Golf tips, free bets and latest odds for The PGA Championship

IT is the shoot-out everyone in golf wants to see - ‘Glory’ McIlroy and ‘Hottie’ Scheffler both turning up at a Major championship on top of their game.

The top two players in the world have both arrived at Valhalla for this week’s USPGA Championship brimming with confidence, after winning their last two outings.

Scottie Scheffler’s recent form holds up better, with a second Masters triumph immediately followed by victory in the RCB Heritage at Hilton Head.

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But the way Rory McIlroy followed up his pairs win with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic by demolishing Xander Shauffele - and the rest of a top quality field - in the Wells Fargo Championship was reminiscent of his very best form.

Not surprisingly, with four wins and a second from his last five starts, Scheffler is a best-priced 9-2  favourite to go one better than his runner-up finish in last year’s USPGA.

But the world No 1 has not played for three weeks, and his thoughts could easily drift back to Dallas, where he has just left wife Meredith and his new-born son.

So if McIlroy starts the way he finished at the Wells Fargo - apart from his meaningless final hole blunder, of course - he could prove better value at 15-2, especially at a course that holds great memories from his 2014 USPGA win.

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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-event.

The PGA Championship 2024 betting tips

The PGA is anything but a two-horse race though, and defending champion Brooks Koepka should have plenty to say about the outcome.

Koepka bounced back from a bitterly disappointing Masters performance by winning a fourth LIV title in Singapore earlier this month. That was a tribute to many hours spent ironing out the putting woes that plagued him at Augusta.

He has won three of the last six PGAs, and finished second in another. So at 16-1, he has to be seriously considered as a leading contender for a sixth Major victory in all.

More than 30 players in the 156 man field at Valhalla were also in action when McIlroy won here a decade ago. But as this is not a regular PGA Tour stop, this is a rare occasion where current form  probably outweighs course expertise. 

So I am also keen on the chancers of several players who showed up well behind McIlroy at the Wells Fargo last week.

The two who stand out are Jason Day - another former PGA winner - and the in-form Ben An. Both have been priced up at 60-1 and have to enter each-way calculations.

An’s third place at Quail Hollow was his eighth podium finish on the PGA Tour, and came straight after a share of fourth at the Byron Nelson. An elusive first win in America may not happen  this week, but he is certainly capable of going close.

I felt Day might  have another Major in him when he capped a resurgent 2023 campaign by finishing tied second behind runaway Open champion Brian Harman at Hoylake.

The Aussie has not really kicked on this year. But fourth place last weekend suggested he might just have his mojo back

Another player who continued a run of good form at Quail Hollow was improving Canadian Taylor Pendrith. He is a top priced 225-1.

His share of tenth was a more than acceptable follow-up to his breakthrough victory at the CJ Cup a week earlier, as there was bound to be a reaction to a first PGA Tour win.

Pendrith had earlier finished 11th in the Corales, and occupied the same position at the Zurich, alongside Corey Conners - who is also worth considering in the each way market at 100-1.

The final outsider to catch the eye is another 125-1 shot, Dean Burmester. He followed up his back-to-back wins in South Africa at the end of last year with a first LIV triumph in Miami a month ago. His big-hitting game is made for Valhalla.

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