PGA Championship Preview – Back McIlroy

This week the world’s best golfers will converge on Oak Hill Country Club for the PGA Championship. Read on for a course breakdown and my pick to win the Wanamaker trophy this weekend. 

Oak Hill Country Club is located in Rochester, New York, which is right off of Lake Ontario. The weather and conditions should not be too favorable for scoring compared to what players might be used to at Oak Hill, with rain and colder weather than usual expected.

Oak HIll Country Club ranks within the top 25 in the world according to Golf Digest and has hosted 3 U.S. Opens, 3 PGA Championships, and a Ryder Cup.

Let’s continue taking a look at this golf betting article.

Course Redesigns

Many redesigns have occurred, but the course is originally a donald ross design, who was a golf course architect back in the 1920s who designed plenty of courses throughout North America. 

The course was redesigned recently to make for some changes to the drainage system as well as the course itself. 

The last time the PGA Championship was held at Oak Hill, there was also rain and it created some uncomfortable conditions for both players and patrons. Most notably the rain created standing water in the bunkers. 

The changes were made by Tom Fazio due to fans wanting the course to be more playable. In 2019 the course was redesigned by Andrew Green, who came into Oak Hill and cut down almost 700 trees – the course had over 3,000. 

Lower Scoring

These course changes will all lead to lower 72-hole scores this weekend. 

The course features an Old Scottish or English Style with thick rough, deep bunkers with raised lips, and elevated greens. The greens have also been restored and made easier to make the course a lot more scorable. 

I predict the winning score to be somewhere between -8 and -12. Players will be taxed in the short PGA Championship game which will open up opportunities for a lot of bogeys.

Quick Course Preview

Oak Hill is a Par 70 and approximately 7400 yards, which would list as par 72 for most courses based on the length. There are 3 par 5’s over 600 yards, which should make for some interesting player decisions in key moments. 

Rory McIlroy +1200

With the trees taken down, McIlroy should find that his distance will help him gain a distinct advantage over the rest of the field. Having the freedom of mind to grip-it-and-rip-it will be huge for a course that plays as long and now as open as Oak Hill will.

Rain is also expected to fall at some point over the weekend, which would soften up the course and increase the advantage for players with distance and a high ball flight, which McIlroy certainly possesses. 

McIlroy was embarrassed in the year’s first major championship at the Masters by missing the cut. Bettors could certainly question the betting odds at +1200, but the course and conditions set up perfectly for McIlroy to take home the Wanamaker Trophy this weekend.