PGA Championship 2013 Odds: Breaking Down Best and Worst Selections at Oak Hill

It’s time to get your wallet out.

The PGA Championship commences on Thursday morning from Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. It's anyone's guess as to which golfers will make the cut and who the lucky guy atop the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon is going to be. Will it be one of the top players in the world, or maybe someone that comes out of nowhere?

Predicting major champions is one of the toughest things to do. Sure, maybe you got lucky and chose Phil Mickelson to win The Open Championship, Justin Rose to win the U.S. Open or Adam Scott to win the Masters. But I doubt you had Darren Clarke, Charl Schwartzel or Webb Simpson winning major championships in the last three years.

That said, here's a look at the players you should, could and can't put your money on this week at the 2013 PGA Championship.

Best Bet: Tiger Woods, 7-2

Tiger Woods will be seeking the 15th major championship victory of his career this week at Oak Hill, a tournament he’s won four times. Woods last won the PGA Championship in 2007, a year prior to his most recent major victory, the 2008 U.S. Open. It’s been a long time coming for Tiger, but this week could be the week.

Woods is the No. 1 golfer in the world and is having an outstanding year—even though he hasn’t won a major tournament in 2013. He has five official PGA Tour victories this season, the most recent came a few days ago at the Bridgestone Invitational, which he won by seven strokes.

Yes, Woods is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, which is expected. You might not want to take this bet for a number of reasons—such as his current major drought—but there’s no question that he’s going to be a factor come Sunday afternoon, whether you like it or not.

He’s the best golfer alive.

Bold Bet: Billy Horschel, 125-1

Billy Horschel may just be 26 years old, but he’s already one of the better golfers on the PGA Tour. He won the Zurich Classic back in April, but hasn’t played very well since—aside from a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open. Despite his late-season struggles, he ranks fifth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Horschel has only appeared in three major championships throughout his young career, but he has never played the PGA Championship. In his most recent major appearance, the Open Championship a few weeks ago, he failed to make it to the weekend after shooting 12 over through the first two rounds.

While Horschel may not have the best odds to win, he could be one of the under-the-radar players who takes the rest of the field by storm. He should flourish on the par fives, as he’s 100 under par for the year on the longest holes, which is seventh on the PGA Tour. He’ll definitely need a few birdies to compete at Oak Hill.

Poor Bet: Rory McIlroy, 28-1

It’s advised that you refrain from making any bets involving Rory McIlroy winning the PGA Championship this week. Even though he has the sixth-best odds of winning the tournament, it likely isn’t going to happen.

He’s been in a massive rut, and now isn’t the time where he’s going to find his way out of it.

McIlroy did win the PGA Championship last year at Kiawah Island, but he has been miserable at the three most recent major championships. He finished tied for 25th at the Masters, tied for 41st at the U.S. Open and didn’t even get to play the weekend at The Open Championship. He’s currently 52nd in the FedEx Cup standings.

The biggest struggle for McIlroy at Oak Hill will be making the cut. He averages a 71.29 through the first two rounds on the year, which is the 116th best on the PGA Tour.

He’ll need to play smart on Thursday and Friday to even have a chance at defending his title over the weekend.

All statistics in this article were obtained via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted. All odds for the PGA Championship are courtesy of Bovada and are current as of Monday, August 5 at 4:45 p.m. ET.