USPGA Championship betting tips: Koepka can be crowned king of Oak Hill
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Preview, odds and USPGA Championship betting tips
The second major of the year gets under way on Thursday when most of the world’s best players tee it up at Oak Hill Country Club for the US PGA Championship.
Justin Thomas is 18/1 to make a successful defence of the title he won in a three-hole aggregate play-off with Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills last year, but the top two in the world rankings, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, are the 7/1 co-favourites.
Zalatoris was one of last year’s selections at 33/1, so hopefully we’ll have more success with this year’s USPGA Championship betting tips which are dominated by Americans, with Ladbrokes offering each-way places on the top 10.
Jason Dufner won this major the last time it was staged at Oak Hill 10 years ago, but the East Course has since been dramatically revamped by Andrew Green to bring it more into line with Donald Ross’ 1925 original.
Dufner plotted his way round the course in 2013, but the removal of 500 trees has opened up the fairways and this track is more likely to suit the bombers than those who drive it accurately off the tee, especially in the cooler temperatures of spring.
Americans have won the last seven editions and although 2012 and 2014 champion Rory McIlroy is the third favourite at 11/1, we’re looking at home hopes in our selections which start with LIV rebel Brooks Koepka at 16/1.
The former world number one won four majors between 2017-19, but a series of injuries started with a torn patella tendon in August 2019, followed by a hip problem in 2020 and then a horrific kneecap and patella tendon injury a year later which left his “leg sideways and out”.
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Koepka returned to form this year when he finished joint runner-up to Rahm at the US Masters a week after winning the LIV event in Orlando and he has had two top threes since then, so he seems to be on top of his game and in terms of fitness.
Speaking in Oklahoma, Koepka said he was using the event to ensure he is in peak condition for the trip to Oak Hill where he played alongside Tiger Woods in the final round 10 years ago.
He said: “This week I’m just trying to make sure I tune everything up, get ready for next week. I like the majors. I like the discipline, the mental grind that comes with it all, the focus, and just use this week to get ready. That’s a huge thing.”
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Burns is inside the top 25 for distance, so he has the length to tame this par-70 course which measures at close to 7,400 yards, but his form has also been excellent, winning five titles in the last two years, including the WGC Match Play in March.
The 26-year-old from Louisiana has finished in the top 30 in three of his last four majors and the US PGA Championship has a habit of throwing up first-time winners.
Players in their twenties also seem to fare well at this tournament, so his profile is right for a decent run, along with Homa, who has finished 10th and 14th in his last two majors on American soil.
Homa got the year off to a great start with his sixth PGA Tour title at the difficult Torrey Pines and he has had three top-10s since then, including The Players and his last outing at the Wells Fargo Championship.
His best major performance (T13) came at last year’s US PGA and although that came on a different course, he is playing well enough to be in the running on Sunday afternoon.
Woodland finished 14th at the recent US Masters and was 10th at the US Open, played at Brookline which is a par-70 course like Oak Hill.
Add to the mix two top-10s in his last five US PGA appearances and the fact he has made the cut in his last six, Woodland starts to look an interesting pick, especially as he is eighth for driving distance this season which should help his chances.
Clark’s five major appearances have been woeful, but he won his first PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow a couple of weeks ago and his power off the tee could prove invaluable at Oak Hill.
The 29-year-old from Denver also enjoyed a couple of top 10s in the build-up to his success at the Wells Fargo Championship, so his confidence could not be much higher as he looks to make the step up in a major field.
Clark put his maiden success down to a change of mentality and admitted in the past he would have lost his cool when things went awry.
He said: “It was either that or quit. I just wasn’t having any fun.”
PGA Tour colleague Tony Finau added: “He’s really talented, he hits it really far and he’s an amazing chipper. He’s got some tangibles that are really good for high-level golf. If he figures it out mentally – which he has been – he can be a force out here, no question.”
