Often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA, the PGA Championship is one of the four men’s major championships in this beautiful sport. Who are the leading candidates to win the 2023 PGA Championship?

It takes a lot to come out on top when you’re competing against some of the most dominant players, which is why making a prediction could be complicated.

But as it always happens in golf, oddsmakers make sure to give your favorite sportsbook more than enough time to publish the odds, so that you have months in advance to study the game, analyze all variables, and submit your most confident pick.

This edition of the PGA Championship won’t be the exception to that rule. Even though we’re still months away from Memorial Day and the start of the tournament, we already know who’s likely going to take that trophy — and a bunch load of cash — home.

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There’s More at Stake

But as you may know by now, there’s much more at stake than just money when it comes to the PGA Championship.

Winning this award all but guarantees an invitation to play in the other three majors, meaning a player can establish himself as part of the royalty of this sport.

Also, winners of this event will be eligible to play in the PGA Championship again for life, and will also get the opportunity to play against some of the best in the world at The Players Championship for the next five editions of the tournament.

If that wasn’t enough, the PGA Championship winner gets the nod to play in the European Tour for seven years and the PGA Tour for the next five seasons. That’s why players often approach this major tournament as a matter of life and death.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 5 players with the highest odds to win the PGA Championship in 2023.

Collin Morikawa (+1600 odds)

While Collin Morikawa hasn’t been around for that long, he’s sure gotten off to a great, impressive start to his career.

He made 22 consecutive cuts since his debut, trailing only the legendary Tiger Woods with 25 straight cuts. That’s a way to turn some heads in this business.

Morikawa is currently sitting at the ninth spot in the PGA rankings. Nonetheless, oddsmakers give him plenty of respect in this tournament, as he was crowned with the top spot of the PGA Championship in 2020. He’s got six professional wins and is just getting started.

Scottie Scheffler (+1200 odds)

Scottie Scheffler has been one of the most dominant golfers of the past four years or so. He sits at no. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and having him at +1200 odds doesn’t sound like a bad deal at all.

But as great as he’s been since turning pro in 2018, he hasn’t found all that much success in the PGA Championship, finishing in fourth place in 2020.

He’ll look to bounce back and continue to climb the ladder of golf’s top-tier players with a win in Tulsa, but he’ll face some steep competition.

Rory McIlroy (+1200 odds)

Death, taxes, and Rory McIlroy being an oddsmaker favorite to win a trophy. The MBE, and number-one ranked golfer on the planet, has the third-best odds to win the PGA Championship, which is somewhat surprising considering his long track record of success since 2007.

However, it’s been a while since McIlroy last won the PGA Championship, so maybe it has something to do with that. The Northern Irish superstar won the tournament twice in 2012 and 2014, and he’s got a grand total of 35 professional wins.

Jon Rahm (+1000 odds)

Spaniard Jon Rahm is one of the leading candidates to dominate in Tulsa. He’s currently sitting at the fifth spot in the PGA rankings and for very good reasons.

It’s been a while since Rahm led the rankings. He was no. 1 for 43 weeks starting in July 2020. However, he’s still been one of the top 10 most consistent golfers on Earth over that span, and he’ll look forward to making a statement in the PGA Championship, a tournament he’s never won.

Justin Thomas (+1000 odds)

And, unsurprisingly, the eighth-ranked golfer in the world enters the PGA Championship as the leading candidate to take the trophy home, albeit tied with Jon Rahm for the best odds.

That’s not much of a shocker, considering he’s often made this tournament his yearly priority. Thomas has taken the trophy home twice in his career, in 2017 and 2022.

The Kentucky native has 15 PGA tour wins under his belt and put together one of the most epic comebacks in golf history, overcoming a 7-shot deficit on the tournament’s final day.