Who should you back at the 2015 US PGA? All the news, odds & tips

From Thursday August 13th – 16th, first tee off from 6.45am local time.

THE FINAL golf major of the year takes place at Whistling Straits this weekend and it gives the worlds best golfers one last chance to pick up the silverware.

The PGA Championship heads back to Wisconsin, where Whistling Straits will play host for the third time in PGA Championship history (2004, 2010).

Bookmakers like Sportsbet.com.au have been having a tough time setting the market, especially trying to split the two best golfers in the world, but they have gone with Jordan Spieth as the opening $7 favourite.

World number one Rory McIlroy is the defending champion after winning at Valhalla in 2014, but he is coming back from an injury and the bookmakers are keeping him very safe at $13.

The beauty about the PGA Championship is that any number of pro golfers can win and the odds for the qualifiers are outstanding.

Have a bet at WilliamHill.com.au which are offering payouts on the top six places at Whistling Straits.

PGA Championship tournament winner selections

There are many chances in the 2015 PGA Championship, but we’ve narrowed the field of hundreds to just a handful of golfers.

The tournament winner odds range from $7 to $2001 so there is plenty of money to be made, and managing a golf tournament is a good way to make a profit come the end of the fourth round.

Jason Day – $14 at Sportsbet.com.au

The young Australian, to be fair, has had plenty of chances to etch his name on the majors list. Day is one of the most consistent majors players in recent history and most experts are expecting him to break through at any moment.

If Day can get over his mental fatigue at the end of his tournaments, then he can easily take out the 2015 PGA Championship and lead the charge for the Australians in the final major of the year.

Justin Rose – $21 at WilliamHill.com.au

Justin Rose had a strong showing last week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational when finishing tied for third and his recent form suggests a win isn’t far away.

The 35-year-old also finished fourth at the Quicken Loans the week prior and the Englishman has prepared nicely for the upcoming major.

Rose’s best attribute is that he can start a tournament quickly which usually makes him a first round leader chance in the market.

Rose is paying $23 to finish round one as the leader and there is some good value in that option.

Zach Johnson – $46 at Sportsbet.com.au

Who better to include in your selections than the Open Championship winner? Zach Johnson thrives on tough courses and Whistling Straits should provide that challenge.

He didn’t quite follow up his major victory at Firestone last week when shooting two over, but he would have had this week in mind and he has three top 10’s in PGA Championship history (2009, 2010, 2013).

At odds of $46, include Zach Johnson into calculations and you can use that value price to your advantage later in the tournament betting.

Tiger Woods – $61 at CrownBet.com.au

Yeah… we’ve included Tiger Woods. We can’t pass up those odds and by his own admission, Tiger is on the improve!

There are many people that expect Tiger to win another major before he retires, and also those that think he will never win any tournament again. We’re in the former and if anyone can pull off the unthinkable, it’s Tiger Woods.

If anything, take Tiger as a fun bet at odds.

PGA Championship exotic markets

Sportsbet.com.au are offering a full market without Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. This gives punters a chance to select a golfer and not have the worry of the world’s best players getting in the way of a good bet.

Jason Day is the current favourite at $10 and some other good bets include Bubba Watson ($12) and Sergio Garcia at $31 as the Spaniard will surely contest another major soon enough.

The Top Australian market is one of our favourite markets to be on, but this tournament looks particularly tough.

Jason Day – $2.10
Adam Scott – $3
Marc Leishman – $9
Steven Bowditch – $12 at Sportsbet.com.au
Cameron Smith – $19
Geoff Ogilvy – $19
John Senden – $23
Matt Jones – $26
Brett Jones – $201

With the experience in the majors, you’d expect this to be a two-horse race between Jason Day and Adam Scott, but the recent good play from Marc Leishman and Steven Bowditch is to be noted.

Bowditch finished 12th at Firestone last week and he’s a player that thrives on confidence. We think Jason Day is a solid tournament winner hope, but take a nice saver on Bowditch to be the top Australian player.

Driving distance leader:

Who doesn’t love a long hitter in golf? We all do and bookmakers have framed a market featuring some of golf’s biggest hitters and we think we have found a smokey at each way odds.

We have first hand knowledge that Gary Woodland is the biggest hitter on the tour, but he only swings at around 70%.

We think Woodland is tired of being just another PGA Tour player and he must break out of his shell sooner or later. Woodland is currently on the fourth line of betting at $9 and we think there is very good value in that price.

Obvious favourites Bubba Watson ($4) and Dustin Johnson ($4) are dominating the market with Australia’s Adam Scott a surprising third favourite at $8.

Tiger Woods has been included in the market at $67, but take no notice of that. Contrary to popular belief, Woods has never really been among the biggest hitters on tour.

Big Guns vs. The Field is another popular exotic betting option that generates plenty of interest in the majors.

The ‘Big Guns’ include Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy.

With such big names included into the Big Guns, the $1.96 at Sportsbet looks like an incredible bet and one to include in your weekend multi-bets.