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Selecting the Top PGA Championship Sportsbooks
As the second of the year’s four golf Majors, the PGA Championship is always a thrilling spectacle, and the excitement is amped up even further when you’re placing bets on the upcoming action. Of course, with the growing selection of US sportsbooks out there, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little unsure about who to sign up with. That’s where we come in.
Compare.bet US keep a regularly updated list of the best sports betting companies in the US, laying out what you can expect from each site and mobile betting app so you can make an informed decision on where to bet on the PGA Championship. Here are some of the criteria we keep in mind when recommending sites.
Betting Markets
Sports betting–whether it’s for the PGA Championship or any other event–should be about more than just predicting who’ll win. The best online sports betting sites in the US will offer an exciting and eclectic range of factors you can place wagers on, and we keep a close eye on the breadth of options available at each bookmaker.
Bonuses
What kinds of bonuses and promotions does each sportsbook offer? This question can be the deciding factor when selecting bookmakers, so we pay close attention to everything from welcome bonuses to ongoing promotions–like cash back offers–offered to returning customers.
Banking Options
Depositing and withdrawing money should be an easy process, and bettors all have their own preferred way to bank with online sportsbooks. Our picks of the top US betting sites all offer a variety of banking options, so you’re bound to find a method that suits you.
The General Interface
Every US betting site has its own personality. Our team takes the feel and interface of each sportsbook into account so we can recommend the most user-friendly sites. We also look into aspects like whether there’s a native mobile app, and how easy it is to speak to the customer service staff if any issues arise.
Licensing
It’s crucial that players only bet with sites that are licensed and regulated by the appropriate governing body in legalized states. This will ensure that standards of security and fair play are in place, with encryption technology keeping your sensitive personal info out of the hands of hackers and fraudsters.
What Can You Bet On?
So, what kinds of betting options are on offer for bettors interested in the PGA Championship? There’s a whole menu to choose from, including these popular markets.
Tournament Winner
This is a simple, hugely popular market, and poses the key question of the tournament: who will come out on top and lift the iconic Wanamaker Trophy?
Nationality
The top US sportsbooks offer a few nationality betting markets. You can wager on the nationality of the tournament winner or the top American player, top European player, and so on. For the player props, only listed names qualify for these bets.
First Round Leader
Bettors love to ponder who’ll be riding highest after the first round. This is a great opportunity to bet on longshots who might blaze brightly at the start of the tournament, potentially providing great returns.
To Make or Miss the Cut
Not all contenders can progress to the latter stages of the PGA Championship, and it’s always exciting to predict which big names will be among the top 70 players and ties who’ll make the cut. Reckon you can call it? This betting market lets you put your money where your mouth is.
Matchups
Many golf fans adore this market, as you’ll be wagering on two specific players, in a head-to-head format, and how they fare against one another with regards to a specific round or the entire tournament. With these props bets, many sportsbooks declare the tie as a no bet.
To Place
Where do you think a player will end up in the rankings? You can back your opinion up with a ‘to place’ bet, with options such as top 5, top 10 and top 20 on offer.
More Options
There are a couple of other factors to consider when picking your ideal sportsbook. The following three options are widely available when wagering online in the US, and they can each dramatically improve your betting experience.
In-Play Betting
You don’t have to place your bets before the action commences in the PGA Championship. You can actually wait, watch and get stuck-in well after tee off, thanks to live (aka, in-play) betting. Golf lends itself very well to this kind of sports betting, as it’s naturally a slower, more languid game than the likes of football and basketball. That means you can carefully weigh up how things are going before making your move to capitalize on shifting odds. Is the favorite performing less well than expected? Betting in-play means you might get a bigger return if they eventually win, compared to betting on the pre-match odds.
Cash Out
You don’t necessarily have to wait till the end of the round or tournament to collect potential winnings. These days, you can expect to find cash out options at many top US sportsbooks, and they’re a nifty way to make the best of a bad situation. Let’s say you’ve bet on a particular golfer to place within a certain threshold on the leaderboard. Then, during play, you see that they’re floundering, and liable to slip right down the table. At this point, if the option is available, you can cash out for at least a bit of a profit, rather than risk losing your bet outright, with your return calculated based on factors such as your stake and the current live odds.
Parlays
Parlays offer a tantalizing way to boost the profits on even small bets. With parlay betting sites in the US, you can group together individual selections on one bumper betting slip. This means the separate odds will be multiplied together, resulting in a bigger return for you – if all your selections win, that is.
The key point to bear in mind is that you’ll lose your whole parlay bet if one selection of your selections loses. To mitigate this risk, some operators offer parlay insurance, guaranteeing that your initial stake will be given back to you in the form of free sports bets if one of your selections loses.
Betting Bonuses Up for Grabs
One of the benefits of the online sports betting market is that rival operators will pull out all the stops to win your custom. That means there are loads of welcome bonuses at the US’s top sports betting websites for you to enjoy. Here are a couple of favorites.
Matched Deposit Bonuses
The wording for matched deposit bonuses will be familiar to even the most casual sports bettor. It will typically go something like this: ‘100% up to $200’. In this scenario, anything you initially deposit up, to a ceiling of $200, will be matched by the betting site. So, if you sign up and deposit $150, you’ll be given an extra $150 to bet with. Matched deposit bonuses can be a good way to get started with betting online, but it’s important to check the terms and conditions so you’re aware of any turnover requirements and minimum odds obligations before settling on a new sportsbook.
Free Bets
Free bets are incredibly popular and widespread among US betting sites. Typically, you’ll be gifted a certain amount in free bets after depositing and wagering a minimum amount of money on qualifying odds. For example, by betting $10, you may be given $10 in free bets. In this instance, it might be in the form of a single $10 bet or smaller bets adding up to the same amount. Again, check those all-important terms and conditions before going for it.
Special Offers for Returning Players
US betting sites like to roll out the red carpet for new members, but it’s not just about welcome bonuses at the best sportsbooks. As an existing member, you can also look forward to regular promotions. Here are a few popular types.
Money Back Offers
Even with the best luck in the world, you can’t win all the bets you put down. Money back promotions can take some of the sting out of a losing wager. With these, the sportsbook will return your stake in the form of free bets, up to a certain amount. The latter point is important, as you might not necessarily get your whole stake back. But, even so, getting anything back in your pot after a losing bet is not to be sniffed at. Plus, having the partial security of a money back offer can give you leeway to have fun betting on longshots and underdogs.
Enhanced Odds
Blockbuster sporting events like the PGA Championship bring out the competitive side of US bookmakers, who’ll try to beat out their rivals by offering the best possible odds. That can mean artificially boosting odds to provide you with bigger returns on the safest and ordinarily least lucrative wagers (such as betting on a top, in-form golfer to win the tournament).
Select Your Payment Method
There are plenty of ways to bank with the US’s best betting sites. That means maximum convenience for pretty much every bettor, however you like to manage your money. The most popular banking methods include:
- Debit and credit cards
- PayPal
- VIP Preferred
- Play+
- Neteller
- Skrill
- Online banking transfer
- Bank wire transfer
PayPal
PayPal is a widely available e-wallet option and, with its straightforward interface, additional security layers, and quick transactions, it's also one of the best.
Skrill
Skrill's leading e-wallet solution is a winner for millions of customers around the globe thanks to its speed, convenience, and ease of use.
Play+
Play+ is a favored payment method for many US sports bettors. It's a prepaid account, making it easy to check expenditure.
VIP Preferred
Offers quick and easy access to your funds by way of its online checking system.
PayNearMe
Make cash deposits at the nearest 7-Eleven outlet to fund your account. Transactions are credited within 30 minutes.
Cast Your Wagers on the Go
You don’t have to ensure you’re poised at your computer to bet on the PGA Championship. Thanks to mobile in the US, you can have a wager wherever you happen to be within the state – whether you’re sitting in a café or on the bus home from work. As a minimum, betting operators offer mobile-optimized web pages for the browser on your phone or tablet, meaning you don’t have to download any software. Alternatively, your operator of choice may offer a native mobile app. While this requires downloading the app from the App Store (for iOS) or the operator’s website (for Androids), a dedicated app will provide a more seamless experience, as well as push notifications alerting you to the latest promotions and bonuses.
Betting Tips for the PGA Championship
There’s no foolproof system to ensure that picks will go your way, but doing some basic research is always a good idea when you’re deciding on a wager.
First up, there’s the question of general form. How well have the various golfers been doing in tournaments over the preceding months? How did things pan out for them at the Masters, if they competed there? This matters more than their Official World Golf Ranking, as the latter only provides a general overview and doesn’t tell you much about how they’re performing right now.
It’s also useful to look at players’ course form. Unlike the Masters, which is always held at Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA Championship moves location. With that in mind, check out how the golfers you’re considering have previously performed at the course in question. Do they have an affinity for it? Does it bring out any weaknesses?
If you’re an avid golf fan, you’ll want to ensure you don’t let your own biases for and against certain players color your judgement. Bet using the statistics and facts without being swayed by any personal allegiances. Remember, prudent betting is all about maximizing your returns and avoiding losses as much as possible, rather than backing your own personal favorite.
Bet on Golf Across the Calendar
The PGA Championship is one of the four Majors. These are the crown jewels of the golfing calendar, kicking off with the Masters in April, moving on to the PGA Championship in May, then the US Open in June, and the British Open in July.
Of course, there are plenty of other famous tournaments throughout a given year, all providing a wealth of betting markets. These include:
- The Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Emirates Golf Club, January)
- The Players Championship (TPC at Sawgrass, March)
- The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (various courses, July)
- The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (various courses, September)
- The WGC-HSBC Champions (Sheshan Golf Club, October)
Looking Back at the PGA Championship
The PGA Championship has a long and glittering history that stretches back to the first tournament held in 1916 at New York’s Siwanoy Country Club. It was the brainchild of Rodman Wanamaker, the department store kingpin whose name is still synonymous with the tournament thanks to the Wanamaker Trophy. An early landmark moment came in 1922 when Gene Sarazen–then 20–became the youngest winner of the PGA Championship. Incredibly, Sarazen would still be competing in the PGA Championship in the 1970s.
Originally a match play event, the tournament was changed to the current stroke play format in 1958. Many of the all-time greats have triumphed here, with Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen sharing the record for the most number of wins at five each. The tournament has also been the happy hunting ground for giant-killers, and once saw one of the most shocking upsets in the history of golf.
This occurred during the 2009 PGA Championship, during which South Korean journeyman golfer Y.E. Yang toppled a seemingly invincible Tiger Woods during the final round. This long shot of all long shots defied the pundits and the odds (+12500 at the start of the tournament), with Yang’s victory compared by one sporting journalist to Bambi mauling Godzilla. It would have been quite the windfall for any punters savvy—or foolhardy—enough to have bet on the South Korean when the tournament commenced.
Ready to Bet on the PGA Championship?
Now that you’ve whetted your appetite for betting on the PGA Championship, you’re set to find the operator that’s right for you. Our extensively reviewed and ranked operators offer the best services around, and comparing the leading sites couldn’t be simpler. Take a look at our rankings to find the best offering and welcome bonuses for you, sign up and make your first deposit to claim your freebies, and start betting today!
Sportsbooks love competition, and you’ll often see similar odds for the same bets across operators. That being said, enhanced and boosted odds are a common tactic for sports bookmakers looking to draw wagers and new players in, so it pays to hunt around to find the best deal on the day you’re looking to cast a bet.
Parlays have become a hugely popular option for bettors in recent years, and you’ll find them on most operators’ sites and apps. Of course, all sportsbooks are different, so be sure to check out our reviews of the leading golf betting sites to make sure the site you’ve got your eye on offers parlays and related promotions.
Gambling never comes with any guarantees, but a researched bet is always advisable over one based on a gut feeling. We recommend doing your own research to consolidate your top betting picks, but tipsters can be a good place to start. Past performance doesn’t guarantee that your tipster’s predictions will be winners this time around, so it’s always best to do your own reading around the subject before settling on a bet.
Every site ranked and reviewed on Compare.bet US is licensed by the state regulator, which ensures that all licensed operators follow strict regulatory guidelines that are aimed at keeping bettors safe and secure. These measures include, among others, the assurance that your licensed sportsbook will provide transaction encryption for all customer payments, protecting you in the unlikely event of a hacker’s interference.