PGA Championship 2023: Dustin Johnson can convert LIV form into Major glory
- Martin Colwell
- 16 May 2023
Tipstrr golf pundit Martin Colwell has turned his expert eye to the second Major of the season, where he thinks there is decent value to be found all over the betting market.
The second major of 2023 is upon us as we head off the classical golf course at the exclusive Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, upstate New York
A par 70 and 7,394 yards in length, the course has been renovated with the removal of 600 trees to open it up more. The bunkers are aggressively shaped and are steep, so players will need to combine good driving distance with accuracy on some holes, because finding a fairway bunker may well cost a stroke on that hole.
This will be a tough test for all of those playing and a winning score may be around six or seven under par. Justin Thomas is the defending champion after last year's win at Southern Hills.
Cutting straight to the chase, I like the look of Dustin Johnson, who has an impressive Majors history and possesses all the attributes to tackle this challenging course.
DJ arrives in top form after winning at LIV Tulsa following a play-off last weekend, making his current 25/1 price appear both fair and appealing.
Suggested bet: Dustin Johnson each-way in the US PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm are jousting for favouritism at 15/2 to 8/1 this week. Sheffler played well enough last week without getting his putter into full swing, while Rahm does not have a great record on courses in this part of the world.
And then we have Rory McIlroy, a member at this course, at 12/1, which offers the best value of the top three this week, albeit the other two are in better form. This is a good opportunity for the Northern Irishman to win his first major since 2014.
We then jump to 18/1 where we find Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Brook Koepka. I favour Cantlay from this strong group, but he needs to putt well on Sunday, which can be his Achilles heel.
Schauffele has a great record of top ten finishes in Majors, is a top ball striker but he struggles to get over the line.
While Brooks Koepka went well in the Masters last month, he struggled in the final round and he appears too short in the betting. LIV golf does not prepare him for tests such as this and it seems punters are going on past history re Brooks.
At 22/1 is the defending champion Thomas and Tony Finau. JT continues to struggle with the putter and needs to get that club working to contend this week. Finau is another golfer who goes well in majors and arrives here in good form.
Further down the betting, Max Homa looks attractive at 33/1. He putts well on bentgrass and has previous form on this type of course and in cooler weather.
Shane Lowry is another who likes a tough test in cooler conditions. He has a great iron game, can drive the ball a fair distance and this test should suit him down to the ground.
Suggested bet:
Shane Lowry each-way in the US PGA Championship
