you enjoyed reading my analysis and thoughts on the PGA Championship event and I’d love to know who you fancy for the event too. To let me know, check out all of my social media channels and feel free to drop me a comment.
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