Rory McIlroy 2023 PGA Championship: Best Bets & Predictions

by BettingPros Staff |
May 17, 2023

The PGA Championship used to bat cleanup as the fourth and final major of the season, but this will be the fifth time that the PGA has been held in May, in between the Masters and the U.S. Open.

Justin Thomas is the defending champion. He shot a final-round 67 at Southern Hills last year and beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win the Wanamaker Trophy, the giant piece of hardware awarded annually to the PGA champ. Thomas and Brooks Koepka have combined to win four of the last six PGA Championships, with Collin Morikawa and Phil Mickelson interrupting the Thomas/Koepka reign in 2020 and 2021.

This year's PGA Championship returns Oak Hill in Pittsford, N.Y., where Jason Dufner finished -10 to win the 2013 PGA, beating runner-up Jim Furyk by two strokes. But the East Course at Oak Hill will look much different than it did at the last PGA here 10 years ago. Course architect Andrew Green presided over a major remodeling intended to make the course more faithful to the original Donald Ross design. The course will once again play at par-70, and after playing at 7,163 yards in 2013, it has been stretched to 7,400 for this year's event.

Will favorites Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler flex their muscles at Oak Hill? Will Thomas and Koepka extend their stretch of PGA dominance? Or will an unexpected winner emerge from the field the way Jimmy Walker did at Baltusrol in 2016? Read on for betting profiles of the top contenders for the 2023 PGA Championship.

Check out our 2023 PGA Championship Betting Guide >>

Rory McIlroy 2023 PGA Championship Best Bets

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Rory McIlroy Stats to Know

- Best odds to win: +1200 (FanDuel/BetMGM)
- World ranking: 3
- Best PGA Championship finish: 1 (2014)
- Last four PGA Championship finishes: T8, T33, T49, 8
- Last four tournament finishes: T2, MC, MC, T47

Rory McIlroy Course History

Rory McIlroy won two of three PGA Championship events a decade ago in 2012 and 2014, logging a T8 finish at Oaks Hill Country Club in 2013. The Northern Irelander has ties to Rochester, N.Y., due to his wife, and heâ€™s had two top-10 finishes in his previous four PGA Championships. McIlroy has had three top-10 finishes this season but hasnâ€™t logged a top-10 since a T2 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March.

Rory McIlroy Recent Form

McIlroyâ€™s recent form has been absolutely terrible. The 33-year-old star has missed cuts at the Players Championship and the Masters while posting a lackluster T47 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship, an event heâ€™s won on multiple occasions. McIlroy won the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and will now try to generate some positive momentum in the second major of the season.

Rory McIlroy Betting Outlook

McIlroy is entering the 2023 PGA Championship in quite a slump. The worldâ€™s No. 3-ranked golfer has produced T2, MC, MC and T47 finishes in his last four solo events, including the disappointing missed cut at the Masters last month. The star from Northern Ireland has won two previous PGA Championships, in 2012 and 2014. As bad as it's been for McIlroy lately, he's ranked inside the top 15 in all strokes gained metrics excluding strokes gained putting, where he's been struggling immensely, ranking 172nd. McIlroy leads the PGA Tour in average driving distance at 315.5 yards, creating a consistent advantage. The odds have grown longer on McIlroy in recent days, but itâ€™s wise to continue fading him at his current price.

2023 PGA Championship Golfer Profiles

Check out our previews for each of the top golfers competing at Oak Hill this week:

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