2022 PGA Championship Golf Predictions with Odds and Expert Picks
The second major golf championship is here, and it's taking place in Tulsa, OK. This will be the fifth time Southern Hills has hosted this event. Additionally, this course has hosted the U.S. Open three times, the TOUR Championship twice, as well as last year's Senior PGA Championship, so it is well regarded for its toughness and fairness.
Two things nobody would have ever thought could happen at the start of 2022 look to happen; the defending PGA Champion will not defend his title and there will be a Tiger roaming Southern Hills.
Last year’s winner, Phil Mickelson, should be basking in the glory of last year’s incredible accomplishment. Instead, he’s avoiding the public eye for words he should have not spoken and other actions. Many wondered if Tiger Woods would ever play again, let alone compete in majors… yet here we are. This should be a great week!
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A Look at the Field
Here is a look at the Top 12 favorites and ties for golf odds this week.
Scottie Scheffler +1100 - Jon Rahm +1400 - Justin Thomas +1600 - Rory McIlroy +1600
Jordan Spieth +1800 - Collin Morikawa +2000 - Patrick Cantlay +2000
Cameron Smith +2200 - Hideki Matsuyama +2200 - Xander Schauffele +2500
Dustin Johnson +2800 – Viktor Hovland +2800
Scheffler as the No. 1 player is deserving of having the top odds, and he’s on record as saying this is one of his favorite courses when he won the Big 12 Championship.
Rahm’s streak of five consecutive Top 10s was snapped at The Masters when he was T-27th. Will he bounce back?
McIlroy is a threat, not because he’s playing amazing golf, but rather because of his Sunday regiment of finishing in the Top 5 or Top 10 with a low round.
Thomas has not been great in majors of late and changed putters, searching for the right stroke and speed. A threat, yes… likely Top 10, maybe.
Spieth’s confidence is rolling with a win and a second in his last two starts. He’s that type of player who gets hot and stays hot. A true threat to win.
Morikawa and Cantley are largely viewed as the same coming in; great iron players that can be unstopable if the putter works over four days. Worth consideration.
Two others that should be in contention are Smith and Matsuyama, because they have the magic hands with short irons and scrambling skills around greens. One is likely to be on the leaderboard Sunday.
Schauffele, Johnson and Hovland have their odds by reputation, not how they have played recently. Tough to use hard-earned cash for this trio on golf bets.
Course Characteristics of Those Who Can Win or Secure Winning Golf Bets
The last four times Southern Hills was the host course for the PGA Championship, the average winning score was -7.
As far as the basics, the par is 70, and that will play to 7,356 yards. There is water in play on up to 15 holes (varying degrees) and 87 bunkers littered across the entire layout. The course was recently renovated in 2019 by Gil Hanse, and he updated parts to bring it to modern standards.
If any player expects to contend, you have to keep the ball in the short grass. When this tournament was last held in Tulsa in 2007, if you were in the fairway, 76 percent of shots ended up being in regulation. If you hit out of the rough, that percentage fell like an anvil to 33%. That is why most golfers will sacrifice an extra 20 or more yards by using the driver and be satisfied to keep the ball on the fairway.
Many of the greens are elevated, and the false fronts from yesteryear have been restored. What this means is shots that don’t carry to the top of green could roll back off. And depending on the spin of the ball and contour of the green, and the ball would roll off in any direction -- none of the results would be positive.
The greens will undoubtedly be fast and firm. And if shots don’t have the right trajectory or come in too hot, there are roll-off areas on several greens that will test anyone’s scrambling skills.
As is the case with any major, you must be focused daily to think for all 18 holes, be able to let go of bad shots or putts, and don’t let one bogey turn into two or more by losing your concentration.
One advantage from previous championships at Southern Hills is that the course won’t be as hard as it would have been when the PGA was in August or the US Open in June. This should be a supreme test, and we hope those setting up this layout up don’t takeaway this course’s natural toughness.
Golf Picks: Who to Consider This Week
Given how Spieth is playing, he’s a candidate for Top 5 and Top 10 action. And for those wanting to make a small wager to win, you could do worse.
At last look, no player has minus (-) odds for a Top 10, which makes potential decent payouts on Scheffler, Rahm and McIlroy.
For a Top 20, Shane Lowry has made 11 consecutive cuts and finished in the Top 5 in two of the last four, and plays well on hard courses.
Based on all reports, Tiger Woods is much stronger and walking better, and might be worth a small wager for a Top 20 finish.
Doug Upstone of Doc’s Sports was in the golf business for over 20+ years and understands the ins and outs of what it takes to find winners on the Tour.
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Doug Upstone of Doc’s Sports has - 23 Documented No. 1 Titles - 97 Documented Top 10 Finishes - 28 Handicapper of the Month Awards. (Latest: NBA March 2022) Doug as a professional handicapper/writer has written for various well-known sports betting websites and several football newsletters.
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