Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy favored by sports betting for the PGA

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy find themselves in familiar territory atop the betting odds list ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club: first and second, respectively.

It’s the same order for five of the last six tournaments they’ve both played.

As of Wednesday afternoon on ESPN BET, Scheffler has a +425 odds of winning his third career major championship, up from +350 the week before. Some sportsbooks have Scheffler, 27, as short as +300, while others have it as long as +450.

McIlroy, meanwhile, is +700 at ESPN BET, with odds ranging from +600 to +750 at other major sportsbooks. The next closest players on ESPN BET are Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele at +1400.

Scheffler and McIlroy’s 1-2 bet is appropriate given that the two men are first and second, respectively, in the Official World Golf Ranking and PGA Tour wins this season.

Even though he took nearly a month off for the birth of his first child, Scheffler’s status atop the odds chart shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he’s won four of his last five starts , including the Masters in April and the RBC Heritage the following week. He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any tournament since mid-January.

At their lowest point, at +300, Scheffler’s odds to win at Valhalla are the shortest of any major since 2010, and the shortest at the PGA Championship since favorite Tiger Woods won in 2007. Scheffler constantly draws comparisons to the best of all time, but what makes his short odds all the more impressive in the eyes of bettors is the strength of other players currently in professional golf.

“Some tournaments Tiger was in when he was really ready to win everything, he was 8-5 to win a tournament,” Johnny Avello, DraftKings director of racing and sports betting operations, told ESPN . “Now, Scottie hasn’t reached those levels yet, but Scottie hasn’t played against a court where, although he dominates, not everyone has a shot. And that’s (what it’s like) was) when Tiger (had) those really short odds.

“I think this course that you see is probably the best course that we’ve ever had before in golf. And what makes Scottie so impressive is that he can beat the McIlroys, the Schauffeles, the Rahms and DeChambeaus , and he beats them regularly.”

The betting public recognizes Scheffler’s greatness, as he is the most bet golfer this week in terms of tickets at all major sportsbooks and he is also at the top of the leaderboard. That said, sportsbooks are largely not worried because his short odds dictate that they will be acceptable from a profit standpoint even if he wins.

On the other hand, McIlroy has been no slouch himself, winning his last two starts, including the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend.

Although McIlroy, 35, hasn’t won a major tournament in nearly a decade, the storyline of this week’s tournament is eerily similar to the last time he did so: In 2014, McIlroy won the WGC-Bridgestone and won the PGA Championship at Valhalla. the following week, making him the last player to win on tour the week before winning a major tournament, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The public might lean into the hype.

“Everyone knows he has the potential to win a major, even though it’s been a while since he won,” Caesars golf trader Anthony Salleroli told ESPN. “He won in Valhalla. Before the previous tournament in Valhalla, he won this tournament. It’s like history is rewriting itself.”

Salleroli notes that the book wrote “a ton of posts” about McIlroy after his victory at Wells Fargo on Sunday. McIlroy is slightly behind Scheffler in terms of number of tickets on ESPN BET, posting 12.9% of tickets compared to the latter’s 13.5%.

Of course, as Avello noted, the field at this year’s PGA Championship is about as strong as any men’s professional golf has ever seen. In turn, there are action-grabbing golfers at the very bottom of the list.

The most important is Koepka, who, like Scheffler and McIlroy, is also coming off a victory, with his participation in the recent LIV Golf League event in Singapore.

The reigning PGA Championship winner is the most popular pick to be in the top 10 (+162) on ESPN BET. He also attracted the second highest percentage of handles at BetMGM (14.3%) and is tied with Scheffler for the highest percentage of handles at DraftKings (19%).

“Koepka will always be a favorite when it comes to the majors, as he is one of the best in the business at raising his level of play for big tournaments and is a three-time PGA Championship winner,” Patrick said Jay, head of sports betting at ESPN BET. .

In general, LIV golfers have proven to be popular options for punters at this tournament, as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau also see high action after promising recent form.

“The great thing about the majors is that we include the best guys from the LIV tour, and I’m happy that they’re giving some people special invitations to play in these majors,” Salleroli said. “I think it really highlights how strong the PGA Championship field is.”