PGA Championship 2015: Odds for Sleepers and Favorites at Whistling Straits
The final major of the 2015 season arrives this week at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where the world's best will compete in the 2015 PGA Championship.
With the course difficult and the competition fierce, it's not a tournament to miss. Rory McIlroy will return from injury, and Jordan Spieth will look for retribution after having his shot at the season Grand Slam ruined. Plenty of surprising underdogs line the slate too.
Let's take a look at how Las Vegas feels in the early goings this week, via Odds Shark, and help bettors get ahead before most catch on to the great plays and alter the lines.
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2015 PGA Championship Odds
| Jordan Spieth | 5-1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 11-1 |
| Jason Day | 14-1 |
| Adam Scott | 16-1 |
| Justin Rose | 20-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 20-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 22-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 22-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 25-1 |
Sleepers and Favorites to Watch
Sleeper: Bubba Watson (20-1)
It's easy to skip Bubba Watson's name, especially after bettors who trusted him in the last few major tournaments got burned.
Watson suffered cuts at both the U.S. Open in June and The Open Championship in July, miserable showings many could count as predictable given his tie for 64th place at last year's PGA Championship.
Still, rolling with Watson and this nice payout looks like a good idea. His best performance at this tournament came in 2010, when the locale was—easy to guess—Whistling Straits. He finished tied for second there, showing a strong affinity for the course despite sitting out the Masters and U.S. Open before missing the cut at The Open Championship.
With a pair of second-place performances under his belt as warm-ups and a strong history at Whistling Straits, Watson looks like a good underdog bet. If he is to return to form, it figures to come this week.
Favorite: Rory McIlroy (7-1)
McIlroy makes his return after an ankle injury and represents a bit of an odd play for bettors.
On one hand, it's easy to point out his absence since the U.S. Open, where he tied for ninth. It's also easy to point to Spieth's epic form.
Then again, if McIlroy is healthy, why bet against him?
Keep in mind that this is the guy who won this tournament two of the last three years. He's the guy already back practicing and enjoying his performance at Whistling Straits too, as he revealed on Instagram:
As ESPN Stats & Info broke down, he also holds a historical advantage against Spieth:
Granted, Spieth continues to play the best golf of his career, but it's no reason to write off McIlroy without looking.
The point is, at these odds, it can be hard to ignore one of the game's best. While the ankle and lack of recent results say otherwise, McIlroy remains a bet worth taking until he proves otherwise.
Sleeper: Adam Scott (16-1)
Remember Adam Scott?
While winless in majors since 2013, he's looked good as of late, with a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open and a tie for 10th at The Open Championship.
Granted, the 10th slot seems to be his source of motivation in recent weeks, as he told the AAP (via the Sydney Morning Herald):
"I don't feel like I am winning enough for the amount of good play I have had over the last two seasons but that can change quickly, in a week or two. My game is great so I am looking forward to this week and next. I really need a big finish to the season and it is a great time to be playing well, which I feel I am so I just want to win more.
"
He's right about his play. At PGATour.com, Scott ranks fourth in driving distance (312.2), eighth in greens in regulation (70.80 percent), 11th in tee-to-green strokes gained (1.205) and among the top 35 in birdie (3.85) and scoring average (70.228).
Long story short—there are much, much worse underdog plays. Scott's playing well, especially off the tee, and he just needs to put it all together. Half of his last four outings at this tournament have been of the top-10 variety, so a wager on his getting over the proverbial hump makes sense.
Stats and info courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise specified.
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