August 8, 2012

2012 PGA Championship Betting Preview

2012 PGA Championship Betting Preview

Professional golf’s last Major of the year gets underway this week with Thursday’s first round of the PGA Championship from the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. A 156 of the best golfers in the world will tee it up for four rounds of play in an effort to be crowned the 94^th PGA Champion come Sunday afternoon.

The following is a look at some of the top contenders in this year’s PGA Championship along with their current odds to win as provided by Bovada.

Favorites

Tiger Woods 7/4

Normally Woods is the perennial favorite in every Major based on past performance combined with the perception of the betting public, but he comes into this tournament as a very legitimate contender based on current form. He has already won three PGA tournaments this season to work his back to being one of the top ranked golfers in the world. If he can find a way to play four solid rounds at this course, which is something he has not been able to do in the first three Majors this year, he should be able to walk away with a win.

Rory McIlroy 10/3

After breaking though with his first victory in a Major in the 2011 US Open, the 23-year old phenom from Northern Ireland has been relatively quiet. He did win the Honda Classic earlier this year, but finished 40^th in the Masters, missed the cut in this year’s US Open, and ended-up 60^th in last month’s Open Championship. His odds are a bit skewed due to expectations and the betting public and while he certainly has the talent to win this week, the value in them is drained a bit due to current form.

Luke Donald 10/3

Donald being opened as one of the top favorites in a Major is becoming a broken record. He remains one of the top golfers in the world, but continues to fall short on the sport’s biggest stages. The 34-year old from England has yet to win a Major in his career, but threatened to end that drought with a fifth-place finish in this year’s Open Championship. He missed the cut in the US Open and finished 32 in the Masters. You would have to think that a golfer of Donald’s caliber is way over due to win, but the question is are you willing to bet on it?

Lee Westwood 4/1

Much like Donald, Westwood has had a storied career all over the world but is also still searching for his first win in a Major. He came close back in April with a third-place finish in the Masters and he finished 10^th in the US Open, but was a non-factor in the last Major with a 45^th-place finish in the Open Championship. Westwood is also way overdue for a win but the value in his odds is diminished by his current form after stumbling to 70^th-place in last week’s Bridgestone Invitational.

Top Value Pick

Nick Watney 12/1

Watney remains one of the up-and-coming players on the PGA Tour and while he is winless this season after winning twice on tour last year, he has been competitive week-in and week-out. The 31-year old has made the cut in 17 of 19 events this season. He has also made the cut in all three Majors with his best finish being 23^rd in the US Open. The PGA Championship has come to be known as a break-through event with players such as Martin Kaymer winning in 2010 and Keegan Bradley winning last year and you cannot help but get the feeling that a player such as Watney breaks through this year.

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Dave Schwab

DJ is a freelance writer that concentrates on his true passion in life; the world of sports. He produces a number of articles each week for BangTheBook.com as well as a select group of other websites that specialize in providing the most up-to-date information for the sports gaming industry. His goal is to write insightful articles on a wide variety of sporting topics that can provide an edge to today's sophisticated online player.