PGA Championship 2019 Odds: Vegas Projections for Top Picks in This Year's Field

The No. 4 golf major has suddenly become No. 2.

At least as a far as the calendar is concerned. The golf world is always quite predictable, with the Masters in April, the U.S. Open in June, the British Open in July and the PGA Championship in August.

But that has changed this year, as the PGA Championship moved from the heat of summer to the promise of spring time in May. The tournament may still rank fourth in status to the other majors, but following the Masters brings new life to the tournament.

This year's PGA Championship is at the famed black course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York. This track is known for punishing golfers who can't keep the ball in the fairway with its deep and challenging rough.

While that rough would have made the course tough in August, it may be even more difficult in May, according to PGA of America's Chief Championship Officer Kerry Haigh.

"It is likely that the course will play more difficult in May than it would have in August due to the fact that the health of the grasses is significantly better in May," he said, per Pat Ralph of Golf Magazine. "The fairways, roughs and greens are all actively growing at that time of year, whereas in August they are struggling to stay alive due to the heat and humidity."

While the course will command much of the attention, it won't wrest it completely away from the brilliance of the competing players. The headliner is Tiger Woods, who will try to follow up with another sharp showing after winning the Masters last month and securing his first major title since 2008.

The 43-year-old is the favorite coming into the event at 9-1, per VegasInsider.com, but the competition will be outstanding. It's no surprise to see Dustin Johnson (10-1), Brooks Koepka (11-1) and Rory McIlroy at 12-1, and all of those golfers could put together four outstanding rounds to challenge for the title.

"Outstanding rounds" does not mean shooting scores of five under par or better. Depending on the weather and the damaging status of the rough, a good score may be coming up with a key par on the 17th hole that allows a golfer to maintain his position on the leaderboard.

Here's a look at the odds for the top 15 golfers in the field, and a link to the full field. There are many names like Sergio Garcia (50-1), Patrick Reed (60-1), Louis Oosthuizen (66-1), Phil Mickelson (66-1), Kevin Kisner (100-1) and Keegan Bradley (125-1), who are capable of competing and possibly paying off at huge numbers even though they are outside the top 15.

PGA Championship odds

Tiger Woods 9-1
Dustin Johnson 10-1
Brooks Koepka 11-1
Rory McIlroy 12-1
Justin Thomas 18-1
Jon Rahm 20-1
Justin Rose 20-1
Rickie Fowler 22-1
Francesco Molinari 25-1
Jason Day 28-1
Xander Schauffele 28-1
Jordan Spieth 33-1
Tommy Fleetwood 33-1
Tony Finau 35-1
Bryson DeChambeau 40-1

The pressure is on Woods to continue to play at a championship level, according to CBS analyst Nick Faldo.

"He has to come out and pick up where he left off at Augusta," Faldo said, per Tod Reynolds of the Los Angeles Times. "That was amazing. It's a tall order. He's not making it easy on himself."

That's because Woods has not played since the Masters victory, and it will be 32 days when he tees up Thursday since he completed his victory at Augusta National.

However, it should not take him long to get used to this course, which is one of his favorites. He won the 2002 U.S. Open when it was played at Bethpage Black.

Prediction

Woods played sensational golf at the Masters, and the emotional release upon sinking the final putt and earning the green jacket is the takeaway moment from that tournament. It was clear how much the victory meant to him after an 11-year dry spell in the majors.

Is the spigot now open? Will Woods record major wins the way he did when he turned the golf world on its ear in the late 1990s and early 2000s? It doesn't seem likely, because he is a veteran with a history of knee and back injuries. 

But he should be competitive at Bethpage because of his accuracy with his irons. That accuracy has paid off this season, because he ranks first on the tour in greens in regulation. 

However, he must do a better job off the tee, because of the challenging Bethpage rough. Woods ranks 58th in accuracy off the tee.

It's hard to overlook Koepka, who won two majors last year, including the PGA Championship. His ability to play his best golf in the biggest tournaments should allow him to hold up well for four rounds.

The 29-year-old's strength is his ability on his approach shots. He ranks first when going for the green.

Dustin Johnson has unquestionable talent, but he still has just one major tournament to his credit. He ranks first in the world rankings, but his accuracy off the tee has become an issue. He is 185th in that category, and it will probably keep him from winning.

McIlroy is the fourth-ranked golfer in the world rankings, and he excels around the green. He is second with an 80.92 percentage when going for the green.

The belief is McIlroy has all the tools needed to earn the PGA title and pick up the second major of the 2019 season.

1. Rory McIlroy

2. Brooks Koepka

3. Tiger Woods