The 2022 Masters is in the books, but the next major -- the PGA Championship at Southern Hills -- is just five weeks away as professional golf starts to get into a rhythm of playing one major a month until the end of the season. Even though Scottie Scheffler is coming off his first major win and sits as the No. 1 player in the world by a wide margin, he's actually not the favorite for the PGA Championship. That honor actually goes to the No. 3 player in the world, Jon Rahm.
Rahm finished T27 at the Masters and has fallen off the pace just a bit after a torrid start to the beginning of his year. Still, it makes sense that he has the lowest odds at Southern Hills. He absolutely destroys at major championships -- five top 10s in his last six starts -- and that should be the type of golf course that favors a bigger hitter like Rahm.
Here's a look at the current betting favorites for the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
- Jon Rahm: 11-1
- Rory McIlroy: 12-1
- Scottie Scheffler:: 12-1
- Collin Morikawa: 14-1
- Justin Thomas: 14-1
- Dustin Johnson: 16-1
- Brooks Koepka: 18-1
McIlroy is coming off an incredible 64 in the final round at Augusta National and seems a bit rejuvenated by major championship golf. That's certainly part of the reason you see him sitting in a tie for second-lowest odds behind Rahm. Scheffler's inclusion is obvious as well. He's looking down at everyone else in the world and has now won four of his last six events. In two starts at the PGA, he's finished T8 and T4.
Koepka is incredibly interesting at 18-1. He's finished in the top five in five of his last seven starts, including two wins and a runner-up finish last year at Kiawah Island when Phil Mickelson miraculously won the PGA Championship. If you're looking for value, you should start with him.
Here's a look at everyone else on the board shorter than 55-1.
- Viktor Hovland: 20-1
- Jordan Spieth: 20-1
- Bryson DeChambeau: 20-1
- Cameron Smith: 20-1
- Patrick Cantlay: 20-1
- Xander Schauffele: 22-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 30-1
- Daniel Berger: 35-1
- Will Zalatoris: 35-1
- Tony Finau: 35-1
- Louis Oosthuizen: 40-1
- Patrick Reed: 40-1
- Sam Burns: 40-1
- Tyrrell Hatton: 40-1
- Shane Lowry: 40-1
- Webb Simpson: 40-1
- Tiger Woods: 40-1
- Sungjae Im: 50-1
- Abraham Ancer: 50-1
- Corey Conners: 50-1
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 50-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 50-1
- Paul Casey: 50-1
There are some fascinating names on here. Zalatoris is great value at 35-1, especially after how well he played at Augusta National. Lowry has been riding a heater, and 40-1 is a tremendous number for him. Conners led the PGA after Round 1 last year and just finished in the top 10 at the Masters for the third consecutive year. He's a good pick at 50-1 right now, and I expect that to drop as the event gets closer.
Tiger has not even committed to the event yet, and I would honestly be somewhat surprised to see him tee it up after the toil his body went through during the Masters. It would be thrilling if he did tee it up at Southern Hills, especially considering the fact that he won the last time a PGA was played there in 2007, but 40-1 is far too short for somebody who looked as broken as he did at the end of four rounds at Augusta National.
