Action Report: Jon Rahm a big target among bettors ahead of PGA Championship

The PGA Championship, one of the best weeks of the year for golf betting, is here.

With narrow fairways, thick rough, and fast, quirky greens, Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, will challenge all 156 players in the field.

Nine of the last 11 winners were ranked 21st or better in the Official World Golf Rankings going into the tournament, so it’s likely the winner will be one of the game’s best.

So it’s no surprise bettors at the BetMGMonline sportsbook are targeting world No. 1 Jon Rahm.

As of Wednesday, Rahm (+800) is pulling in the most handle (12%) on the most tickets (8.3%). And it’s not just the outright winner market Rahm is dominating.

The 28-year-old is also commanding the most bets (7%) and most handle (9.8%) to be the first-round leader.

Rahm enters the event with four wins, including the Masters, and eight top-10 finishes this year. He’s also leading the PGA TOUR in first-round scoring average (67.55).

Another popular player is the golfer Rahm battled most closely with at the Masters — Brooks Koepka (+2000).

Rahm pulled away in the final round to best Koepka by four shots, but the 33-year-old was leading for much of the tournament.

Koepka, a two-time PGA champion, is drawing the second-most handle (9.7%) on the second-most tickets (7.5%) in the outright winner market.

World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, who is the outright betting favorite at +750, is also in the mix, with the third-most handle (9.2%) on the third-most tickets (6.2%).

Scheffler has two wins this season, including THE PLAYERS, and finished T-10 at the Masters as the defending champion.

Koepka and Rahm are the two biggest liabilities in the outright market heading into the opening round.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

1. Jon Rahm – 12%

2. Brooks Koepka – 9.7%

3. Scottie Scheffler – 9.2%

4. Cameron Young – 5.9%

5. Xander Schauffele – 5.4%

Tickets

1. Jon Rahm – 8.3%

2. Brooks Koepka – 7.5%

3. Scottie Scheffler – 6.2%

4. Xander Schauffele – 4.7%

5. Rory McIlroy – 4.6%

It’s no surprise Schauffele (+1600) is being heavily targeted as he has finished T-15 or better in four straight majors. He’s bringing in the most tickets to finish inside the top five (+300) and top 10 (+160).

Defending champion Justin Thomas (+2200) is drawing 3.3% of tickets and 2.4% of the handle to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for the second straight year and third time overall.

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