McIlroy Favorite for PGA Championship After Quail Hollow Triumph

After a 19-month drought, Rory McIlroy got back to winning ways at the Wells Fargo on Sunday and as a result, the Northern Irishman is the favorite to win the PGA Championship in two weeks.

McIlroy has happy memories of Kiawah Island, as it was the scene of his second major victory in 2012. He did it in emphatic fashion that week, setting a PGA Championship record as he won by eight strokes.

The 32-year-old’s course history and big event pedigree was enough to see him towards the top of the PGA Championship betting before last week’s event at Quail Hollow, but now that he appears to be back in form, he has come crashing in from 20/1 to 10/1.

That means that Dustin Johnson, who was T48 at Kiawah Island nine years ago, is now second in the betting with a best price of 12/1, but some sportsbooks are reluctant to budge from the 9/1-11/1 range.

Jon Rahm, who is searching for his first major win, can also be backed at 12/1. The Spaniard’s missed cut last week ruined a run of four consecutive top 10 finishes, but in general, his form has been excellent and he must be respected even at such a short price.

Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau are both looking to become multiple-time major champions, and they have each registered impressive wins in 2021 but neither were as emphatic as the latter’s display at the US Open last September at Winged Foot.

The best odds you will get on either man is 14/1 with Bet365. Once you learn how to use Bet365, you can choose from a wide range of props and bets for golf majors.

McIlroy is not the only former world number one to have returned to form this season. Jordan Spieth’s slump was far more severe than that of McIlroy, but his victory at the Texas Open in April was no fluke. The American has been sensational this year and 16/1 is a fair price on him to take the title.

It is surely only a matter of time before Xander Schauffele breaks his major duck, and you can back him at 20/1 to do so at the PGA Championship. It looked like he was primed to chase down Hideki Matsuyama at the Masters, but a wayward tee shot on the 16th hole ended his hopes. He has six top five major finishes, and could at least provide some each-way value.

The best odds you can get on Brooks Koepka is 22/1, which may tempt some punters as he is a serial winner but the knee remains a concern.

Matsuyama is 25/1 to make it back-to-back major wins, but it is perhaps a big ask given his competitive inactivity in recent weeks. Fellow 25/1 shot, Viktor Hovland, has been far from inactive, and appears to have all the tools to make a deep run at this and many other top tournaments for years to come.

Defending champion, Collin Morikawa, is also at 25/1, and there is no doubting the win equity that he carries. That was evident at the WGC-Workday Championship in February.

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