2019 PGA Championship odds, picks: Tiger Woods projection from advanced model that called four majors
The PGA Championship is one of golf's four majors and features a star-studded field that competes for the coveted Wanamaker Trophy every year. The 2019 PGA Championship tees off from the Bethpage Black Course on Thursday, May 16, and golf's biggest stars will go head-to-head in the 101st playing of this historic event, which has recently taken place in August. Brooks Koepka enters the PGA Championship 2019 as the defending champion after defeating Masters winner Tiger Woods by two strokes last year. If Koepka, who's going off at 15-1 PGA Championship odds, is able to repeat, he'll become the first golfer to do so since Woods in 2006-07. After earning his fifth green jacket in improbable fashion, Woods is the Vegas favorite at 17-2 in the latest 2019 PGA Championship odds after he was 14-1 to win the Masters. Woods is followed closely by world No. 1 Dustin Johnson at 19-2 and Justin Thomas at 13-1. With so much star-power to choose from, you'll want to see the latest PGA predictions from the team at SportsLine before locking in any 2019 PGA Championship picks of your own.
SportsLine's prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed four majors entering the weekend and called Tiger Woods' deep run in the last PGA Championship despite being a 25-1 long shot. The model has been spot-on early in the 2018-19 season. It was high on champion Rory McIlroy at the 2019 Players Championship, projecting him as one of the top two contenders from the start. It also correctly predicted Brooks Koepka's (9-1) victory at the CJ Cup. Additionally, it correctly called Bryson DeChambeau's (9-1) seven-shot victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Anyone who has followed the model is way up.
Now with the 2019 PGA Championship field taking shape, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. One huge shocker the model is calling for: Woods, a four-time champion, reigning Masters winner, and the top Vegas favorite, doesn't even crack the top five.
Woods is coming off one of the most historic victories in recent memory at the 2019 Masters. The 15-time major champion shot a 2-under par 70 to win his first green jacket since 2005 and his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open. His victory at Augusta National was the first time in his career that he came from behind to win a major.
However, Woods struggled in 2012 at The Barclays, his last start at Bethpage. He finished the tournament at 1-over par after shooting a final-round 76, a 38th-place finish. SportsLine's model isn't calling for back-to-back major victories and sees far better values in this loaded field than the 17-2 premium he's commanding, lower than the 14-1 he was fetching at the Masters.
Another surprise: Bryson DeChambeau, a 21-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
DeChambeau enters the 2019 PGA Championship with an Official World Golf Ranking of No. 8. The 25-year-old has seen a meteoric rise since 2017, when he missed the cut in 16 tournaments. Since the end of 2017, he's won four PGA Tour events, including the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open earlier this season. He's also finished 15th or better in four tournaments this season.
DeChambeau's scientific approach to the game has been proven to work. In fact, he currently ranks fifth on Tour in birdie average, having racked up 153 of them in 32 rounds. He's averaging 4.78 birdies per round this season, which means he can climb the 2019 PGA Championship leaderboard in a hurry. He's a long shot that should be on your radar at Bethpage.
Also, the model says four other golfers with 2019 PGA Championship odds of 18-1 or longer make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big.
So who will win the 2019 PGA Championship, and which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the 2019 PGA Championship odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the 2019 PGA Championship projected leaderboard from the model that nailed the winners of four golf majors.
Tiger Woods 17-2
Dustin Johnson 19-2
Rory McIlroy 19-2
Justin Thomas 13-1
Brooks Koepka 15-1
Jon Rahm 18-1
Justin Rose 18-1
Bryson DeChambeau 21-1
Rickie Fowler 21-1
Francesco Molinari 24-1
Jason Day 24-1
Jordan Spieth 24-1
Xander Schauffele 29-1
Tommy Fleetwood 33-1
Henrik Stenson 34-1
Matt Kuchar 37-1
Patrick Reed 37-1
Cameron Champ 41-1
Paul Casey 41-1
Tony Finau 41-1
Hideki Matsuyama 43-1
Patrick Cantlay 43-1
Alex Noren 50-1
Bubba Watson 50-1
Gary Woodland 50-1
Sergio Garcia 50-1
Webb Simpson 50-1
