PGA Tour Betting
The PGA Tour, which governs most U.S. golf tournaments, is the highest level of golf in the world. Notable exceptions include the Ryder Cup and the Majors, both of which the European Tour governs. The PGA Tour comprises more than 40 tournaments, and there are approximately at least four events played every month save December.
PGA Tour Bets, Lines, and Odds
PGA Tour betting is a favorite among golf bettors for a number of reasons including the sheer amount of activity, opportunities for live betting, the favorable odds at regular season events, and the high level of play on display. Since the PGA Tour schedules events from January through November, bettors can essentially bet the PGA Tour year round.
Sportsbooks that offer PGA Tour betting open their betting markets the week prior to the event, and the options will then fill out as the event draws near. Some options, such as prop bets, won’t be available until late in the week while others will be available before the market opens as futures. Sometimes a golfer may open as part of the field, but then have specific odds by the time the event starts.
PGA Tour Betting Odds
No matter which PGA Tour betting options you choose, the format of the odds are the same. The sportsbooks present them in whole numbers generally in the hundreds but they can also be in the tens or even the thousands.
Tiger Woods at his best is an example of a player that would often have odds that broke one-thousand. Odds can be either positive or negative. If the odds are +150, then on a winning bet, you earn 150% of the wager. If the odds were -150, this means that the bettor must gamble $1.50 in order to win $1.00. Whenever a bettor wins a PGA Tour bet, the sportsbook returns their wager in addition to the winnings.
Common PGA Tour Betting Types
- Win
- Show
- Head-to-Head
- Futures
- Props
PGA Tour Betting: Win
Betting to win is one of the most common PGA Tour bets, but is also the most elusive. The premise is simple: Pick a golfer to win a particular tournament or on a particular day. Some sportsbooks also allow you to pick a golfer and two or more tournaments, and then pay out aggressively if the golfer wins all of those tournaments. Betting to win pays out well, but is difficult to pick well regularly.
PGA Tour Betting: Show
As an alternative to betting a golfer to win, the bettor can bet them to show. Just as in horse racing, this means that you are betting the golfer to place third place or higher. You can bet golfers to show on tournaments or for individual days. If you have confidence in a golfer at a particular tournament, wagering to show is an especially good bet because of the margin of error it provides.
PGA Tour Betting: The Field
Sportsbooks post win and show odds for only the elite portion of the field. All golfers who did not make the cut are included in the Field, and the sportsbook assigns win odds to the field. Betting the field is betting on the possibility that a lesser-known golfer will win the tournament.
This is not a high-skill bet, but because of the aggressive payout, many bettors like to place a small amount on this as a side bet.
PGA Tour Bet Betting: Head-to-Head
The PGA Tour pairs golfers who play against each other but as part of the greater field. Likewise, a bettor can gamble on one golfer versus another rather than one golfer versus the rest of the field.
Head-to-head options at your favorite sportsbook do not always reflect actual PGA Tour pairings, and it’s likely that most pairings won’t even be available. However, if a good rivalry is brewing, you’ll be sure to see that one on the list.
While we suggest sticking with one book to take advantage of reload bonuses and similar promotions, those who bet head-to-head consistently, will want to shop around for the appropriate pairings.
PGA Tour Betting: Futures
Almost any standard PGA Tour bet is also available as a future. A future is an opportunity for greater odds at the expense of uncertainty, and it means that you are betting on an event well in advance.
Of course, it's much easier to bet Phil Mickelson for the tournament this weekend than it is to bet on him for that same tournament five months in advance. However, it can be a good bet in the cases where a golfer favors a particular course.
Generally, if you bet on the PGA Tour and that bet becomes inapplicable, for example, if the golfer does not tee off, the sportsbook cancels the bet and returns your wager. However, when betting futures, it is important to note the details. In some future bets, a failure to tee off is a lost best.
PGA Tour Betting: Prop Bets
Prop betting allows gamblers to wager on a wide array of non-standard PGA Tour outcomes. Some prop bets are silly, such as betting the over-under on the percentage of golfers wearing yellow on Sunday.
Other prop bets have to do with the actual game, such as betting on how many PGA Tour tournaments a particular golfer will win in a given season.