The second major of the year begins with the 2025 PGA Championship from Thursday to Sunday and will be held at the Cool Hollow Club.
Which golf experts do you think will win? Where do we believe our betting experts are worth it? We will break down our favourites ahead of the 2025 PGA Championship.
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Winning Expert Choice | Betting Round Table
Expert Picks
Matt Barry
Rory McIlroy: I believe in “running” players. And Rory is with him now. After obtaining a career grand slam in the chest, he comes to the place he won four times. It’s his playground. And he wins again.
Tory Baron
Justin Thomas: We call it the Rementy Bias, but JT is poised for a third time in the PGA Championship. He has the confidence to make noise in Cool Hollow after an almost three-year-old drought in an April playoff victory at RBC Heritage and runner-up in the trumpers championship.
Michael Collins
Scottie Scheffler: How many times are you going to underestimate world #1? ! ? People misunderstand his attitude as not a murderer. His competitors will disappear. But once more, they will learn.
Jeff Darlington
Justin Thomas: Something was clicked for Thomas in October 2024. He was tied up to second place in the Zozo Championship and has since risen to elite form. He returns to his first PGA Championship victory site…and now he wins again.
Michael Eeves
Rory McIlroy: Finally winning the Masters put a lot of strain on my shoulders. He may be on the verge of playing the most relaxed golf he’s played in nearly a decade, and the free swing lolly is a scary lolly for the rest of the field. Additionally, he owns the course with four previous wins at Quail Hollow. Who is ready to talk about Grand Slams?
Peter Lawrence Riddell
Rory McIlroy: If the pick seems too easy, the best thing to do is make it. He took the Masters/Grand Slam off his back and was the best golfer in the world in 2025. He’s going to add a course where he earned four distances and reward the distance, and he’s a pick.
Andy North
Shane Laurie: He plays very well. He is a very good driver on the ball and hits great iron shots.
Mark Schrabach
Bryson Dedanbaugh: If the winner needs length from the tee, solid long iron play and consistent putt, give him Bryson. He will want to prove that his substantial show at the Masters on Sunday is a fluke and that he has won South Korea in the Liv Golf League. He finished in the top six in four of his past five majors, including runner-up in the 2024 PGA Championship at Barhara Golf Club. He can add the Wanamaker trophy to his two US open trophies.
Marty Smith
Rory McIlroy: He is taking part in the PGA Championship, which has already won the two most prestigious tournaments this year: the Player Championship and the Masters Tournament. The constant questioning and constant pressure of 14 years has disappeared. Confidence for every aspect of his game and every club in his bag. Mental, emotional, mental and physical freedom.
And now he returns to Quazur Hollow. This is the site that lists the lowest scoring average in PGA Tour history out of 246 players with at least 20 rounds. Ah, he won four quails.
Curtis Strange
Rory McIlroy over Scottie over Scottie by 1. Always route Masters Champion in PGA so you can talk about Grand Slam this year
Pair Uggs
Rory McIlroy: I feel that is too obvious given Rory’s play and recent form to choose him as the winner of this week, but I can’t convince myself to go elsewhere with this choice. Maybe we’re caught up in that moment – he showed us how difficult it is to win two majors in a row – but there’s nothing about this week that’s obviously not going well for the guy playing the best golfer in the world.
Scott has pelt
Bryson Deccanbeau: Quail Hollow is a big ballpark. It’s also a very wet golf course this week. The advantage of Deccanbeau’s length has been expanded this week and I think he won.
Bet on the round table
Odds with ESPN bets
Who is your choice to win?
Tyler Fulghum, ESPN BET Live Host
Xander Schauffele (+2000). It’s really hard to avoid choosing McIlroy or Scheffler, but the +500 price (or bad) for both golfers is very expensive. If I’m looking outside of those top two, I’d think of Shaufele. Schauffele has a variety of well-balanced games with excellent discipline and good balanced in tournaments like this, with long distances and deep competition.
David Gordon, ESPN Research
Shane Laurie (+4500). There are cases where Laurie should be near the top of the player’s second tier, but his odds don’t fully reflect that. If you’re not Rory or Xander, you’re currently in third place with a stroke that’s third place. He won the tee and green in two of his past four PGA championships in top six finishes.
Pamela Maldonado, betting analyst
Rory McIlroy (+475). I’ve just won the Masters, but Quail Hollow is another story. It is his kingdom. This course is his strength, playing a booming drive and towering long irons. That’s why McIlroy won here four times. He knows all the outlines of the course and his playing style is tailored to this layout. It’s a short price, but when McIlroy is in Quail, he is defending his throne.
Who is your favorite bet to make the top 10?
fulghum: Patrick Reed (+550).
With the exception of Bryson Deccanbeau, Liv golfers are barely visible and daunting. This is the lead that has provided value to these names in the majors and has been working relatively well outside of Dechambeau since moving to Liv. He recorded a third-place finish at Augusta in April, finishing T2 in 2017 when PGA played for Cool Hollow.
Gordon: Bryson Deccanbeau (+140)
Dechambeau has had a top five finish (3) than any other player in the PGA Championship since 2020. His six top-five finishes in the majors since 2020 have all come from different venues, demonstrating his ability to compete regardless of course style. The short rough and out-of-tee length has worked as a recent recipient at Quazlo Hollow (such as McIlroy and Wyndham Clark). I think Bryson is a very complete top 5 pick, but I have insurance in the top 10.
Maldonado: John Rahm (+190)
Rahm has been away from the tee for a long time, accurate with his long irons, and has not retreated from the tough track. Quail is made for those who can make long par 4s muscular and can handle green mile pressure. Even on holidays, the floor of the Ram can be higher than most people’s ceilings. Even when his putter runs cold, he is still a threat, as his approach play sets so many looks.
What is your favorite Scotty Schaeffler or Rory McIlroy Bett?
Fulghum: McIlroy Top-10 finish, round 1 (+200)
It’s hard to find a fascinating plus money bet for McIlroy’s name, but I’ll jump on this. McIlroy is not usually a fast starter in the majors, but this is the course he controls. New from his victory at Augusta, he was able to start here quickly, free and easily.
Gordon: Schaeffler’s McIlroy: Tournament Matchup (-110)
Pam and Tyler already say that best when it comes to McIlroy. Fading a player who just tied his 72-hole scorer on the PGA Tour at the final start is daunting, but McIlroy has excellent course knowledge, length and putting.
Maldonado: McIlroy Top 10 Finish, Round 1 (+200)
The difficult part is complete. He completed his career slam. The McIlroy is grounded, configured and controlled to the quail hollow. Golf is as mental as skill, and he has clarity and confidence. Given the comfort of his course, if he just plays without pressing his natural game, then McIlroy’s thinking will focus and his game will be systematic.
Who is your favorite long shot/value bet (let’s say 100-1 or higher)?
Full Light: Tony Found (+200500)
There’s really nothing so far about Finau’s game that suggests he’ll compete in this event, except for the distance from the tee. However, the price is very appealing to people at Finau’s talent level, and the PGA Championship is the most likely to produce a first-time winner from nowhere, unlike the other three majors.
Gordon: Denny McCarthy (+17500)
McCarthy, who finished sixth in the Quazul Hollow last year and tied a year ago with a T-8, is one of three players on the course that have been at least eight rounds in the last two years (the others are Shauferle and Tommy Fleetwood). McCarthy’s lack of distance from the tee is a concern, but apparently when he comes to Quail, he makes up for it elsewhere. His best finish of the season is his T-5 with the Torrey Pines, one of the longest courses on the tour throughout the season. I take a flyer to putter that keeps the red heat in it.
Maldonado: Keith Mitchell (+11000)
His recent form is interesting. In his last four starts, Mitchell has posted five straight top 20, including last week’s T-7, showing a highly consistent upward trend. His ball strike is solid and he’s making a fuss over the greens from the tee. He has two top 10 finishes in the Quazur Hollow, so the +320 in the Top 20 makes more sense, enjoying a few dollars at +11,000.
Are there any other bets that stand out for you?
Gordon: Corey Connors finishes as a low Canadian (+165)
The Connors cashed in this market in four of their last five majors (the only exception at last year’s Open Championship), and six of their last eight majors are Canada’s lower multiples in the PGA Championship over that period. His five top-10 finishes on the tour this season will only track Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy. He also finished T-13 and T-8 with Quazlo Hollow over the past two years.
Maldonado: Justin Thomas (-120) vs. Xander Schaufele
Thomas knows how to win here, and Schaufere hasn’t stacked up in his approach game while he has the tools to compete. Thomas’ iron play is stronger and gives iron play a course advantage. The consistency with JT’s T-Sharry-to-Green game makes the difference in ball strike matchups.