BMW PGA Championship golf tips, free bets and latest odds – Best golf sign up offers

THREE of the top four players in the world are battling a the BMW PGA Championship - and the bookies are finding it difficult to separate them all.

World No 2 Rory McIlroy and the men just behind him in the rankings, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland, dominate the Wentworth market.

No surprise there, especially as all three of them finished in the top five here a year ago, in a tournament shortened to 54 holes following the death of the queen.

Hovland is actually a marginal favourite with a few bookies, and is a best priced 7-1. That IS a surprise, even though he comes into the event after brilliant back-to-back victories at the last two FedEX Cup.

BMW PGA Championship odds

• Viktor Hovland 13/2
• Rory McIlroy 15/2
• Jon Rahm 17/2
• Tommy Fleetwood 12/1
• Matt Fitzpatrick 16/1
• Tyrrell Hatton 18/1
• Shane Lowry 18/1

Odds from bet365 and correct at the time of writing

How to bet on golf

Here are five easy steps for beginners.

1. Choose Your Favourite Sportsbook – there are plenty to choose from and most have their own app or mobile site.

2. Make a Deposit – each sportsbook will walk you through how to connect your bank account to their system including providing a list of all the safeguards they have set up to ensure the safety of your transactions.

3. Claim Your Bonuses – most sportsbooks offers bonuses to first time bettors in the form of free bets.

4. Place Your Bet – now it’s time to navigate through your sportsbook’s odds where they will offer a variety of options including outright winners, or top finishing positions, such as top 10 or 20, or even to make the cut. For the event this week each way odds are generally paid on the top eight players.

5. Collect Your Winnings – If you're successful you will be able to withdraw your winnings once the bet is complete. Some bookmakers offer cashout options on certain bets as well, which is worth keeping an eye on.

Where to find the best odds for the golf?

Lots of bookmakers have different options for betting on the golf this week, including competitive odds and different place markets.

We like the markets on bet365, including the price boosts on offer pre-tournament.

But it is worth shopping around to get the best value with each way odds and different places available throughout the market.

This week you can get 7.82/1 on McIlroy, Hovland and Rahm all to finish in the top 10, as well as hot shot Ludvig Aberg boosted to 25/1 to win.

Golf tips for the BMW PGA Championship

After a few patchy performances at Wentworth early in his career. McIlroy has shown a real liking for the course in recent years, with a win and two runner-up finishes in  his last five visits.

He was about an inch away from forcing a play-off with Shane Lowry last year. His eagle attempt at the last agonisingly pulled up on the lip of the hole - and refused to topple despite his army of fans willing it to drop.

McIlroy is second best to Hovland in most lists - albeit marginally at a general 15-2 - but I think the positions ought to have been reversed, despite Rory’s final round calamities at the K Club last week.

There are so many distractions for McIlroy at his national championship, and he never seemed to be fully at the races last week - but could still have won. I expect him to be much more focussed this time.

Hovland’s share of fifth at last year’s BMW PGA was easily his best performance from three starts, while Rahm has been second in both of his tilts at Europe’s showpiece event.

At 8-1, Rahm looks the value bet. But the Masters champion has not been in great form recently - although he has produced his best performances in the biggest events, with a share of second at The Open and a top ten at the US Open to back up his Augusta triumph.

Rahm’s closing 62 at Wentworth last year was an eye-popping effort, and if he rises to the occasion again he will take some beating. But McIlroy just about gets the nod in the battle of the big three.

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Lowry was a popular winner a year ago - especially among followers of this column, after he was strongly tipped as the likely winner at 16-1.

Even before that victory, the Irishman could boast plenty of strong Wentworth form. A return to something like his best with a share of third at the Irish Open suggests quotes of around 20-1 are pretty generous.

But Lowry could just as easily relax after justifying his Ryder Cup wild card, and there is plenty of pressure on him as defending champion.

My main fancy is another player with ‘previous’ at Wentworth, 2020 champion Tyrrell Hatton. He clearly didn’t enjoy what he saw at the K Club last week so I’ll ignore that missed cut.

Hatton is always likely to throw in the odd shocker, but his best stuff is top drawer. He can be backed at 20-1, and I like his chances of repeating that 2020 victory.

Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee both rewarded each way backers last week, and  at 50-1 and 28-1 respectively they are worth following again.

Further down the list, Grant Forrest catches the eye at 150-1, especially after his third place in Ireland. Opening rounds of 67-69 at Wentworth last year suggested he is getting to grips with this challenge.

While on the subject of the Irish Open, last week’s runner-up, Hurley Long, is available at 300-1 this week. I was impressed with the way he hung in there on the final day, and he has to be worth a small interest.

And finally, another mention for Conor Syme. He has been listed as a good each way shot in his last two starts, and obliged with place money at 125-1 and 100-1.

Syme is freely available at 100-1 again this week, and you can get 150-1 if you shop around. Could he make it a hat-trick?

The PGA Tour also starts up this week, and while most of the big names are resting up ahead of the Ryder Cup, defending champion Max Homa and Justin Thomas are both in action. 

Eric Cole, another player who has consistently rewarded each way backers, will do for me, especially at 33-1.

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