Steve Palmer's PGA Championship Golf Tips

Steve Palmer Updated: 17 May 23 13:48 Published: 17 May 23 13:29

The second Major of the season starts on Thursday with the PGA Championship getting underway and Racing Post golf guru Steve Palmer is on hand with his verdict.

Steve Palmer's PGA Championship Tips

Tony Finau To Win Outright @ 20/1
Xander Schauffele To Win Outright @ 16/1
Gary Woodland To Win Outright @ 80/1
Taylor Moore Top Debutant @ 9/1

View all the latest Golf Bet Boosts and odds

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

The second major of the year gets underway at Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday.

We've Super Boosted Rory McIlroy to finish in the top 20 at the PGA Championship.
— bet365 (@bet365) May 17, 2023

What	PGA Championship
Where	East Course, Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, Rochester, New York
When	Thursday 18th May - Sunday 21st May
How to watch	bet365 Live Golf Tracker and Sky Sports Main Event and Golf
Odds	Jon Rahm 15/2, Scottie Scheffler 15/2, Rory McIlroy 12/1, Xander Schauffele 16/1, Patrick Cantlay 18/1

Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler headline the PGA Championship field and many people are expecting the world number one and world number two to dominate proceedings at Oak Hill.

The most attractive option of the pair is Rahm, who has won six of his last 15 tournaments, including the Masters a month ago.

The Spaniard appears weakness-free and can be expected to go close to completing the third leg of a career Grand Slam of Majors on Sunday.

The fact that two of Rahm's four missed cuts in Majors have come in New York State is a slight concern for his supporters, but the 15/2 about the Augusta king will be understandably popular. Confidence is oozing out of him.

Scheffler is also enjoying an excellent season, having won the Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship, but he is in a slump with his putting.

The 26-year-old's flat-stick work is not as impressive as it was last term. Scheffler failed to beat a weak field in the AT&T Byron Nelson last week, finishing fifth, and the 15/2 about him defeating an elite line-up this week is easily overlooked.

Perhaps the most difficult player to assess this week is Rory McIlroy, who was not in high spirits in his pre-tournament media conference.

McIlroy is a dual PGA champion who is comfortable in this region. His wife's family are from Rochester, so strong support is guaranteed, but the Northern Irishman missed the cut at the Masters before a lacklustre display in the Wells Fargo Championship. Odds of 12/1 are not quite juicy enough to justify an investment.

Each-way terms offer a fifth of the odds, the first eight places are available for the PGA, as well as alternative options, like a seventh the odds, first 10 places, in the Each Way Extra section.

PGA Championship course details

The East Course at Oak Hill is a 7,394-yard, par-70, featuring only two par-fives. How players perform on the 12 par-fours will most strongly determine their success.

The Donald Ross-designed East Course has had several redesigns, most recently by Andrew Green, where work was completed in 2020.

There have been three US Opens and three PGAs at this track, most recently the 2013 PGA.

Green's redesign transformed the layout, making it much more spacious, removing hundreds of trees. Avoiding penal fairway bunkers and the heavy rough has become the main challenge off the tee, while greens are guarded on either side by sand or water.

The weather will be chilly at times, with plenty of wind in the forecast, so the field of 156 have their work cut out.

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Fabulous Finau can thrill the galleries

The 20/1 about Tony Finau landing a first Major title on Sunday is well worth considering.

The giant Utah man has become a prolific champion in the last 10 months, taking his PGA Tour titles haul to six, and his record on difficult Major venues like Oak Hill is rock-solid.

He was fourth in the 2020 PGA and looks ready to make his breakthrough.

Schauffele set to shuffle into contention

Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele are two of the most consistent operators on the PGA Tour. Both can be fancied to be in the mix as the PGA title hopefuls head down the stretch on Sunday.

The 16/1 about Schauffele seems fair given he has 10 Major top-10s on his record, including second place in the 2018 Open and the 2019 Masters.

Resurgent Woodland looks lively outsider

Gary Woodland has been striking his ball with great authority again in the last few months and the 2019 US Open champion could force his way into the thick of things at 80/1. A strong each-way option at healthy odds.

Solid Moore should handle debut well

Taylor Moore is worth considering at 10/1 for top debutant honours. He won the Valspar Championship on a difficult course in March and seems the most likely challenger of the PGA first-timers.