2025 PGA Championship: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The stars of the golf world will descend on Quail Hollow in North Carolina this week for the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday.

The betting suggests we could be in for a titanic battle between the two best players on the planet: Scottie Scheffler, who claimed the CJ Cup by eight shots in his last outing a fortnight ago, and Rory McIlroy, who is still basking in the glory of becoming just the sixth player in the game's history to win all four major titles with his victory in last month's Masters.

The 7,626-yard, par-71 layout appears to be well-suited to McIlroy's strengths, particularly given his four victories at the venue when it hosted the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour, the most recent of which came 12 months ago.

However, the pair look unlikely to have everything their own way, with US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau expected to make a bold bid after winning the most recent LIV Tour tournament in South Korea.

Justin Thomas should be spurred on after being the last player to lift the Wanamaker Trophy at Quail Hollow in 2017, while Xander Schauffele will wish to defend the title he won last year at Valhalla.

2025 PGA Championship betting picks and predictions

Rory McIlroy to win (+470)

The biggest question regarding Rory's career going into 2025 was whether he would finally get his hands on a Green Jacket, and now that dream has been realised, there looks to be a strong chance the Northern Irishman will continue his elite play.

To that end, the PGA Championship rotation has landed perfectly for the man who won the Wanamaker Trophy in 2012 and 2014, because there are few courses the new Masters champion loves more than Quail Hollow.

It was the scene of his first professional win in 2010 when he closed with a 62. He has enjoyed three further victories there, and that tips the balance in his favor against Scheffler, who has yet to come out on top at the North Carolina track.

In addition, the fact that his Augusta triumph was McIlroy's third tournament win of the year, following his victories at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship, only adds to the likelihood that he will compete.

The latest inductee to the Grand Slam club appears to be the man to beat this week.

Justin Thomas to win (+1700)

Another player who will recall great memories of Quail Hollow this week will be Justin Thomas, who won his first Major at the venue when he claimed a two-shot victory in the PGA Championship eight years ago. He backed it up with a seven-stroke success in this tournament at Southern Hills in 2022.

The man from Kentucky appears set to enjoy a strong week again, as his form seems to have come right at just the right time.

It is hard to believe that he went three years without posting a PGA Tour victory, but he was able to end that run last month when he came out on top at the RBC Heritage. There are signs that he is not going to rest easy despite getting that monkey off his back.

He heads to North Carolina having finished runner-up to Sepp Straka alongside Ireland's Shane Lowry at last week's Truist Championship, and the disappointment of not quite being able to get over the line should spur him on to make a run for a third Wanamaker Trophy.

Patrick Reed to win (+7500)

Those looking for an outsider to follow this week are pointed towards Patrick Reed, who was runner-up alongside Louis Oosthuizen and Francesco Molinari when Thomas achieved victory at Quail Hollow eight years ago.

Reed is eyeing a place on Keegan Bradley's Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Park later in the year and has demonstrated that he has lost none of his competitive instincts since joining the LIV Tour, as evidenced by his third-place finish at Augusta, where he had previously won in 2016.

His fourth-place finish in the latest LIV event in South Korea was timely ahead of his challenge in the second Major of the year, and it would not be a surprise if he makes his presence felt.

PGA Championship outright odds

Rory McIlroy	+470
Scottie Scheffler	+470
Bryson DeChambeau	+850
Justin Thomas	+1700
Jon Rahm	+1900
Xander Schauffele	+1900
Collin Morikawa	+2400
Ludvig Aberg	+2400
Joaquin Niemann	+3500
Patrick Cantlay	+3500
Tommy Fleetwood	+3500

Read a full breakdown of the 2025 PGA Championship odds here.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.