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Jon Rahm 2023 PGA Championship: Best Bets & Predictions

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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 >>

Jon Rahm 2023 PGA Championship Best Bets

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Jon Rahm Stats to Know

    • Best odds to win: +750 (DraftKings/FanDuel)
    • World ranking: 1
    • Best PGA Championship finish: T4 (2018)
    • Last four PGA Championship finishes: CUT, T13, T8, T48
    • Last four tournament finishes: T31, 1, T15, 2

Jon Rahm Course History

Jon Rahm has played solidly in the PGA Championship during his career but has yet to figure out the winning formula. His first-round struggles seem to be holding him back in this tournament. He’s only posted one first round under 70 in his career, which was his best finish (T4) in 2018. He’s only cracked the top 10 one other time (2021), which took a Sunday round of 68 to propel him into a tie for eighth. His 2022 appearance at Southern Hills was one to forget, as a Saturday round of 76 brought him down to a T48 finish. Rahm will look to carry his strong momentum from this season to help him bounce back at the PGA Championship this time around.

Jon Rahm Recent Form

The world’s current No. 1 golfer has been on an absolute tear so far in the 2023 PGA season. Since January, Rahm has compiled four PGA Tour wins, including his illustrious Masters victory, and six top-5 finishes. It’s hard to top that in a five-month stretch, and other golfers have been put on notice. Rahm’s first victory in 2023 was at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and he won his next event two weeks later at the American Express. After that, he finished top 7 in his next three events, including a win at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. He then cooled off a little, finishing outside the top 30 in his next few starts, in addition to a WD at the Players Championship due to an illness. Rahm picked it back up in April, winning the Masters and finishing runner-up at the Mexico Open.

Jon Rahm Betting Outlook

Rahm is the co-favorite (along with Scottie Schefler) across sportsbooks heading into the PGA Championship. He’s first on the Tour in total strokes gained and scoring average, second in greens in regulation and putting average, and third in strokes gained: approach to green this season. Rahm is hitting on all cylinders in every facet of the game. It’s tough to get some value on him at this point in the season, but I’ll be looking to lay a top-5 bet on Rahm and also will be looking to back him in round matchups with his playing partners if I can get a decent number.

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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