PGA Championship 2019: Betting Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview

The PGA Championship ushers in a new era Thursday, as the major tournament will be played in May for the first time. 

Tiger Woods comes into the event at the Bethpage Black Course in Long Island, New York, as the favorite to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. 

The 43-year-old is receiving plenty of attention on the odds market because of his victory at the Masters a month ago. 

Similar to the Masters, the PGA Championship is expected to have a star-studded leaderboard, with defending champion Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and others expected to challenge Woods for the second major title of the season. 

PGA Championship Odds

Odds via OddsChecker.

Tiger Woods (+900; Bet $100 to win $900) 

Dustin Johnson (+900) 

Brooks Koepka (+1,000) 

Rory McIlroy (+1,100) 

Justin Thomas (+1,600) 

Justin Rose (+1,600) 

Jon Rahm (+1,600) 

Rickie Fowler (+2,000) 

Francesco Molinari (+2,000) 

Favorites

Tiger Woods

Woods will be looked at as the favorite to win the PGA Championship for two primary reasons. 

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The chance to win back-to-back majors is going to dominate the headlines going into Thursday's first round because of the form he displayed at Augusta National. 

In addition to his recent form, Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

The course has changed in the last 17 years, but the 15-time major champion will operate with a good understanding of Bethpage Black, which is something many golfers in the field do not possess.

However, there will be some concern regarding Woods' layoff, as he has not played in a competitive tournament since donning the green jacket on April 14. 

If he displays even the slightest bit of rust, the course could destroy his chances of winning back-to-back majors. 

Dustin Johnson 

Dustin Johnson comes in as the joint-favorite alongside Woods, but he will not receive much of the spotlight until the veteran falls down the leaderboard. 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Johnson is coming off a tie for second at the Masters and a tie for 28th one week later at the RBC Heritage. 

In those two tournaments, the 34-year-old carded seven rounds of 70 or lower, with a final-round 77 at the RBC Heritage the lone outlier. 

In seven of the 11 events Johnson has participated in on the PGA Tour this season, he has recorded at least three rounds of 70 or below. 

Given how well he has played across the board, the world No. 1 demands some betting attention, and he should be available at a decent value all week with a good chunk of wagers being sent in the direction of Woods. 

Tournament Preview

Six different golfers have won the PGA Championship in the last six years, and Rory McIlroy is the only one to claim the tournament twice in the last 10 years. 

After a disappointing showing at the Masters, the Northern Irishman should be motivated by plenty of factors, including a reverse in form at majors and the chance to go head-to-head with Woods for the Wanamaker Trophy. 

Koepka, who comes in off a fourth-place finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson, has to be considered as a favorite as well after he shot four rounds in the 60s in his final tune-up.

If you rely on recent form being an indicator of how the PGA Championship will play out, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler and Paul Casey should be near the top of the leaderboard.

All four of the big-name golfers placed in the top 10 at the Wells Fargo Championship, as did McIlroy.

Garcia also teamed with Tommy Fleetwood to take second place at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which was won by Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer. 

Rahm finished in the top 10 at the Masters and has been one of the more consistent major tournament players in the last year. 

Although plenty of golfers enter in top form, few have been able to conquer Bethpage Black, which can be one of the toughest courses to play. 

Patrick Reed won the Barclays in 2016 at the Long Island course, a tournament that featured Jason Day, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Fowler in the top 10. 

There is always a chance that a lesser-known golfer pulls away with the victory as Lucas Glover did at the 2009 U.S. Open, but given how well the top players in the field are performing, we are banking on one of them to conquer Bethpage Black.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from PGATour.com.