Niall Lyons has picked out five betting tips for this week's PGA Championship tournament.
PGA Championship Odds
Golf feels like it is going through some sort of malaise right now.
Rickie Fowler is back competing at the business end of PGA Tour events whilst Kristoffer Reitan and Alex Fitzpatrick are meeting and surpassing all expectations. Scottie Scheffler is winless in near five months and Cameron Young is in the mix or winning every single weekend. Rory McIlroy's victory at Augusta was even somewhat dull with a lot of poor golf mixed in with some brilliance. Brandt Snedeker has just turned back the clock and won on the PGA Tour.
It truly is a bizarre set of circumstances and are we to see a long awaited longshot come on top in a Major? Quite possibly. It seems like nobody is firing on all cylinders bar Cameron Young and the entertainment in the sport is suffering as a result.
Cam Young is a decent starting point and I'm lucky to be in a position where I have already selected him back in January to win this event at a whopping 70/1. Had I not written that then I would have a decision to make as to whether to select him or not at a much shorter price, but I certainly wouldn't have ruled that out. He hits the ball far and is performing better than the rest consistently. He had a bigger taste of what is required on the final day of these events when playing with McIlroy in the final group on Masters Sunday. I was impressed enough by that effort as he didn't do an awful lot wrong. He hung around to still have a chance towards the final handful of holes despite not doing anything of note throughout the day. That stepping stone may provide the perfect chance to land his maiden Major.
A lot of bunkers have been added to this golf course during the restoration process by Gil Hanse and hitting the ball long and high off the tee may prove to be a big advantage to fly a lot of the trouble. 2018 was the last time we saw these players at this track in the BMW Championship when Keegan Bradley overcame Justin Rose in a playoff.
Bizarrely enough it was putting that held the key that week with the leading contenders making great gains in that department. It was soft back then and with a little firmer conditions this week hopefully we will see something different but I'm not entirely convinced we will.
The home players have ruled at this event with Americans winning the last ten stagings. It is setup for these golfers to prevail. Long hitters who make their gains from tee to green have prevailed in this event and with a long par 70 golf course we may see the same play out once again. For Gil Hanse pointers look to Colonial since 2024, Southern Hills (2022 PGA), Brookline (2022 US Open) and Winged Foot (2020 US Open).
Niall Lyons' PGA Championship Betting Tips
Tip 1: Ludvig Aberg - 3pts Each-Way
20/1 and 8 places available with bet365 and Betfred.
Ludvig Aberg had a tough start to the season with illness causing severe issues on the West Coast.
The switch to the East coast looks to have been the tonic for the Swede as his form since has been exceptional since without winning. 3rd at Bayhill, 5th at Sawgrass, 5th at San Antonio, 4th at Harbour Town and 8th at Quail is a tremendous set of results and he has barely had a weakness throughout. 21st at The Masters wasn't what he was looking for but had his short game held up over those four days he would have been in the mix once again.
Indeed it is his short game that sparked my attention as his weakness prior to now was around the greens. He ranked 129th on tour last season in strokes gained around the green and in 2026 he ranks 17th gaining on the field in that department in each of his last eight starts. He ranks 10th in approach play and with his driver firing there are not many who can rival his tee to green prowess right now. The putter may be a concern should he be in contention over the weekend but that is a bridge we can only hope he can cross.
Despite his superb form around Augusta I firmly believe the PGA is his best chance of a Major ad I'd be surprised should he not be in the final handful of groups this weekend.
Tip 2: Patrick Cantlay - 1.75pts Each-Way
45/1 and 8 places available with bet365.
Patrick Cantlay gave us a fair crack of the whip at the Masters with a solid effort finishing 12th and I see no reason to desert him here this week at Aronimik. 7th at the Valspar prior to the Masters has been backed up since with 8th at the Heritage then 10th last week at Quail Hollow.
Over the last month only McIlroy and Scheffler have gained more strokes tee to green so he arrives here in a really strong position. The last two times he has finished in the top 15 in the Masters he has gone on to finish 3rd and 9th respectively in the PGA Championship. This setup should be perfect for him and with a likely scenario of more emphasis on the short game than usual at this event then that plays into his hands even more.
He is winless in a long, long time so that of course is a worry and maybe it's wishful thinking that his comeback victory will be in a Major. Jimmy Walker was a surprise winner though despite having an elevated status in the game and not many eyebrows would be raised among the Major viewing public should Cantlay oblige this week.
Tip 3: Brooks Koepka - 2pts Each-Way
40/1 and 6 places available with PricedUp.
Brooks Koepka was a frustrating sort to be on last week as he absolutely blitzed his way around the Dunes Golf and Beach Club only to have an absolute nightmare on the greens. Switching putters has not been a success for the three time PGA Champion and maybe this week we will see a return to an old faithful style of putter that helped him win these Majors in the first place. He ranked 2nd off the tee last week, 5th on approach and first overall from tee to green. That's exactly the kind of form we are looking for heading to the PGA which is almost always won by someone in red hot form. Obviously Young and Scheffler fit that bill but this is probably the most open of the three US Majors and runaway victors are rare enough in this event.
Brooks was really bullish last week and the fact he said on Saturday that it was the most fun he had had on a golf course for many years speaks volumes. He also spoke about his determination to get back to the top of the game and I don't believe he is far off. He ranks 1st in strokes gained approach on tour this season and 8th from tee to green. It's a big question of whether or not the putter can heat up but if it does we have a serious runner.
Tip 4: Russel Henley - 1.5pts Each-Way
50/1 and 8 places available with bet365.
There is a lot of chatter about this course not entirely suited to bombers alone. There should be plenty of short iron shots into greens and generally less pressure on those who are not as well endowed off the tee.
Thoughts then turn to Henley who despite a length disadvantage at Augusta managed a 3rd placed finish. He was in and around the lead during the back nine and that experience should give him plenty of confidence, not that he should need it. 10th, 10th and 3rd in his last three Majors is a fair step up and generally speaking he hasn't been suited by PGA venues of recent years.
This time around length isn't necessarily a prerequisite and there does appear to be more emphasis on short game which should be absolutely perfect for Henley. With a couple of wins on the East Side Henley has what it takes to win a Major and in the mould of Keegan Bradley has a lot of heart and an ideal game for this golf course. A missed cut the week before his top 3 at the Masters shows we shouldn't be all too concerned about a lacklustre effort last week where his putter deserted him.
In 2022 and 2024 the top 2 were from USA. In 2023 4 of the top 6. Last year the top 4 spots were filled by home players and I do believe the PGA of America try their best to suit their own players here. Bar the top two yanks it's a difficult task and one who I found hard to leave out was Jake Knapp.
He has pulled out of the last two events with a thumb injury but I'm a firm believer that if someone tees it up then generally speaking they can win. Plenty of the same doubt surrounded Morikawa at the Masters and he finished 7th there.
Knapp was all the rage heading to Augusta for the last Major where he finished an impressive 11th in only his second start. Prior to that he has been one of the form players of the season with seven top 11 finishes in his last nine events. 74th last time out at the Heritage isn't of grave concern seeing it's a tight, short course that wouldn't suit him and it was only his putter that let him down that week anyway.
He ranks 6th in strokes gained total on the PGA Tour this season and 3rd on the greens. Bradley was the best putter here when winning the BMW back in 2018 and should it become an important club once again Knapp is well positioned to take advantage.
A victory at the long Vidanta Vallarta course as well as a couple of top 5s at Torrey Pines suggests Knapp is in the mould of Will Zalatoris who can play some of his best stuff on long, championship golf courses. The injury is a hurdle I probably just can't justify though and I'll replace him with Russell Henley.
Tip 6: Wyndham Clark - 1pt Each-Way
150/1 and 8 places available with bet365.
I can't help but feel Min Woo Lee's approach game doesn't suit Augusta and he has a better chance in the other three Majors. With short game much more to the fore here this week he comes into consideration. Four missed Major cuts on the spin though is a tough hurdle to get over and maybe he is best left for the future.
I wouldn't rule out Kristoffer Reitan still being ahead of the handicapper also. He has a beautiful swing and an even better temperament it appears and he thoroughly deserved his victory at Quail Hollow last weekend. Short game may indeed prove to be his undoing this week, but I wouldn't rule out another fine effort.
Maverick McNealy and Matt McCarty are another two came under serious consideration but at 150/1 I can't resist adding Wyndham Clark. The 2023 US Open champion had a really rough time at the start of the season with the putter being his main downfall. That has turned around in the last few weeks and he could be a danger on a course that will suit.
He was 4th in the field with the putter at Harbour Town on his last individual start and lo and behold that was the week his iron play let him down which had been solid for so long. He is showing flashes of brilliance in all departments of his game without putting it all together for four days. 21st at the Masters and 4th at the Open in Portrush are solid showings in the last two Majors and at the price he looks a no brainer play although admittedly a tad risky.
