As legal sports betting continues to grow across the US, so too does the interest in various markets. Among those at the top of the list is golf, a sport with an incredibly passionate following that is attracting new fans in droves.
Diehard PGA Tour fans are already well aware of the thrill that comes from watching the sport’s best go toe-to-toe on the world’s most beautiful courses. Those new to the game are catching on quickly, and the fact that they can get a little skin in the game certainly doesn’t hurt.
From live betting to head-to-head matchups to a very active futures market, online golf betting is surging in popularity and emerging as one of the top markets at legal and regulated US sportsbooks. While the average PGA Tour event attracts plenty of action, the interest ratchets up to entirely new levels when the major tournaments roll around. There are four signature events in golf on the yearly calendar, and each of them are a blast.
The futures market for the PGA Championship 2020, now rescheduled for August 6-9, is filled with opportunities. We’ll go through them in full detail below.
The legal and regulated market for sports betting in the US continues to evolve. A number of markets remain a work in progress, but several states have expedited things and now have thriving sports betting industries as a result.
State | Online / Mobile | Retail |
---|---|---|
New Jersey Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Pennsylvania Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Colorado Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Indiana Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Iowa Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
West Virginia Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Virginia Sports Betting | Yes | No |
New Hampshire Sports Betting | Yes | No |
Illinois Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Michigan Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Tennessee Sports Betting | Yes | No |
Each of these markets are serviced by several of the top operators in the industry. The states on the list are serving as a blueprint for the rest of the US, and it’s just a matter of time until others start catching up.
It’s a boom time for legal sports betting, and users have plenty of choices to consider as a result. Naturally, some of the options are better than others. Here are the top betting apps to use for your PGA Championship 2020 wagers.
Creating an account at each of these sportsbooks is a snap. For starters, click through on our exclusive links so that you can take advantage of the generous welcome offers. From there, it’s just a matter of entering a few details.
Your new account will be created in no time. Afterwards, follow the site-specific instructions to download the app that correlates with your device. Log in on mobile, and you’ll be able to bet on the PGA on the go.
Users in states that haven’t gotten on the ball with legal sports betting aren’t completely out of luck. If you happen to live in a neighboring state to a legal and regulated market, you can still take advantage.
For example, those in New York aren’t too far away from New Jersey, while Chicago residents have the same benefit with neighboring Indiana. In both cases, folks can take the trek and sign up for an account in the legalized states, deposit funds, and place their wagers. They can then head home to enjoy the action and manage their accounts.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to be within the borders of the legalized state to actually place wagers, so you’ll need to head back when it’s time to bet again.
While the 2020 PGA Championship won’t tee off until August 6, you don’t have to wait to place your bets on the outright winner. Golf futures allow you to place your wagers on who you think will win right now. Here are the current odds to consider as of May. Click on “Bet Now” to claim your bonus and begin the account registration process.
Justin Thomas | Bet now +900 | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +1000 | Bet now +1100 |
Bryson Dechambeau | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1600 | Bet now +1900 |
Rory McIlroy | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1400 | Bet now +1500 |
Jon Rahm | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1400 | Bet now +1600 |
Xander Schauffele | Bet now +1800 | Bet now +1800 | Bet now +1900 |
Dustin Johnson | Bet now +2300 | Bet now +2000 | Bet now +2300 |
Patrick Cantlay | Bet now +2500 | Bet now +2500 | Bet now +2600 |
Daniel Berger | Bet now +3000 | Bet now +3500 | Bet now +4100 |
Tiger Woods | Bet now +3300 | Bet now +3700 | Bet now +4100 |
Webb Simpson | Bet now +3300 | Bet now +2800 | Bet now +2600 |
Matthew Fitzpatrick | Bet now +3500 | Bet now +3800 | Bet now +4600 |
Collin Morikawa | Bet now +3500 | Bet now +2800 | Bet now +3400 |
Rickie Fowler | Bet now +3500 | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +3400 |
Hideki Matsuyama | Bet now +4500 | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +4100 |
Jordan Spieth | Bet now +7000 | Bet now +6500 | Bet now +6100 |
Sergio Garcia | Bet now +7000 | Bet now +8500 | Bet now +8100 |
Phil Mickelson | Bet now +9000 | Bet now +7000 | Bet now +8100 |
Prices continue to take shape across the marketplace. That means there’s even more opportunity to be found for futures bettors, as they can mine for value at various operators.
Here’s what you need to know about the PGA Championship 2020.
Harding Park has a lengthy history which has seen it go through ups and downs. The course has been on a big upward slope since 2010 when it reached an agreement to become part of the PGA Tour’s Tournament Players Club (TPC).
This will be the first major event held here, but the course has hosted a number of tour events through the years, including three editions of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
When the topic turns to sports betting, you may hear mention of the “Vegas odds.” Since Las Vegas had a stranglehold on the legal sports betting market in the US for some time, folks have become accustomed to seeing what the oddsmakers in that neck of the woods have to say as it was considered the standard.
That’s still the case, but the same odds can now be found elsewhere as well. Operators in legal and regulated states stay on top of the marketplace just as much as the books in Vegas do. As such, the prices you’ll find there will be in range.
You can still take a glance at the odds from top operators in Sin City as part of your research routine. In fact, this will help to give you an even greater sense of the overall market sentiment. Just know that you don’t necessarily have to be in Vegas any longer to get the best prices and odds.
Beyond just betting on the outright winner of the PGA Championship 2020, you’ll find a number of other different ways to get in the game. Here are some of the most popular wagering opportunities you’ll find.
For even more detailed information on what you can bet on and how to place your bets, you can check out our full golf betting page here.
Live betting has become one of the most popular features at legal and regulated sportsbooks. Also known as in-play betting, these are wagers you can place after the action has already gotten underway and in real time.
It’s also part of the reason why golf betting continues to grow in popularity. Instead of just placing your bets on things such as who will win or place in the Top 10, you’ll have a whole host of other opportunities to explore as the golfers do their thing.
Odds and markets move quickly with live betting, but that only enhances the appeal. Here’s just a small sampling of the different wager types you’ll find.
In order to take full advantage of all that live betting has to offer, it’s imperative to have a sports betting app. It’s pretty tough to be at a book or online for all four days of a tournament, but an app will let you bet on the go anywhere you want.
Even better, some operators have live streaming capabilities. You can log right in and get a sense of the action and explore markets at any time. Live betting on mobile takes the golf viewing experience to a whole new level.
While the futures market for the PGA Championship 2020 is still sorting itself out, several clear favorites have emerged. Here are four of them to keep in mind as you get set to place your bets.
The favorites to win the PGA Championship 2020 will naturally see lots of betting action, but there’s also value to be found further down the odds board. After all, any of the golfers in the field can put together a magical run once the four-day event tees of. Here are four dark horse contenders who could be in line to make some noise.
Sports betting isn’t the only way to get in the game as far as the PGA Championship 2020 is concerned. You can play some DFS golf and take a crack at some eye-popping top prizes at the industry’s leading operators. Both DraftKings and FanDuel offer DFS golf each and every week of the PGA Tour season. It has become one of the most popular games to play on both sites, but the interest level really kicks up when a major tournament comes around.
Since the majors attract the most users, this is when the GPP tournaments are the largest for DFS golf. You’ll see games offered with incredible top prizes in both spots, and the largest of them will attract thousands of users. If competing against tons of others isn’t your thing, there are other ways to play, such as 50/50s and head-to-heads which give you a chance to win nearly double your entry fee.
Regardless of what you decide to play, you’ll find all of the game types offered at price points ranging from low to high. In short, there’s a good chance you’ll find a contest type and price point that works best for you.
When playing daily fantasy golf, the object is to build the highest scoring lineup that you can from the field of golfers slated to compete. All told, you have to select six golfers, each of whom will have a salary attached. There’s a salary cap in place that you’ll have to be mindful of, so you won’t be able to just pick six favorites and call it a day. You’ll have to balance out your lineup with both mid- and low-priced plays to build a lineup that fits under the cap.
Building a lineup can seem intimidating at first glance, but you’ll find that it’s not so tough after working through it a few times.
For one approach, start by selecting your favorite golfer from each of three price tiers: high, mid, and low. If you can knock that out, half of your lineup is built. From there, it’s all about research and figuring out which golfers are the best plays while also keeping in mind the amount of salary you have left to fill.
For those pressed on time or not interested in doing a lot of research, there are DFS advice sites and lineup optimizers out there. Just remember that others are doing the same, so the choices and recommendations you’ll see will likely be quite popular.
If you’d rather stick to doing it by yourself, you can keep it simple and focus on items that really move the needle, such as recent performance, course performance, and golfer odds for the week. That’s right – you can use some sports betting research to help you in DFS. Just take a look at the outright odds to win the tournament, as well as the market for Top 10 band Top 20 finishers.
By taking the time to do that, you may be able to spot some low and mid-priced golfers that you weren’t even considering for your lineups.
One final note: you don’t have to wait for the PGA to play DFS golf. Practice makes perfect after all, so getting in on some GPP tournaments for other PGA events can help you cut down the learning curve immensely, not to mention give you a chance to win some real prizes while you hone your skills.
The broadcast rights for the PGA Championship 2020 belong to ESPN and CBS. The former will cover the early rounds and weekend mornings, while CBS will handle the afternoons for round three and four.
There will be supplemental coverage offered through ESPN+, the subscription arm of the cable sports giant. You’ll also be able to find streaming coverage at PGA.com, as well as on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app.
The streaming aspect is huge, as it’s pretty tough to stay locked in for all four days of the tourney. However, streaming on the go is no issue, and also a huge help when it comes to considering the various live betting opportunities that will be offered throughout the event.
The PGA Championship traces its roots back to 1917. Contested under match play rules for the first four decades, the tournament moved to a stroke play format beginning in 1958. One of golf’s four majors, the best in the world line up to compete at this event year after year. As such, there are plenty of nuggets of information to consider when examining the tournament as a whole.
For betting purposes, taking a close look at recent history can be the most helpful part of the research routine, as this gives you a good sense of what it will take to win one of golf’s signature events. Here’s a few to keep in mind.
Over the last two decades of the PGA Championship, there have been a number of close finishes. In total, 15 of the last 20 have been decided by two strokes or less. McIlroy’s win in 2012 was by far the most dominant, while there was a 5-stroke difference between 1st and 2nd two other times.
As one of the signature tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule, this is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year. There have been a number of memorable wins at the PGA Championship through the years.. Here’s a look at the last 10 winners and what it took to take the tournament down.
Year | Golfer | Course | Location | Final Score | To Par |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Martin Kaymer | Whistling Straits | Kohler, WI | 277 | -11 |
2011 | Keegan Bradley | Atlanta Athletic Club | Duluth, GA | 272 | -8 |
2012 | Rory McIlroy | Kiawah Island Golf Resort | Kiawah Island, SC | 275 | -13 |
2013 | Jason Dufner | Oak Hill | Rochester, NY | 270 | -10 |
2014 | Rory McIlroy | Valhalla Golf Club | Louisville, KY | 268 | -13 |
2015 | Jason Day | Whistling Straits | Kohler, WI | 268 | -10 |
2016 | Jimmy Walker | Baltusrol Golf Club | Springfield, NJ | 266 | -14 |
2017 | Justin Thomas | Quail Hollow Club | Charlotte, NC | 276 | -8 |
2018 | Brooks Koepka | Bellerive Country Club | Town and Country, MO | 264 | -16 |
2019 | Brooks Koepka | Bethpage Black Course | Farmingdale, NY | 272 | -8 |
Last year, Koepka’s score of -8 was good enough for him to win the PGA Championship for the second consecutive year. Dustin Johnson finished two strokes back in 2nd place. Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, and Matt Wallace finished in a tie for 3rd place at -2.
Back in 2018, Koepka finished two strokes in front of 2nd place Tiger Woods, and three ahead of 3rd place Adam Scott. In 2017, Thomas finished in front of a trio of golfers at -6: Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, and Francisco Molinari.
ESPN and CBS hold the broadcast rights this year, so you’ll be able to get live look-ins at the leaderboard on both networks and their respective apps. In addition, PGA.com will have the updated leaderboard while streaming the action.
Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus are tied for the most ever PGA Championships with five apiece.
Tiger Woods has won the event four times, which is second all-time behind Hagen and Nicklaus. He won it in back-to-back years both times – 1999-2000 and 2006-2007.
Woods is among the favorites for this year’s event, and he’s certainly a viable consideration. He’s currently ranked 10th in the Official EWorld Golf Rankings and a legitimate threat to win whenever his name is included among the field of participants.
A dead heat gets settled by taking the stake and dividing it evenly among the number of winners in the event and then settling it based on the normal odds.
In the vast majority of tournaments on the PGA Tour, four rounds of golf are played. After the first two rounds, the field is cut at a predetermined level with those finishing above the cut line advancing to play the final rounds. For the 2019 PGA Championship, the cut was set at the Top 65 places and ties at the conclusion of round two.
Several longshots have won the tournament over the past decade. Back in 2016, Jimmy Walker was a 125-1 shot in advance of his win. In 2011, Keegan Bradley was an even bigger dark horse with pre-tournament odds of 150-1. Bradley is considered the biggest longshot to have won the whole thing since 1985 when Hubert Green stunned the field for the win.
For the 2019 PGA Championship, the $11 million prize pool was slated to be distributed as follows:
1st – $1.98 million
2nd – $1.188 million
3rd – $748,000
4th – $528,800
5th – $450,500
Places 6th through 13th received prizes ranging from $214,800 to $380,000. From 14th through 24th, it was a low of $100,000 to a high of $199,050. All told, the Top 70 finishers received prizes, the lowest of which was $19,600.
It’s known as the Wanamaker Trophy and named after Rodman Wanamaker, a man credited with helping to create the PGA of America. The trophy weighs 27 pounds and stands 2.5 feet tall.