US PGA Championship: Expert betting picks for major at Kiawah Island
We've pulled together the best bets from some of the best golf experts in the business ahead of this week's US PGA Championship.
Robert MacIntrye to finish in the top 20
Former Sky Sports Golf editor Dave Tindall is a regular contributor to betting.betfair.com and various other publications. Read his outright preview for Betfair by clicking here.
It could pay to aim even higher with Scottish southpaw ROBERT MACINTYRE, but the 9/2 for him finishing in the top 20 offers good reward. Pete Dye's Kiawah Island proved an extremely happy hunting ground for the British players when it last hosted in 2012, with seven making the top 10. There were also a pair of Swedes in there.
MacIntyre has already taken to the majors like a duck to water following T6 at the 2019 Open Championship and T12 on his Masters debut last month. He also threw in a bit of Dye form when winning his group in the WGC-Match Play at Austin CC and warmed up for this with T8 at the British Masters, doing most things well.
As the old adage goes, if David Lynn can finish runner-up at Kiawah, MacIntyre can certainly crack the top 20.
Not the result we wanted yesterday but hey we are giving ourself a lot of chances. Big thanks to @Danny_Willett for hosting a great @british_masters the @TheBelfryHotel was a great venue ⛳️
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) May 16, 2021
Thanks to everyone for the support as always. Onto @PGAChampionship 🏴👊#happyfeet pic.twitter.com/bO3T1ua15K
Charley Hoffman to finish in the top 40
Martin Mathews writes a regular PGA Tour tipping column on his own website, provides in-play event previews for Sporting Life, and is a regular Paddy Power contributor.
Putting CHARLEY HOFFMAN forward in a major for anything other than first-round leader at Augusta might at first glance look like a case of 'a fool and their money', however since finishing seventh at Pebble Beach back in February the 44-year-old has been on quite a tear. Six top-40 finishes in his last six starts, including two top-10s, tells us all we need to know and a repeat performance here will land us the cash.
Always a strong ball-striker, Hoffman loves a challenge in the wind, producing some of his best stuff over the years in breezy Texas conditions. Add this to the fact that he is a former champion at Mayakoba, which features this week's paspalum greens, and there are plenty of reasons to think he can keep his heater going and perform strongly again.
Click the image for latest Sky Bet odds on the US PGA
Garrick Higgo to be the top lefty
Matt Cooper is a long-time Sporting Life contributor who previews the women's majors for the website and provides tips for multiple tours for betting.betfair.com and others.
I’m pretty sure that every single time I click on the Top Lefty market I daydream about the prospect of Tony Benn fighting out favouritism with Michael Foot. Alas, it’s cack-handed golfers every time. Oh well.
The European Tour duo have a really good opportunity to down the trio of Americans this week. Why so? Well, away from Augusta, Phil Mickelson has made just one top 40 (T24th) in a major since 2016; Bubba Watson, with the exception of 2010, has a very poor championship record; and, for all his fine form, Brian Harman might struggle with the length of the course.
Robert MacIntyre is a fine prospect, but I’ll take the big-hitting, audacity, and form of GARRICK HIGGO.
Sergio Garcia to be the top Spaniard
Jason Daniels is a pundit on golf podcast Lost Fore Words who previews European Tour events for Sporting Life.
For almost a week I had another bet lined up, but then saw the 5/2 about SERGIO GARCIA being top Spaniard and it all changed.
Key stats this week look to be distance off the tee, tee-to-green and greens-in-regulation, and by my reckoning the Spaniards are two of not many that have prominent positions in all.
What differentiates them is their finishes at what should be influential courses.
Sergio laps Jon Rahm for efforts at Quail Hollow, while much of the 2012 leaderboard contained Honda Classic form, at which the older man has a host of top finishes. Shove in a top-10 the only time he has played the Dom Pedro in Portugal (see Rory and David Lynn for evidence), a PLAYERS Championship win at Pete Dye's Sawgrass and, of course, top three efforts at The Open and at this event, and this is closer than the market would have you believe.
The price is surely based on current form, Sergio having missed his last three cuts after a good spell. However, opening rounds of 65 and 68 in his last two are nothing to worry about and the man with the green jacket can land this match bet.
Tyrrell Hatton to win the tournament
Steve Rawlings is a golf betting trader who writes pre-tournament previews and in-running blogs for betting.betfair.com.
TYRRELL HATTON is a quite brilliant links exponent (won back-to-back Dunhill Links Championships), he won the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, he has form on paspalum (Saudi International) and he finished third at the RBC Heritage last year at the Pete Dye designed Harbour Town.
Click here for Steve's in-depth outright preview and here for his look at big-priced options.
Phil Mickelson to be the top former champion
Ben Coley is Sporting Life's deputy editor and long-serving golf columnist and tipster.
Backing PHIL MICKELSON with confidence in any market isn't really possible any more, but there's definite value in taking him to be the top former winner.
McIlroy and Justin Thomas quite rightly dominate the market, but then we've Collin Morikawa, who faces the huge task of defending his title. He's risen to most challenges so far but suffered a post-PGA lull last year and a similarly low-key performance here wouldn't surprise me.
With Brooks Koepka plainly not fit, Keegan Bradley into what appears to be a very skinny price and Jason Day playing poorly, we get to 28/1 shot Mickelson as one of the handful of realistic options to upstage those above him in the betting.
Mickelson has been playing quite nicely, though. He started in blistering fashion at Quail Hollow, defied a slow start for 25th in the Masters, filled the same spot in the Honda and was better than he usually is at Sawgrass. Two missed cuts both came with second-round 69s and there's been a lot of good stuff in amongst the odd catastrophe.
He'll have to avoid big numbers here but played reasonably when mid-pack in 2012, producing his best golf during the worst of the weather on Friday, and he'll be buoyed by receiving a special invite to the US Open next month. Generally strong with his approaches and with the putter firing, he's capable of a top-20 finish and should he manage it, we won't need much help to at least land the place part.
Certainly, he looks too close to Martin Kaymer and Jason Dufner in the betting and anything bigger than 14/1 is good value for a small, speculative play in a market which contains plenty of deadwood. Mickelson says the only thing missing is focus and Kiawah Island should hold his attention.
Ben's selection is also part of a best bets feature at betting.betfair, with various other selections and more top-class analysis. Click here to read it.
Posted at 1530 BST on 18/05/21
PGA Championship previews
- Ben Coley's outright betting preview and tips
- Specials betting preview and tips
- Kiawah Island hole-by-hole guide
- Playing for places: Outsiders who could contend
- US PGA Championship: Expert picks
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