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PGA Tour Championship 2023 - Schedule & Leaderboard

Now, if you love elite live sport, then the PGA Tour Championship should be exactly the kind of event that would get you ticking. The best golfers in the world will look to battle it out to see who will be crowned champion for the season and walk away with a huge sum of money. The exact prize pot has not been disclosed yet, but it is expected to be even higher than $15 million, which was last year’s prize pool.

Even though this money might seem a bit obscene for many, it does add a fascinating dimension to the tournament, as even for the game's elite, playing for this amount of money is bound to make anyone nervous when all they have to do is score par to close the deal. Even though this is not one of golf's majors, it has now become one of the biggest tournaments you can win in the sport. 

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The history books will tell us that this is a very difficult thing to win twice, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being the only people achieving this feat. When you consider the competition of this current crop of players, this looks like something that will continue to be very hard to repeat. This makes the PGA Championship very exciting to bet on. If you bet on other sports, it might be difficult to locate a bet that you feel is worth betting on, speaking in terms of risk and reward. In golf, there are no such problems as whoever you back, even if it is the tournament favourite, will see you return a handsome amount.

The Format Of The PGA Tour Championship

The format of this competition is very different from what you would normally expect to see from a traditional golf tournament. This is because the format has been designed in such a way to reward players for their performance over an entire season. So much so that when the players begin this tournament they will start with a score that takes into consideration their place on the leaderboard throughout the entire season. 

If you're familiar with golf, you will be aware that all competitions start with everyone equal. In this competition, this will not be the case. For example. If you are 30th on the leaderboard, you will start about 10 shots behind the leader. Making it extremely unlikely that you will mount a serious challenge to win this golfing competition. Even with this, some would argue that someone 30th over the course of the season shouldn't have any opportunity to overtake first by winning just one tournament. But this is the way the PGA have decided to format their season. Even though the format is flawed here, it has been designed to make the climax of the season as thrilling as possible.

Regarding tee times, the schedule for the first two days will be random with all players playing one round in the morning and the other in the afternoon over the course of the first two days. After that, however, the tee times will be situated by where the golfer is on the leaderboard. This is great for television, as, in the end, the only golfers playing will be those who are competing for the title.

PGA Tour Championship Betting Ireland

Where Will The PGA Tour Championship Be Held?

Just like in previous years, the PGA Tour Championship will be held at the East Lake Golf Club, which is located in Georgia, Atlanta. It is one of the oldest golf courses in Atlanta, and the Tour Championship has been held on this course since 2005. Many legendary golfers like Bobby James perfected their game on this course, and it is one of the most popular golf courses for PGA. This year, the PGA Tour Championship is scheduled to be held from 24th August to 27th August, and the tickets are available on their official website.

East Lake Golf Club was established in 1904, and since then, it has hosted several golf tournaments. These include the US Women’s Amateur in 1950, the Ryder Cup in 1963, and the US Men’s Amateur in 2001. It has now become the permanent home to the PGA Tour Championship and also hosts the FedEx Cup playoffs. This club enjoys a lot of charitable donations that help keep it among the top golf courses in the US.

When it comes to the Tour Championship, there are only thirty players that qualify each year to play in the final championship. The sponsors and partners of the Tour Championship include Coca-Cola, Southern Company, and Accenture. Thanks to their constant efforts, the club has managed to collect a total of $46 million in donations for local non-profit organizations. The most prominent ones include Focused Community Strategies, Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, East Lake Foundation, First Tee, and Grove Park Foundation. 

The winner of the PGA Tour Championship in 2022 was Rory McIlroy. This course is known to be a tough course to play, but there have been a number of dedicated champions. Zach Johnson holds a course record of 60. The total area of the course is about 7,346 yards, which is equivalent to the average of most golf courses where PGA tournaments are held. The match will be broadcasted on live television, and if you are a die-hard golf fan, you can either purchase tickets or watch the entire game from the comfort of your own home.

Who is the Defending Champion?

Fans were not surprised when Rory McIlroy won the PGA Tour Championship in 2022. The 33-year-old player from Northern Ireland was 7th in the standings when he entered the PGA Tour Championship but was able to beat arguably the player of the season Scottie Scheffler by one shot.

Mcilory was understandably very happy with his win and said in an interview: “I don't think I played as consistently in my entire career as I'm doing right now. It has been a fantastic year on both sides of the pond. It's an amazing achievement, an achievement I haven't been able to accomplish before." 

He is quite hopeful about this year’s Championship as well, and considering his record in the championship, why would he not be? Due to the close competition between Scheffler and Mcilory, many people expected Scheffler to win because he was in the lead. However, Mcilroy stood firm and was able to pull off one of the most significant victories of his career.

rory mcllory pga

Rory Mcllroy signs autographs after the final practice round during the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Photo by Kyle Rivas/UPI Credit: UPI/Alamy Live News

What It Takes To Win The PGA Tour Championship

With so many top players in full flow, it can be difficult to make a prediction as to who is most likely to win the PGA Tour Championship. In other sports, you can probably pick a handful of players who are capable of going for the sports' biggest prize, but in golf, there are so many players capable of winning a tournament of this size on their day. As already alluded to, Patrick Cantlay is not a household name, but this didn't stop him from walking away with $15 million in 2021.

Having said this, although many golfers are capable of winning this competition, there are a few golfers who you can trust to stand up to scrutiny when the heat gets turned up. I am not sure about you, but there are certainly some players I would back more to hold a 10-foot putt for this amount of money than others. Players who have experience in winning major trophies are great players to back as they have proved that when the competition is at its highest level they are not afraid to stand up to the scrutiny. Golfers like Brooks Kopeka and Collin Morikawa have shown that they are more than capable of holding everything together.

The Different Types Of Golfing Bets

Betting on golf might seem straightforward, but there are several types of bets that seasoned gamblers can take advantage of. A golf tournament lasts four days and even for golf lovers, things might fall a bit flat if the game is not panning out as well as one might like. Therefore, these different types of bets can add a bit of spice to the whole occasion. More importantly, we as gambling experts can use them in a way to win money.

Outright Winner

This is the most common type of golfing bet. With this bet, the aim is simple, as you are betting on who you think the winner could be. The bet will indicate who you are backing to win the entire golf tournament over the four days. At the start of these four days, the odds will appear to be very generous for the reasons we have alluded to throughout this article. Therefore, you can go ahead and pick a few golf players you feel stand a chance of winning the tournament and, with some hope, luck will be on your side.

In-Play Golf Betting

Betting on golf before a tournament is a risky business. There is an expression in golf that says 'you can't win a competition on day one but you can certainly lose it. Therefore, often golfers focus on being in contention on day one as opposed to ruling themselves out of the running. If you decide to bet after day one has been completed, you can get a much bigger understanding of the bigger picture.

PGA Prop Bets

These types of bets are not so common, but in our experience, they are some of the most satisfying to bet on. Prop bets indicate that you are betting on a more obscure incident happening. Betting on a hole in one occurring used to be a common bet, for example, before bookmakers realised that these were too common of an occurrence. The most ridiculous ones might include what colour trousers a player might wear or if a player will break one of their clubs. These bets can also be a bit more obtuse, such as how many rounds will Rory Mcilroy post a score above even par. This is not something you can develop a strategy for, but it can certainly make the viewing experience more enjoyable.

Top Tips For Betting On The PGA Tour Championship

The aim of all betting, apart from having fun, is to make money. With golf betting, you will need to think differently than you would with other sports. In sports like tennis, for example, you will need to be rather consistent with your selections as, since it is a head-to-head sport, you will never receive odds that are too high unless you are betting on an overwhelming underdog. Golf is fascinating and some non-golf fans often make terrible calls when betting as they expect the leaderboard to play out as it would in other sports. Below is a list of a few of the things we think you should consider.

Back Several Players To Win The Event

Since the odds of each selection are high, you don't have to back just one golfer to win an event. Golf is a game of many variables and any golfer is capable of having a bad day and ruling themselves out of the running before the competition kicks into second gear. Therefore, what you can do is back several players to give yourself a better chance of winning and also a better chance of seeing the player you backed be in contention come the final day. If you decide to back a few players, you can still be well in profit. Maybe you want to back three of the favourites or maybe you want to back 10 long shots. Either way, if just one of your selections is successful, you will be in the money.

Pay Attention To Form

The form for the PGA Tour Championship is arguably more important than it would be for any other tournament throughout the season. This is because the two tournaments that proceed determine the field for this competition and at this point players will be playing more competitive golf than they would be at any point of the year, so all players will be game ready. Therefore, if it looks like a particular golf player is playing nicely, it is safe to presume that they will be full of confidence going into this week.

The flipside to this, though, is that experience is key and there are those players who only need to play one good round to turn their entire season around. A prime example of this would be when Phil Mickelson won his major last year. Although he was not considered a contender as soon as he was in a position to win an event, you have to back him since he knows how to win and that is something you cannot buy, even with the prize money on offer for this event. 

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Wait To Place Your Bet

Since golf is an individual sport, players have a lot of freedom to spout about whatever is on their minds. Sometimes you can tell by a player's demeanour that they don't believe they can win this week or you can tell after a few shots that their game is not up to the standard that it needs to be. Having the ability to make these judgements will significantly improve everyone's golf betting game. The more knowledge you have of the game, the better. You can always tell when someone is really fighting to get a good score out there and, although this doesn't rule them out of the competition, they are not showing signs that they are someone who you would like to back for competition.

Don't Create Expectations

Tiger Woods is a sporting freak. When he was in full flow, it was more of a surprise when he didn't win a major as opposed to when he did. These days, the opposite is true and it is hard to imagine a player dominating the game in the same way he did. When you back a player, do not be disappointed if they have a terrible week. If your thought process was solid and you can reasonably justify why you placed certain bets, then don't be afraid to place them again. The odds are 10/1 for a reason. If you win every bet, people will start thinking you are making use of your time travel machine again. As the odds suggest, if you are right more than 10% of the time you would be in profit.

Consider The Layout Of The Course

While it is true that an elite golfer should be able to perform anywhere, it is also true that some golf courses are better suited for some golfers than others. A golfer such as Jordan Spieth, for example, would rather play a course that suits his clutch short game, instead of a ripping long course that would play into the hands of bigger hitters such as Dustin Johnson. 

The PGA Tour Championship has been played at this venue for years now and all the elite players have a history with this course. Everyone who has played some level of sport will be aware of the degree to which good memories and feelings impact performance. This is why we don't mind sticking our neck out by saying that we won't be surprised to see Patrick Cantlay repeat his heroics from last year. His record here is as good as anyone and his consistency should put him in a good place to compete again.

Who Will Win This Year's PGA Tour Championship?

Even though it is not easy to predict who will win this year’s PGA Tour Championship, there are a few players that experts are backing. There are a lot of elite and experienced golfers, which means that it is difficult to select just a few. 

Dozens of players will feel they are capable of walking away with the trophy but unfortunately for them, this will only be a reality for some of them.

Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm is a 28-year-old Spanish golfer who most recently claimed his second major at the Masters potentially making him a different animal altogether now. He won the American Express, the Genesis Invitational, and the Sentry Tournament of Champions between 2022 and 2023 and has a high chance of winning the PGA Tour Championship in 2023. 

He has also won internationally in many different tournaments, including the Acciona Open de Espana and the DP World Tour Championship in 2022. With his dedication and consistency, it is never a bad idea to back a player like Rahm.

John Rahm hits out of a bunker to the 18th green to save his par and finish at 9-under during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020.

 John Rahm hits out of a bunker to the 18th green to save his par and finish at 9-under during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Credit: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS/Alamy Live News

Rory Mcilroy

Rory McIlroy is the PGA Tour Champion of 2022, and his skills, dedication, and refusal to give up are reasons for his victory. Mcilory has made it clear that this is just the start, stating that he is in the best shape he has ever been in. If he continues to stay on track, there is a high chance that he will become the champion this year as well. Of course, there are a lot of factors like luck which decide the fate of players, but when it comes down to form and experience, Rory Mcilory is an obvious choice.

Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler has been the most consistent player on the PGA tour for a few years. The American's wins include the WM Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the Master's Tournament, the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, the WM Phoenix Open, and the Players Championship. Thanks to his form and consistent performance, Scheffler has a high chance of securing the PGA trophy in 2023.

scottie scheffler pga

Charlotte, NC, USA. 25th Sep, 2022. Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt during the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. Brian Bishop/CSM/Alamy Live News

Other Golfers To Look Out For

Shortlisting just three players when it comes to predicting the PGA Tour Championship winners in 2023 is just not enough because there is a long list of deserving and experienced players that have a high chance of winning. 

If you fancy backing a player with a good chance of winning who has higher odds, then we have curated a list of players that also have a significant chance of securing a win in 2023. You can check out their respective standings before you decide to bet on them.

  • Patrick Cantlay
  • Max Homa 
  • Justin Thomas
  • Xander Schauffele
  • Viktor Hovland 
  • Tony Finau 
  • Collin Morikawa 
  • Will Zalatoris 
  • Jordan Spieth 
  • Matt Fitzpatrick 
  • Tyrrell Hatton
  • Cameron Young 
  • Jason Day 
  • Shane Lowry 
  • Keegan Bradley 

The thing about golf is that sometimes even the most unexpected players can become champions, leaving everyone shocked. For this reason, it is important to keep an eye out for the players mentioned above. Betting on the right one can lead to a massive win for you if you are lucky. I recommend going with your gut feeling instead of relying completely on experts for their expected odds.

This Will Be Fun

Thankfully, the days of the pandemic are now fully behind us and it's competitions like this that should remind us all of what we have missed. Sitting on our sofa watching the game's great battle it out, for our entertainment will never get boring and if we are watching a player we have backed all the better. Now you need to decide what type of golf bet you want to place. Are you the type who wants to find consistency in betting or are you the type that is always chasing that big win? Either way, it is our opinion that there is nothing more fun to bet on than the PGA Tour. 

As with all things betting, a good strategy is crucial for success and the number one priority needs to be to have fun. If you feel that you are no longer having fun while betting, I urge you to seek out some help.

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PGA Tour Championship Betting FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive on the subject of the PGA tour and betting. Betting on golf can be easy but as stated throughout this article there are several things we need to take into consideration.

Can You Make Money Betting On The PGA Tour?

You can certainly make money while gambling on golf, but your success will ultimately be determined by the quality of your decision-making. With golf, the odds of a player winning a tournament are very high when considering other sports, so you don't need a high success rate to be in profit.

How Do I Develop A Good Strategy For Betting On Golf?

The good thing about golf is that the odds will be high. Meaning that your frequency of success does not need to be that consistent. For example, if you bet on long shots you might only need to win a few bets per season to be in profit. Therefore, with golf betting, patience should be valued and considered a valuable trait.

What Are The Best Golf Tournaments To Bet On?

In golf, there are four majors played every season and these still remain the benchmark for all players. The Masters at Augusta and the British Open are regarded as the most significant golf tournaments on everyone's schedule. Having said this, the golfing calendar has expanded so much and the PGA Tour Championship is now considered on par in some people's eyes for winning a major.

How Long Is A Golf Tournament?

Unless there is some unusual caveat to a competition, a professional golf tournament lasts four days and takes place from Thursday to Sunday.

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Golfing Specialist

Matthew is our resident golf betting expert! He's been a content writer for the past seven years.

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