How To Bet This Week’s PGA Championship At Southern Hills
Article By
Last Updated: 
It’s a major week, and the storylines abound at this year’s PGA Championship, beginning Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson is still absent from golf after accusing the PGA Tour of “obnoxious greed.”
Tiger Woods, pictured, is back in competition for just the second time after a serious single-vehicle wreck last year.
Scottie Scheffler looks for his second major and his fifth win of the season.
Jordan Spieth could become the sixth player to complete the career grand slam this weekend. Plus, Rory McIlroy is still looking to end his major drought, and two-time PGA Champion Brooks Koepka returns not having played since the Masters.
Stats To Keep An Eye On
Since 1958, Southern Hills has hosted seven majors, including three U.S. Opens and four PGA Championships. The latest came in 2007, when Woods edged out Woody Austin by two shots to claim his 13th major championship.
Southern Hills has been compared to Augusta National, with its uneven lies on the fairway and undulating greens that can give golfers narrow landing spaces on their approaches.
Longer hitters could have an advantage thanks to the 2018 restoration project that widened the fairways.
Still, it’s not just a bomber’s paradise. The dogleg holes will still demand accurate tee shots to set up ideal aim points on second-shot approaches. Southern Hills could play as long as 7,365 yards to 7,556 yards, depending on the tee boxes.
The golfers will be tested, with two par 5s spanning over 600 yards and three par 3s over 200 yards. There are also two par 4s playing more than 500 yards.
Shots Gained: Approach and Shots Gained: Off the Tee are two key stats this weekend I’m looking at, given the length and importance of accuracy on second shots.
I’ll also be looking at Shots Gained: Around the Green, since scrambling will be key around the sloping greens.
Best Bet Jordan Spieth +2000 at BetMGM Sportsbook
Besides Woods, expect Spieth to be one of the most popular outright picks this week. Given his recent form, it makes sense.
Spieth won the RBC Heritage in mid-April despite being in the bottom half of the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (-0.64). But he was sensational in other areas. Leading the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+3.33), and was sixth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+1.08).
His ball striking was just as impressive last weekend during his second-place finish at the Byron Nelson Classic.
Spieth was sixth in Strokes Gained: Approach (+1.57) and 10th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+0.95).
If it weren’t for him having the 17th-worst putting performance on Sunday (-1.57), he would have made it two straight wins entering this weekend.
Spieth’s ball striking has been optimal, and he said as much after Sunday’s round when speaking to the media.
“I’m striking it better, consistently,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got every shot.”
Give me the in-form, confident golfer who could make history this weekend.
Be first to get our exclusive offers!
Join today to stay up to date on your states gambling news and offers.
Updated by
Last Updated:
