Another major title is up for grabs a week from now, as the 100th edition of the PGA Championship gets will get underway at the Bellerive Country Club in Missouri on Aug. 9. Justin Thomas won the event last year, but can he defend that title? Below are some of the names golf bettors should be keeping their eyes on for the event.
Ranked No. 1 in the world and currently the owner of the most points in the FedEx Cup, Johnson will look to snare his third win in five starts when he takes on the field at Bellerive Country Club. He is coming off a win at the RBC Canadian Open in which he fired no more than a 68 in each round. That’s a nice bounce back from being bitterly cut at the British Open in a previous event. Save for that missed cut at The Open, Johnson has not done worse than a T17 in any of his last eight starts. Johnson finished with a T13 at the PGA Championship last year.
McIlroy has flirted with success over his last couple of starts, and he could be finally hitting success at the PGA Championship next week. McIlroy was tied for second at the recently concluded British Open. Prior to that, McIlroy had a T6 at the CVS Health Charity Classic. In 13 starts on the season, McIlroy has made the cut nine times, finished inside the top 10 four times, and won once. Second in the PGA in driving distance and eighth in scoring average, McIlroy is no stranger to winning the PGA Championship, as he had done so, in fact, twice before – in 2012 and in 2014. Last year, the 29-year-old Northern Irish finished with a T22 at the 2017 PGA Championship, which was held at the Quail Hollow Club.
Spieth has yet to win an event this season, but he’s coming off a T9 at the British Open this year – his first top 10 finish since going third at the Masters Tournament back in April. No matter the state of Spieth’s form right now, he is always a threat to win an event. He has two third-place finishes on the season, five top 10s, and 10 top 25s. Spieth is still also fifth in the PGA with a 71.09 greens in regulation percentage, meaning he remains consistent in hitting balls on to the putting green. It’s the putting that’s Spieth’s problem, though, as he is 123rd in putts per round and 177th in putting percentage.
Scott is still winless through 16 starts this season. In his last start, he concluded the event with a T17 at the British Open, a solid recovery from a missed cut at the US Open back in June. He’s been kind of on and off of late, as he has three top 17s and four top 35 or worse in his seven starts, which includes a T11 at THE PLAYERS Championship and a T9 at the AT&T Byron Nelson back in May. Scott has made 17 starts at the PGA Championship with seven top 15 finishes and four missed cuts.
Willet’s partnership with golf instructor Sean Foley has been reaping some level of success for the 30-year-old Englishman. Over his last six starts, Willet has gone on to finish with a T24 or better in each of those events. That stretch covers his T24 at the British Open in which he fired a 69 in the first round. His best finish at the PGA Championship was a T12 back in 2011.
Writer’s Prediction
Rory McIlroy wins his third PGA Championship title with a win at Bellerive Country Club.
