PGA Championship Odds 2024 – Mickelson Becomes Oldest Major Champion

No one expected Phil Mickelson to win the PGA Championship. He hadn’t won on the PGA Tour since Pebble Beach in February 2019, and his last top 10 was a T2 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August 2020, a span of 19 starts. Not to mention, as a 50-year-old, Mickelson went over to the PGA Champions Tour and won in his first two starts.

However, “Lefty” played some of the best (and most conservative by his standards) golf of his entire career at a very tough Kiawah Island South Course, shooting 70-69-70-73 to finish at -6, two shots ahead of Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka (who was paired with Mickelson on Sunday), Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Harry Higgs. It was Mickelson’s sixth major championship, and second PGA Championship win after his victory in 2005 at Baltusrol in New Jersey.

                      A $100 bet on Mickelson would have won you $15,000

Morikawa, then 23 years old and a rookie, stepped up to his second major-championship start after finishing T-35 in the 2019 U.S. Open. He shot 69-69 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California, in the first major to be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic (The Masters was postponed from April to Novemeber, the U.S. Open was postponed from June to September, and the Open Championship was canceled altogether.

But Morikawa made his move on the weekend, shooting a 65 on Saturday and then on a wild Sunday in which seven players were tied for the lead at one point, Morikawa blistered the course with a 64. The highlight was a driver at the par-4 16th hole, where Morikawa hit to seven feet and drained the eagle putt. He would finish at -13, two shots ahead of Paul Casey, and Morikawa would become the third-youngest player to win the PGA Championship.

                  A $100 bet on Morikawa would have won you $6,000

Brooks Koepka had a phenomenal year in the major championships in 2019. He finished T-2 at the Masters, a stroke behind Tiger Woods along with Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. He also finished solo second at the U.S. Open, three strokes behind Gary Woodland and then T-4 at the Open Championship, well behind runaway winner Shane Lowry. However, Koepka managed to defend his PGA Championship and win his fourth major at the Black Course at Bethpage Black in New York (Koepka seems to like the Big Apple).

Koepka held on for the win despite shooting a 74 on Sunday (he shot 63-65,-70-74). That was good enough for a two-stroke win over Johnson in what turned out to be a two-horse race. With the win, Koepka picked up his fourth major as he went back-to-back at the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018. Koepka also regained the #1 spot in the world rankings.

                  A $100 bet on Koepka would have won you $1,500

Koepka’s third major championship was his second of 2018 after he defended his U.S. Open crown at Shinnecock Hills in New York. This tournament was held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Koepka shot a 69 to open the tournament, but leapt into contention with a 63 on Friday and Saturday, thanks to poor weather, and then he kept it rolling with a 66 in the third round.

Koepka would shoot another 66 to finish -16, two shots ahead of Tiger Woods, and he would set the 72-hole score at the PGA Championship at 264, which still stands.

                A $100 bet on Koepka would have won you $2,100

Justin Thomas was known as one of the best young players on the PGA Tour by the time the 2017 PGA Championship teed off at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had already won four PGA Tour events and was 24 when he got to Quail Hollow. He also had a T-9 at the U.S. Open earlier in the year and a T-22 at The Masters. However, an opening-round 73 wasn’t a good start.

However, Thomas steadied the ship for a 66, then shot 69 in the third round. On Sunday, Thomas made a run and was tied for the lead going into the back nine. He would finish with a -8 score, two shots ahead of Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen for his lone major championship so far.

       A $100 bet on Thomas would have won you $3,100

Jimmy Walker had won five PGA Tournament events by the time he got to the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. However, he certainly wasn’t one of the sports betting favorites to win the tournament. Walker came out with a first-round 65, but many thought he would just fall by the wayside eventually. He did not as Walker followed that with a 66 in the second round, where he was tied with Robert Shreb. The two battled gamely, but dangerous weather suspended the third round on Saturday afternoon. When they finished the round on Sunday morning, Walker held a one-shot lead over Jason Day after a 68.

Walker shot a 67 to finish at -14, one shot ahead of Day for his first and only major championship to date. He has since fallen way off the golf map, but Walker is still grinding and he’ll always be the 2016 PGA Champion.

A $100 bet on Walker would have won you $12,600