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USPGA Championship Odds And Predictions:
The second major of the year gets under way on Thursday and Scottie Scheffler remains the favourite with golf betting sites to win the USPGA Championship despite becoming a father for the first time last week.
The Masters champion had been a slight doubt for Valhalla as it was thought that his wife still had not given birth, but all became clear at the start of the week when it was revealed his son Bennett had been born last Wednesday.
Scheffler was 4.5 at the start of the week to capture successive major titles, but despite saying his preparations have been “pretty decent”, his USPGA Championship odds have drifted with several bookmakers.
Although the world number one has been out of action for three weeks, his form has been off the charts for most of the year, so who can challenge Scheffler at this lengthy par-71 course in Louisville, Kentucky?
Rory McIlroy could not be in better shape after winning at Quail Hollow over the weekend and defending champion Brooks Koepka is also in the mix for a fourth USPGA success following his victory in Singapore on the LIV Golf tour at the start of the month.
It promises to be a thrilling tournament, so we’re looking at the top four in the betting and their USPGA Championship odds, plus a few suggestions from other markets.
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Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler’s form heading to Louisville reads 1-1-2-1-1, so it is hardly surprising he is still the frontrunner at 5.5 with Unibet for a third major this week.
The American cruised to a second Masters title last month and then won The Heritage by three shots to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006 to win a major and a PGA Tour event in the following week.
Tee-to-green there is no-one to touch Scheffler, who seemed buoyant when interviewed by the Golf Channel on Monday after he had played the back nine.
There are few negatives for Scheffler’s prospects and his record in this tournament from the last few years is very good.
Fourth on his 2020 debut and eighth a year later, Scheffler then missed the cut at Southern Hills only to bounce back with a runners-up spot at Oak Hill 12 months ago.
Many pundits regard the nappy factor as a positive rather than a negative which could spell bad news for the rest of the field already playing catch-up with the world’s best player.
Chances: As long as there are no distractions or a return of the neck problems that affected his week at Sawgrass, Scheffler is the man to beat.
Rory McIlroy
Betting apps have made McIlroy the second favourite at 8.5 to repeat his success at Valhalla from 2014 when he won the USPGA Championship for a second time in near darkness.
That was the last of McIlroy’s four major successes, but history suggests he could be about to end his drought having also won the week before his USPGA triumph a decade ago.
McIlroy’s brilliant final-round 65 to win the Wells Fargo Championship for a fourth time came despite a double at the last when he was already seven shots clear of nearest rival Xander Schauffele.
The Northern Irishman has been knocking on the door of the majors in recent years, posting seven top-10s in his last nine appearances – including two runners-up spots on American soil.
His preparations seemed to be going swimmingly until it was revealed on Monday that he had filed for divorce from Erica Stoll a day after his success at Quail Hollow, although some have noted that McIlroy split from Caroline Wozniacki in 2014 and went on to win the BMW PGA Championship a few days later.
Chances: McIlroy believes “the stars are aligning” and it would not be a shock were he to enter the winner’s circle once again
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Brooks Koepka
Koepka may be plying his trade on a different tour these days, but golf betting sites have not dismissed his hopes and have installed him as third favourite at 15.0.
The 34-year-old American has made this event his own in recent years, winning it for a third time 12 months ago and in doing so becoming the first LIV golfer to lift a major trophy.
Koepka arrives in the Bluegrass State in good nick having won his fourth LIV title a couple of weeks ago and having fixed a few putting problems with his coach Pete Cowen, he is expected to be in the mix, especially at a course suited to big-hitters.
Chances: At 7,675 yards, Valhalla is a stretching par-71 and so long as he can stay away from the rough Scheffler described as “healthy”, Koepka should be a contender despite a poor performance at Augusta.
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Xander Schauffele
Schauffele is Mr Consistent at the majors, posting 12 top 10s in 27 appearances since 2017, including outright eighth at the US Masters last month.
Never outside the top 20 in his last eight majors, it seems only a matter of time before the American lands the big one and is priced at 15.0 with BetVictor.
That said, the USPGA represents the worst of Schauffele’s majors on American soil which have yielded just one top 10 in seven attempts.
However, Schauffele hits the ball over 300 yards and only Scheffler has better Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green stats this season, while his putting has been solid too.
Schauffele was runner-up to McIlroy at Quail Hollow and finished a shot behind champion Scheffler at The Players Championship, so he is getting close without lighting up the cigar.
Chances: His last PGA Tour win in the USA came two years ago, but despite developing a reputation as a bridesmaid, he should be a contender this week.
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USPGA Championship Contenders And Tips
One player that has perhaps gone unnoticed this week is former world number one Jon Rahm, who is 17.0 to win a third major.
The Spaniard remains in the world’s top five despite his high-profile switch to LIV which has yet to produce a win from seven attempts, although on the positive side he finished in the top 10 on six occasions.
Rahm’s Masters defence did not quite got to plan and his last two USPGA appearances have been underwhelming, but his form is strong and the length of the course should suit his style, so a top 10-finish at 3.0 with Bet365 catches the eye.
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In the first-round leader market, Corey Conners has been making fast starts lately and was T8 on the opening day at last month’s Masters and just one shot behind Bryson DeChambeau at the 2023 USPGA.
The Canadian has an early tee-off alongside Nick Dunlap and Adam Schenk, so should not feel intimidated and he looks an interesting prospect at 81.0 each-way with Bet365, who also offer 4.2 on a top-20 finish – a feat he has achieved twice in his last three USPGA Championship outings.
Finally, An Byeong-hun stands out at 4.5 with Unibet in the top Asian player market.
The South Korean was included in our USPGA Championship each-way tips as a potential contender after back-to-back top fives on the back of excellent driving, tee-to-green and putting stats.
With Hideki Matsuyama pulling out of the Wells Fargo Championship with a back injury, An’s main contenders seem to be majors underachiever Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, who has missed the cut in three of the last four USPGA renewals.
Both look beatable this week.
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