Jon Rahm takes a shot on the fourth hole during the final round of The Masters golf tournament. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network

Here are some surprises in betting odds ahead of the PGA Championship

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 5/15/23

At first glance, the odds ahead of the PGA Championship are what you would expect: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are the three favorites atop the 156-player field that will compete at Oak Hill East Course in New York starting on Thursday.

But there are actually some surprises hidden in the odds for the first full-field major of the season. And those surprises are worth taking a look at before you place your bets.

OddsChecker PGA Championship preview, field and picks

The second golf major of the year is the PGA Championship, scheduled for Oak Hill this weekend. Check in with OddsChecker's Trent Pruitt as he breaks down the field and course and analyzes the event from a sports betting perspective.

It's @PGAChampionship week!

@PGA pic.twitter.com/MeINiC1J8v
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2023

For starters, Scheffler is the 15-2 favorite at DraftKings ahead of Rahm at 8-1 in the PGA Championship field even though the Spaniard has more wins on the season and was the original favorite following his Masters win. It's especially interesting given each pro's last event, with Scheffler finishing T5 at the AT&T Byron Nelson last weekend and Rahm finishing second at the Mexico Open a couple of weeks ago.

Things remain interesting when looking at the odds for the LIV Golf participants in the PGA Championship field. Brooks Koepka is still the favorite from the rogue circuit at 20-1, likely because of how well he played at the Masters in April -- and the fact he won the PGA Championship in both 2018 and 2019. But in an interesting twist, the winner of last weekend's LIV Golf Tulsa event, Dustin Johnson, trails Koepka at 28-1 while the second-place finisher, Cam Smith, is listed at 30-1. Talor Gooch, who is the only LIV Golfer with more than one win on his 2023 campaign, is a 70-1 long shot.

And it looks like Phil Mickelson's impressive fourth round at Augusta last month did wow oddsmakers enough for them to give him a boost. The LIV Golf figurehead and 2021 PGA Championship winner is a 180-1 long shot just a couple of days ahead of the competition.

Last time Phil Mickelson played the #PGAChampionship, history was made. #NewProfiePic pic.twitter.com/GxzCp7z10B
— Phil Mickelson Tracker (@TrackingPhil) May 15, 2023

Of course, odds ebb and flow in the final days before any event. Still, the current PGA Championship odds give bettors something to think about before taking out their wallets.

The PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club outside of Rochester, New York tees off on Thursday.

Click here for the latest odds on the PGA Championship

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