US PGA Championship Betting Tips

Rickie Fowler ‘To Win’ @ 40/1 (each-way)

Since bursting onto the scene back in 2009, Rickie Fowler has done just about everything apart from win a major. Although many top golfers take decades to win a major, while many others never do, such is the talent of Rickie Fowler that people are surprised that he’s failed to bag one of golfs top honours in his first seven years as a professional.

Fowler might not got his hands on a major yet, but he has laid down several fine efforts. The 27 year-old has secured top five finishes in each of the four majors, as well as finishing 2nd twice. The man from California has also previously finished 3rd in the PGA Championship back in 2014.

As far as his form in 2016 goes, while he hasn’t quite scaled the heights that many expected, he’s been playing reasonably well. With seven top 10 finishes to his name he’s also been fairly consistent. What’s particularly appealing about Fowler here is his greens in regulation stats, as Baltusrol is likely to be a course where hitting the greens is key. This season Fowler is at 68.6, which is pretty decent. Now, of course, this isn’t the highest on tour, but it’s up there, and what’s more is he’s out early on the first day and is likely to get the best of conditions. This is also likely to be very important as a history tells us that a good start is essential at this venue.

Matt Kuchar ‘To Win’ @ 50/1 (each-way)

Here we have Mr. Consistency. Kuchar isn’t often a winner, but he rarely plays poorly and has made a wonderful habit of consistently positioning himself high up the leaderboard. This season has been no different and the man from Florida has only missed the cut once. And, having played 17 events, he’s made the top 20 on no fewer than ten occasions. On top of this, Kuchar has also finished inside the top-10 in six of his last eight events. A player in form if ever there was one!

Obviously finishing well in lesser events is one thing, but can he do it in a major? quite simply, yes. Seven top-10 finishes in majors in the last six seasons suggests so too. This is another player who, as of yet, hasn’t won a major, but there can be no denying that he has the game to do so.

The fact that accuracy is likely to play a huge part in this championship shouldn’t worry Kuchar, as he currently ranks pretty nicely for both driving accuracy and greens in regulation.

Jason Dufner ‘To Win’ @ 100/1 (each-way)

The first thing that needs pointing out here is the price. It’s quite remarkable that Jason Dufner is as big as 100/1 for this. His tournament record is impressive, his performances in terms of top 20 finishes are good and he’s a player who boasts a good ranking when it comes to greens in regulation stats. If things go his way, 100/1, before the off, could look very big indeed.

In terms of majors, although three times a top 10 finisher at the US open, the PGA Championship has been the happiest hunting ground for Dufner. Not only did he win the tournament back in 2013, he also finished 2nd in 2011 and 5th in 2010. As mentioned above, he’s also secured top 10 finishes, including a tie for 8th this season, at the US Open on three occasions, two of which saw him finish inside the top 5, so there can be no doubting his ability to cut it on the big stage.

The 39 year-old from Ohio also brings plenty of recent form to the plate too. Four of his last five outings have ended in a top 20 finish, while three of them have seen him finish inside the top 10.

Perhaps the most eye-catching thing about Jason Dufner is his ranking for greens in regulation. With a 69.4 he ranks 8th on the PGA tour this season which should stand him in good stead at Baltusrol this week.

Keegan Bradley ‘To Win’ @ 125/1 (each-way)

The 2011 PGA Championship winner might not be everyone’s cup of tea from a betting point of view, but at 125/1 there’s plenty to like about Keegan Bradley this time around. He’s a player who’s shown some of his best form in this major and the fact he’s already a winner of this tournament is obviously a big plus.

It’s probably consistency where Bradley falls down, especially in comparison with the other selections, although there can be no doubt about his ability to perform at this level. The 30 year-old also ranks well when it comes to greens in regulations, something that, as we’ve already established, is likely to be critical this week.

Aside from his win in this tournament, his only major to date, Bradley has also finished inside the top 20 twice, including a 3rd place finish back in 2012. He may have only made secured two top 10 finishes this season, but the form shown last time out at the Open Championship was pleasing (finished 18th) and if he can build on that, in what is his favoured tournament, then Keegan Bradley can go well at a nice each-way price.

Russel Knox ‘To Win’ @ 125/1 (each-way)

Last but not least, Russel Knox. Here we have a player who’s seemingly slipped under the radar, certainly in the betting anyway. At 125/1 this is another player who, for a number of reasons, looks overpriced.

2016 has been a pretty good season for the 31 year-old Scotsman, who, without blowing the game away, has gone about his business and turned in some nice results. His win in the WGC HSBC Champions back in November and a 2nd place finish in the RBC Heritage in April are both very good pieces of form. Having said this, his stand out performance, in relation to singling him out as a viable selection here, came in the PLAYERS Championship. Sawgrass is a tough course and is somewhat similar to Baltusrol in that respect, so positive form there can be used as a good indicator. Knox finished 19th in the PLAYERS, but, while this is a good showing, it doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. Having shot 68 and 67 in the opening two rounds, the Scot was well on his way to going close. However, a horror show at 17 on day three, which saw him card a 9, put to bed any hopes of a second victory of the season. The fact that he then shot 68 on the final round probably just added salt to the wound, as there can be no denying that it was that one freak hole which prevented him from going very close indeed. Nonetheless this was an encouraging performance and the man from Inverness can make up for that disappointment by going well here.

Another eye-catcher with Knox is how well he ranks for both driving accuracy (13th) and greens in regulation (7th).