It’s August, which means it’s time for the world’s best golfers on the planet to converge in Whistling Straits in Wisconsin to vie for the last major title of the year—the 2015 PGA Championship. Last year, Rory McIlroy conquered the rest of the field to win his second career PGA Championship win, but with health issues putting his participation under a cloud of doubt, we might be seeing a new champion. With that said, let’s look at which players golf experts are expecting to win the 2015 PGA Championship.
For more about the event, you can click here for its complete preview and here for some of the things you need to know about the 2015 PGA Championship.
For even more coverage and a closer look at TopBet’s Top Ten contenders in this year’s PGA Championship click here.
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Experts Picks and Predictions for the 2015 PGA Championship
USGolfTV.com
Expert
Pick
Dillon Friday
Jimmy Walker
Troy Klongerbo
Dustin Johnson
[sc:Other240banner ]The self-proclaimed No. 1 site in the nation has some interesting takes on the upcoming PGA championship. Dillon Friday, one of the resident golf experts at USGolfTV.com even went on to predict that Jimmy Walker will walk away with the Wanamaker Trophy once the competition at Whistling Straits concludes. If you’re wondering why it’s such an intriguing prediction, consider that sportsbooks have the 36-year-old installed at around +4,000 to win the event. That’s much higher than say Jordan Spieth’s price of +500 or Dustin Johnson’s +1,000. Nevertheless, Friday has his own standards and believes that Walker, who has two wins on the season (Sony Open in Hawaii and Valero Texas Open), will “conquer Whistling Straits.”
Speaking of Johnson, Friday’s partner, Troy Klongerbo, has picked the eight-year pro to be the next PGA Championship winner. Johnson, who is currently competing in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, has finished inside the Top 25 nine times thus far this season. That includes Johnson’s win at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship back in March. As of this writing, Johnson is tied for 14th in the ongoing Bridgestone Invitational.
Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Danny Willett, Matt Kuchar.
Geoff Shackelford of Golf Digest, meanwhile, does not have a specific prediction. What he has is a group of 11 players, from which he thinks the 2015 PGA Championship winner will emerge. That group includes popular picks like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, and Dustin Johnson. Also on the list are names like Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Danny Willett, and Matt Kuchar.
When discussing about Spieth’s chances, Shackelford says that he likes the star’s ability to hang around the top of leaderboards even when he’s not playing his best golf. That’s particularly true in Spieth’s recent performance in the US Open, when he finished first despite not having his best stuff at Chambers Bay. Shackelford also has high expectations for Day, who is having a great stretch. Since missing two straight cuts in The PLAYERS Championship and in the Memorial Tournament, respectively, Day has stitched together three-straight Top 10 finishes, including a win in the RBC Canadian Open last July. Day has odds of +1,000 to take home his first career major title this August.
Top Bet
Expert
Pick
Top Bet
Dustin Johnson
Over here at Top Bet, our pick goes to Dustin Johnson. Johnson, who is currently fifth in the Fedex Cup rankings, is still smarting from his pair of setbacks in the US Open and in the British Open. At Chambers Bay, Johnson had a chokejob of epic proportions as he missed two putts in the 18th hole: the first won would have given him the win, while the second one would’ve tied him with eventual winner Jordan Spieth.
Almost a month later, Johnson had a hot start at St. Andrews, but nerves got to him again and finished just tied for 49th. Whistling Straits would be an excellent location for Johnson to exorcise his demons. For one, it was the site where he infamously (and illegally) grounded his club that cost him a playoff spot in the 2010 PGA Championship. For all the unfortunate circumstances that Johnson faced in the past while chasing for his first major, the 31-year-old American remains a formidable figure in the upcoming PGA Championship. So far this PGA season, Johnson has finished inside the Top 10 nine times, which includes a win in World Golf Championships back in March.
