Golf fans might be a little confused this week with the US PGA Championship moved from it’s usual August slot to a new date at the start of the summer, though it was an early-season tournament back in the 1940s.
The Bethpage Black course on Long Island, New York is the venue but conditions could be a little more testing than usual as it’s been raining heavily in the area for a number of days, requiring some remedial work on the greens and meaning that there is ‘squelch’ underfoot on the fairways so tee shots are not going to bounce as far as normal – you would think that would suit the power hitters.
US PGA Championship Winners Since 1990
| Year | Champion | Country | Winner’s Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Brooks Koepka | USA | 264 (−16) |
| 2017 | Justin Thomas | USA | 276 (−8) |
| 2016 | Jimmy Walker | USA | 266 (−14) |
| 2015 | Jason Day | USA | 68-67-66-67=268 (−20) |
| 2014 | Rory McIlroy | UK | 66-67-67-68=268 (-16) |
| 2013 | Jason Dufner | USA | 68-63-71-68=270 (−10) |
| 2012 | Rory McIlroy | UK | 67-75-67-66=275 (−13) |
| 2011 | Keegan Bradley | USA | 71-64-69-68=272 (−8) |
| 2010 | Martin Kaymer | Germany | 72-68-67-70=277 (-11) |
| 2009 | Yang Yong-eun | South Korea | 73-70-67-70=280 (-8) |
| 2008 | Pádraig Harrington | Ireland | 71-74-66-66=277 (-3) |
| 2007 | Tiger Woods | USA | 71-63-69-69=272 (-8) |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | USA | 69-68-65-68=270 (-18) |
| 2005 | Phil Mickelson | USA | 67-65-72-72=276 (-4) |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh | Fiji | 67-68-69-76=280 (-8) |
| 2003 | Shaun Micheel | USA | 69-68-69-70=276 (-4) |
| 2002 | Rich Beem | USA | 72-66-72-68=278 (-10) |
| 2001 | David Toms | USA | 66-65-65-69=265 (-15) |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | USA | 66-67-70-67=270 (-18) |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods | USA | 70-67-68-72=277 (-11) |
| 1998 | Vijay Singh | Fiji | 70-66-67-68=271 (-9) |
| 1997 | Davis Love III | USA | 66-71-66-66=269 (-11) |
| 1996 | Mark Brooks | USA | 68-70-69-70=277 (-11) |
| 1995 | Steve Elkington | Australia | 68-67-68-64=267 (-17) |
| 1994 | Nick Price | Zimbabwe | 67-65-70-67=269 (-11) |
| 1993 | Paul Azinger | USA | 69-66-69-68=272 (-12) |
| 1992 | Nick Price | Zimbabwe | 70-70-68-70=278 (-6) |
| 1991 | John Daly | USA | 69-67-69-71=276 (-12) |
| 1990 | Wayne Grady | Australia | 72-67-72-71=282 (-6) |
Bethpage Black Facts And Figures
- Bethpage Black, on Long Island, is hosting its third Major tournament. The two previous Majors were the U.S. Opens, won by Woods in 2002 and Lucas Glover in 2009.
- Back in 2002, when Bethpage became the first municipal course to host the US Open, it was also the longest course in the history of the event at 7,214 yards. Seventeen years later, it’s set to play to 7,432 yards.
- Three players have finished in the top 10 on each of the two occasions a Major has been held at Bethpage Black – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.
- Only six players ended up with under-par scores in the two previous Majors held at Bethpage Black – one in the 2002 U.S. Open and five in the 2009 U.S. Open.
The last six Majors contested on US soil have been won by Americans and that’s the first time that’s happened since 1987. Though it’s 12 years since TIGER WOODS lifted the Wanamaker Trophy, after last month’s heroics at Augusta, the great man is no longer doubted. The 43-year-old comes into the second Major of the season among the market leaders at a general 12/1. Woods will be bidding to become only the second player since World War II to win the first two Majors of the year on two separate occasions, having previously achieved the feat 17 years ago. His win in the Masters was his 15th Major.
BROOK KOEPKA tied for second at Augusta in an American whitewash and has won three of the last seven Majors so it’s no surprise that he’s one of the 11/1 joint favourites in the ante-post market. The defending champion has won the U.S. Open the last twice, of course, and has also finished second in the Honda Classic this year as well as his runner-up spot at Augusta. The world number two is currently third in the world rankings and it would be no surprise if he were to be in the firing-line again on the final day.
DUSTIN JOHNSON is the other joint favourite and much respected. He, too, tied for second in the Masters and has already won the WGC- Mexico Championship this year. However, in nine previous attempts, the current world number one has never finished higher than fifth.
RORY MCILROY is only a best 12/1 but has a better tournament record than Johnson, having won the US PGA Championship twice, in 2012 and 2014. But he has only finished in the top 20 once since and that corresponds with a gradual slump in fortunes over the last four years in which he has finished in the top 10 in eight Majors but not managed to win one. There must be better value at bigger odds.
JASON DAY shared fifth place in the Masters and that signalled a return to form for the Australia, who won the US PGA Championship in 2015. A general 22/1 this year, the 31-year-old from Queensland has since finished joint fourth in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am so is coming to the boil nicely. He has the power to lift his ball out of a soft surface and is currently third in the rankings for birdies achieved on this year’s US PGA Tour – every shot will count at Bethpage so that’s massive plus. Day has managed seven top 20 finishes in 12 appearances since his last Major win so holds his own at the very top level and tops our short-list this week.
Our second selection is LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN at a general 66/1. The South African makes particular appeal at 12/1 with Ladbrokes to be Top Rest Of The World player (Day is only a best 5/1 in the same market). He’s not won a Major since 2010 but has been second on three occasions since, including in this tournament in 2017 (he didn’t compete because of injury last year). He’s competed in the US PGA Championship on nine occasions and only failed to make the cut three times so you should get a run for your money from the 35-year-old, who has already recorded three top five places on the Tour this year and was in the top 30 in each of the three Majors he contested in 2018.
Another we expect to thrive in testing scoring conditions is England’s IAN POULTER (80/1 with several bookmakers). With four to 10 finishes under his belt this year, Poulter is in good shape. He has made the cut in every tournament he’s contested in 2019 and will take heart from Woods’ victory in the Masters – he and Tiger are the same age. While it’s probably asking a lot for him to win his first Major at this stage of his career, he’s by no means a spent force and is 10/1 with Boylesports to be Top English player at Bethpage.
The latter bookmaker and Coral are both offering each-way betting down to 10th place in their Outright Winner betting for US PGA Championship so it will pay to shop around.
US PGA Championship Outright Winner Current Best Odds
Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson 11/1
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods 12/1
Justin Rose and Jon Rahm 20/1
Jason Day and Ricky Fowler 22/1
Francesco Molinari and Xander Schauffele 28/1
Tommy Fleetwood 33/1
Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau 40/1
Sergio Garcia, Hideki Matsuyama and Patrick Cantlay 45/1
Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth 50/1
Paul Casey and Adam Scott 55/1
Bubba Watson 60/1
Louis Oosthuizen 66/1
Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Gary Woodland 70/1
Webb Simpson and Ian Poulter 80/1
Marc Leishman and Kevin Kisner 100/1
Lucas Glover, Jason Kokrak and Rafael Cabrera Bello 125/1
150/1 and Upwards Others
(Odds correct at 2.15pm May 14)
