A major champion will be crowned on Sunday, and it is going to be a must-see TV event. The mix of names at the top features a variety of players that have experienced tremendous success and also those for which winning this tournament would be truly life-changing.
Obviously picking up a big check out of the $20.5 million prize purse is going to be significant for all of the players in the running, but to be called a major champion is something that players like Aaron Rai, Ludvig Aberg, Matti Schmid, Chris Gotterup, Max Greyserman, and others have dreamed of. Meanwhile, those who have climbed that mountain are in the mix, including Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.
Whoever handles the pressure the best may very well be the one lifting the Wanamaker Trophy at day’s end.
PGA Championship third-round scores
PGA Championship final-round tee times
VSiN’s golf experts offered their third-round observations and final-round predictions . . .
Kelley Bydlon
Well it’s a great looking leaderboard with big time names near the top as we head into the final round of the PGA Championship. I was high on Alex Smalley heading into the week, having bet a top 20 on him, so I might be one of the few that actually thinks he can win this thing. In fact, I think the outright price on him at +485 (DraftKings) offers some value. He has a two shot lead on a course where we have seen for three rounds it’s hard to make up ground. I will be adding that small to my bets for the week but nothing else as of now. Any fourth round matchup plays I make will be posted at vsin.com.
Wes Reynolds
Coming soon.
Matt Youmans
It’s impossible for anyone to know who’s going to win this major, but it is possible for all of us to guess, and when bettors are guessing it’s good for the bookmakers. With 21 players within three strokes of leader Alex Smalley, action will be sprayed all over the live betting board Sunday. None of that action will be from this guy. No adds for me. I’m basically drawing dead with bets on Maverick McNealy (12-1), Chris Gotterup (14-1) and Scottie Scheffler (+500). McNealy was one shot behind Smalley before McNealy bogeyed the 18th and Smalley birdied.
My guess at the winner would be Rory McIlroy, who’s +770 at DraftKings. After opening with a 74, McIlroy has figured it out with rounds of 66 and 67. I will root for Smalley, a 160-pound Cinderella story. Smalley has zero PGA Tour wins. I’ll root for Smalley mostly because veteran Las Vegas bookmaker Nick Bogdanovich bet him at 160-1 odds before the tournament.
Scheffler, who’s five strokes back, is not worth a shot at 17-1 or higher. He’s tied for 23rd and must jump too many players to get there. Scheffler missed an easy five-foot birdie putt on the first hole and that set the tone for his clueless Saturday on the greens. He missed at least five putts inside 10 feet. Jimmy Fraser, a wily golf bettor from California, said, “Old ladies could have kicked in some of the putts Scottie missed today.”
Some of those putts have to start falling, and my prediction is Scheffler will finish with a 67, yet it’s too little and too late. Aronimink is a dull golf course and the play has not been great to watch, but the final round will be wide open and wild, so that’s a positive.
Matt Brown
Coming soon.
