15-time major champion Tiger Woods is 66/1 to win the PGA Championship for a fifth time at Southern Hills later this month.
Almost 15 years on from winning his 13th major at the same venue in Oklahoma, Woods has been given the same starting price (66/1) as he had at the Masters 2022 - where a bright start was somewhat soured by a pair of 78's to finish, leaving him in 47th place.
He was confirmed as a participant by the PGA of America yesterday as one of 156 players alongside Phil Mickelson (best price 125/1), the reigning champion whose title defence will bring an end to his self-imposed sabbatical from the sport since comments on Saudi golf went public in February.
It's fair to say the PGA is the widest open of the four majors, giving hope to the likes of Woods and Mickelson next week, but that doesn't mean to say there have been many surprises of late.
See below for a graphic put together for this article by oddschecker golf expert Niall Lyons, which finds Rory McIlroy (14/1) and Shane Lowry (30/1) among a group of five to hit all key recent winner trends. Click here to reveal the other three.
| PGA Winners | Previous Major Finish | Season Best Prior to PGA Win | Non Major Winner? | Year End SG T2G | App | OTT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mickelson | 21st Masters | 21st Masters | No | 160 | 131 | 152 |
| Morikawa | 18th Masters | Won Workday | Yes | 5 | 2 | 19 |
| Koepka | 2nd Masters | 2nd Masters | No | 12 | 11 | 21 |
| Koepka | 39th Open | Won US Open | No | 19 | 65 | 9 |
| Thomas | CUT Open | Won Sentry+Sony | Yes | 5 | 6 | 29 |
| Walker | CUT Open | 4th Farmers | Yes | 35 | 7 | 85 |
| Day | 4th Open | Won Farmers+Canadian | Yes | 5 | 25 | 3 |
| McIlroy | Won Open | Won Open+Bridgestone+BMW | No | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| Dufner | 26th Open | 4th US Open | Yes | 21 | 31 | 14 |
| McIlroy | 60th Open | Won Honda | No | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Bradley | Major Debut | Won Byron Nelson | Yes | 70 | 162 | 6 |
It should be noted that prior to the 2019 switch to hosting the tournament in May players of course had a longer period to win that season, something which seven of the last 11 winners had achieved.
Two of the other three not to have posted a win prior the PGA had a top five finish in a major that season. The other finished 21st in the previous major.
Mickelson is no doubt the outlier in the last few editions of this Championship but it must be said that Kiawah Island presented a very stern test that was no doubt suited to experienced campaigners. 39-year-old Oosthuizen followed the 50-year-old Mickelson home, whilst 49-year-old Harrington and 44-year-old Casey were tucked in behind.
Can Phil click back into a gear after his sabbatical? And can the Tiger roar one more time on the major scene? We'll find out next Thursday!
