Welcome to 2020, where the first major championship for the PGA Tour tees off in August.
Add it to the list of this year’s bizarre and wild.
Nevertheless, the 2020 PGA Championship is underway at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The first players teed off at 8 a.m. MST. For those into golf betting, it’s also the first chance to wager on a major since sports betting in Colorado launched on May 1.
As is the case with just about everything else in 2020, it’ll look and feel different.
There will be no fans in attendance, just like with MLB, the NBA and NHL.
But different doesn’t mean bad.
It’s just par for the course for 2020, thanks to COVID-19.
The 2020 PGA Championship will be staged with 156 players and caddies being tested and staying “inside the bubble” to make sure everyone remains healthy, according to the Tour website.
PGA Championship
What: The 2020 PGA Championship
When: Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 6-9. Coverage begins at 8 a.m. MST (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) and 9 a.m. MST on Saturday
Where: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco
Watch: ESPN/ESPN+ Thursday and Friday; ESPN/ESPN+/CBS Saturday and Sunday
As Kerry Haigh, who has been setting up the course at the PGA Championship for 30 years, told the media on Wednesday:
“This could be the most challenging, most unique, but hopefully, the most memorable one that I’ve ever done.”
New normal
While the event may not have the same pageantry as a typical major championship, there’s still the same excitement. This is the first one, after all, and these are the greatest golfers in the world, at a major championship.
Given the first two months, this could be a popular event for sports bettors in Colorado.
In the first two months, golf has been in the top 10 for wagers by sport.
Golf had handles of $1.4 million in May and $3.4 million in June.
Given how popular The Match II was, with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady playing with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the 2020 PGA Championship could match it.
What to expect
So, what should fans expect?
Look for the golf to match the course.
TPC Harding Park demands the best out of players and the best players usually deliver.
From a golf betting perspective, the favorites tend to do well on this course.
That would mean you may want to put money on either Justin Thomas or Brooks Koepka, at least according to BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel sports betting. Though the other betting apps in Colorado will also have their own odds and promos for the PGA Championship.
Speaking of BetMGM, it just agreed to a multiyear deal to become the PGA Tour’s official betting partner.
PGA Championship odds
| PGA Championship Odds (as of Thursday morning) | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top five favorites to win | Justin Thomas +900 Brooks Koepka +1,000 Rory McIlroy +1,400 Jon Rahm +1,400 Bryson Dechambeau +1,600 Xander Schauffele +1,600 Patrick Cantlay +2,500 Dustin Johnson +2,500 | Brooks Koepka +1,000 Justin Thomas +1,200 Rory McIlroy +1,200 Xander Schauffele +1,200 Bryson Dechambeau +1,400 Jon Rahm +1,400 Dustin Johnson +2,000 Collin Morikawa +2,200 | Brooks Koepka +900 Justin Thomas +1,100 Xander Schauffele +1,400 Jon Rahm +1,400 Rory McIlroy +1,400 Bryson Dechambeau +1,800 Dustin Johnson +2,200 |
If you’re looking at Thomas, he’s the world’s No. 1 player and the most successful golfer this season. Thomas has three wins under his belt already. Oh, and he’s won the PGA Championship before.
The other names to keep an eye on also happen to be who Thomas will play with in the first two rounds: Rory McIlroy and Woods.
“I think it tests all aspects,” McIlroy said of Harding Park. “It’s a fair golf course. Not tricked up. It’s not gimmicky in any way. It’s all right there in front of you. Look, I think it’s maybe a little bit of a coincidence that the top players come here and win most of the times that things are played here, but I think it says a lot about the course that it lets guys play, and it lets them sort of have the freedom to go out there and play the way they want to.”
The course to the first major championship in 2020 have been filled with long roughs and deep bunkers.
But the clean shot at the 102nd PGA Championship has finally arrived.
