The 101st edition of the PGA Championship will be coming our way in May, with Tiger Woods raring to strike whilst the iron is hot. It’s not going to easy though for Woods, with plenty other talented players all vying to get the title at Bethpage. Plus there are over 150 competitors in this event and the claim that Black Course is an “extremely difficult course.” Who will take home the Wanamaker Trophy? Which was the same one Brooks Koepka won last year in Missouri.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Woods announced his return as king of the golf universe, when he took the green jacket at the 2019 Masters. As far as most golf fans are concerned, Woods’ top form is back, and he momentum he got in Augusta will be jet fuel to his burning aspiration to win more majors and eventually surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record. With a big win finally under his belt after a long while, there’s barely any reason for sportsbooks to not install Woods as the favorite in the upcoming 2019 PGA Championship. He will look to get his major title No. 16 in May at Bethpage, though, it should be noted that the last time he teed off at Bethpage, it was largely an unforgettable event for him, going 1-over par and finishing 38th back in the 2012 edition of The Barclays. But that was seven years ago, when Woods had a ton of things going through his mind. Woods has four PGA Championship titles, winning the event in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007.
Johnson had a T2 at the 2019 Masters, but he could not sustain the momentum, finishing with just a T28 at the RBC Heritage in the tournament that followed. He could have had that baby in the bag, as he entered the final round with a one-shot lead, but suffered a catastrophic collapse down the stretch by shooting a 77. Johnson has been a bit on and off of late, with his Masters finish sandwiched between a T40 performance at the World Gold Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in March and his trip to Augusta. Still, Johnson is always expected to finish high, regardless of how he did in a previous tournament. He is looking to double up on his lone win thus far this season, which was a top finish at the World Golf Championships in Mexico in which he had a monster 21-under par campaign.
Fowler is starting to get his groove back. After stumbling with a T40 and T47 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and at THE PLAYERS Championship, respectively. Fowler went T17 at the Valero Open and T9 at the Masters. Fowler is still seeking for his first majors win, but has come close to taking home won on several occasions. He had a T3 in the PGA Championship back in 2014, too. Fowler has a win this season, topping the field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open last February, and four top 10s in 10 starts.
You may remember DeChambeau for his hole-in-one at the 16th hole during the 2019 Masters, but you might remember him soon for what he’s going to do at Bethpage. DeChambeau isn’t a sexy pick at all to win this year’s PGA Championship, hence his long odds of +2,500, but a deeper look at his game suggest that he may outperform his price. DeChambeau is fifth in the PGA Tour in terms of birdie average and is fourth overall in birdie average. He’s someone that could get hot on any given round.
Champ isn’t having a good stretch of late. He was cut at the RBC Heritage and withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship. Prior to that, he was cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and at the Genesis Open. Then again, those collective shortcomings is a big reason why we have him as a sleeper. Like DeChambeau, Champ could be a fluke case at the Black Course because of his high birdie average. In fact, he is sixth overall on the tour. Not only that, Champ is also the tour’s leader in driving distance and ninth in greens n regulation percentage. Champ wom the Sanderson Farms Championship back in October – which remains as his only win thus far this season.
No one’s racing to bet on Na, but for a long shot, he could be worth a value bet. Na has a top 10 finish in two of his last three starts. He went T5 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and T10 in the recently concluded RBC Heritage. His best finish in a PGA Championship was a T10 in 2011 at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Dufner would like people put some more respect on his name than what he’s getting these days, which, however, is just fair given his ongoing struggles. Dufner has not cracked the top 20 in any of the 14 tournaments he’s played this season. Out of those 14, he was cut seven times and the highest he’s placed was a T21 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. But hey, he ruled the PGA Championship in 2013 at Oak Hill Country Club.
