Ten each-way long shots to follow at the PGA Championship

Anyone who has ever placed a bet on a golf tournament will know that picking the winner can be akin to picking the winner of a 150-runner Grand National, such is the depth of quality when the world’s best golfers gather for a Major event like this week’s PGA Championship.

We only have to cast our minds back 12 months to find Brooks Koepka landing a blow for the LIV Tour by winning 2023’s PGA as a 20/1 shot, odds that might have been higher still but for his good showing at the Masters a month earlier..

As one of the six market leaders, Koepka’s victory was not a seismic shock, but while the final top ten also featured other heavyweights such as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, the presence of Bryson DeChambeau (65/1), Cam Davis (80/1), Kurt Kitayama (100/1) and Sepp Straka (150/1) illustrate the potential each-way value up for grabs by picking out a less-fancied golfer capable of having a good weekend.

Top Price On The Planet: Best odds for Scheffler, McIlroy and Koepka, and 50% back if your bet leads after any round but then loses

Even well-backed favourites can have an off weekend, just like market leaders Jon Rahm (50th=) and Justin Thomas (65th=) proved last year, and such relative failures can leave the door ajar for so-called outsiders to stake their claim for a lucrative payday.

Using the 50/1 mark as our minimum odds, we have put the entire 150-plus line-up under our microscope to share a handful of dark horses who might just be lurking under the bookies’ radar.

Sahith Theegala (55/1)

Although yet to add to last year’s Fortinet Championship as his solitary Tour success, Sahith Theegala has enjoyed plenty of Sunday involvement this year, with his five top-ten finishes including runner-up spots at the Sentry and at the RBC Heritage a month ago.

His ninth place at Augusta last month was his best performance in a Major, having tied for 40th at the PGA Championship a year ago, and his all-round games looks well-suited to what Valhalla will throw at him over the weekend.

Sam Burns (55/1)

After experiencing a few bumps over the last couple of months, Sam Burns appeared to be bringing his game back into shape at Quail Hollow last weekend, when his 13th place represented his best finish in six outings.

That display was reminiscent of the form he had shown earlier this year when he strung four straight top-10 finishes together in January and February, with a best-placed fifth at the Phoenix Open.

Sung-Jae Im (60/1)

The hefty odds carried by Sung-Jae Im appear to reflect his early-season woes more than his more recent form, and on his day he could make the bookies look foolish at such a price.

Fifth on his season debut at the Sentry, it took the South Korean another ten tournaments to reignite that form with a 12th-placed finish at the RBC Heritage, and that was reinforced at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, when a strong final round earned him a share of fourth place.

Tom Kim (95/1)

The mercurial talent of Tom Kim tends to win more friends than tournaments, but his effervescent style and crowd-pleasing demeanour make him box-office material for any event he enters.

Already a three-time Tour winner at the age of just 21, Kim has not come close to adding to that tally in any of his 12 events so far this year, but when you have a little each-way money on him then he’ll certainly make the fate of your investment an entertaining watch.

Talor Gooch (85/1)

The presence of the sometimes outspoken Talor Gooch at the season’s second Major carries some significance after he was notable by his uninvited absence at last month’s Masters.

He did not set the Majors alight last season (two missed cuts and tied for 34th= at Augusta), but having finished top of the LIV Tour last season with three wins, and a fourth-placed finish at last week’s Singapore Invitational, the 32-year-old could turn up at Valhalla with something to prove.

Stephan Jaeger (100/1)

As the recent winner of the Houston Open, Stephan Jaeger can proudly boast to be the only golfer to have got the better of Scottie Scheffler since early March, albeit spared from a daunting play-off by the world number one's failure to down a 12-footer on the final green.

The German's maiden Tour success has provided the platform for further solid showings at the RBC Heritage (18th), the Byron Nelson (20th) and last week's Wells Fargo (21st), so more of the same could put him back in the mix at Valhalla.

125/1+ … four even darker horses

• Taylor Pendrith (125/1) - Appears to have turned a corner with three straight top-11 finishes, crowned by his maiden Tour win at the Byron Nelson, and consolidated immediately by last week’s tie for 10th at Quail Hollow.
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout (125/1) - Tied for 5th after 54 holes before fading at last year’s PGA, the South African has the scrambling skills to excel here, and turns up fresh from a decent 12th-place at the Byron Nelson
• Adam Schenk (175/1) - In-form after four top-20 finishes in his last six outings, including tied for 12th at the Masters and 13th last time out in the Byron Nelson.
• Sebastian Soderberg (225/1) - In far tougher company here, of course, but the in-form Swede looks a huge price for a player who arrives fresh from finishing second, second and third in his last three starts on the DP World Tour

All listed prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are correct at time of article publication, but could be subject to change

The golfers listed above carry those huge prices for a reason, of course, and their chances have to be weighed up against the quality of their more fancied rivals higher in the betting market. 

That said, they all possess the quality to string four good rounds together and put themselves in the mix, and with some bookies paying out on as many as 12 places, they (and others) are certainly worth considering as a cautious each-way play. 

Top Price On The Planet: Best odds for Scheffler, McIlroy and Koepka, and 50% back if your bet leads after any round but then loses

READ MORE: Who will win the PGA Championship: Best bets for Valhalla