2012 PGA Championship betting

August 8, 2012. By Ben Crouch

2012 PGA Championship

The PGA Championship heads to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort and with the last 16 majors won by different players the field looks wide open.

Keegan Bradley will hope to defend his 2011 title, and after a surging come-from-behind win last week, he is playing some great golf at the opportune moment. Before the WGC Bridgestone Invitational victory Bradley’s season had been on-hold, but his surprise win could see him mount a charge in South Carolina, although a win this weekend wouldn’t be the shock that 2011 was. The 26-year-old is +4000 for a repeat PGA Championship win.

Tiger Woods looked close to his major winning best at Royal Lytham three weeks ago and if he can hold in his frustrations he may be able to end his four year wait. He starts as massive favourite with the bookies at +900, half the odds of his nearest challenger Luke Donald. The course isn’t expected to play hard and fast, owing to the heavy rain that is forecast, so Woods careful iron approach play could be extremely important this weekend. We know that Tiger is a better front-runner than chaser, so if he can get off to a good start he could claim his 15^th major.

If the trend of first-time major winners is set to continue, then American Jason Dufner at +2800 looks a steady investment. He came second to Bradley at the PGA Championship in 2011 and is in extremely steady form. He has back-to-back top five finishes on tour, and has a finished no lower than seventh in his last four starts in the US. This last major of the season will be played under less pressure than the others and Dufner, who ought to have won in 2011, can use the experience and thrive on another Pete Dye designed course.

Louis Oosthuizen and Hunter Mahan are both +3300 for the win this weekend and look in excellent form. Oosthuizen played some lovely golf en-route to a tie for 19 and a fourth at Bridgestone suggests he can vastly improve on his form at the PGA Championship. He is swinging the club better than any other player on tour and is only a few shots away from a big win. Mahan has delivered on the PGA Tour this calendar and this is his last chance to convert that form at a major.

Jim Furyk had a weekend to forget after collapsing on the last hole to hand Keegan Bradley an unlikely win at Bridgestone, but that loss will drive the 42-year-old on at the PGA’s. He is playing fantastically, and assuming he can get over a mistake on one hole he could trouble the leaders and is good value at +5000.

In terms of a sleeper pick, we like the look of Thorbjorn Olessen at +15000. The young Dane tied for ninth at The Open and handled the nerves associated with playing alongside Tiger Woods. He should be suited to the windy sea-facing conditions that will challenge all the golfers, having won the Sicilian Open; a course which hugs the waterfront. He finished -15 under there to win the European Tour event and could mount another charge at this more relaxed major.

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