PGA Championship 2025 Odds and Predictions: Is Rory the Best Bet?

Rory McIlroy (+450)

The weight of the world has finally been lifted off the back of “Rors”. After winning everything there is to win in golf, McIlroy still had one large absence in his closet: a green jacket.

That all changed on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Augusta National. McIlroy completed the Career Grand Slam with a win at the Masters. It came nine years after McIlroy won his last major tournament at the 2014 PGA Championship!

As a +450 co-favorite, oddsmakers have high confidence in McIlroy’s chance to win the tournament again.

Recent Form

McIlroy’s form can’t get much better than winning the Masters last month! He edged out Justin Rose in a playoff to win the first green jacket of his career. McIlroy nearly choked away the win on the back 9 but persevered to win in a heart-stopping playoff hole!

The moment Rory McIlroy won the Masters and completed the career Grand Slam 🔥 ⛳

Goosebumps 😮‍💨#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/4EsT6FqLo6

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 13, 2025

Even prior to the Masters, McIlroy was in top form on the golf course. The 36-year-old Northern Ireland native won The PLAYERS, known as the “fifth major”, in a playoff, and finished T5 at the Houston Open.

In his warm-up tournament for the PGA Championship, McIlroy had a solid showing in Philadelphia at the Truist Championship, too.

• Best PGA Championship Result: 1st (2014)

Rory McIlroy 2025 Stats

McIlroy is well-known for his ability with a driver in his hand, and this season is no exception. He leads the PGA Tour in the off-the-tee metrics and is second in tee-to-green in 2025.

Additionally, McIlroy ranks third in overall driving, with an average of 317.5 yards per hole. Where McIlroy has been lacking in recent years is on the dance floor with his putter. It has consistently let him down in past years, but that hasn’t been the case over the first seven tournaments this season.

McIlroy is ninth in putting, an impressive improvement over last year’s effort. In 2024, McIlroy ranked 59th in putting, yet he’s going into the PGA Championship in ninth! His putter has let him down often in the final rounds of events, but we’re not seeing that thus far from McIlroy in 2025.

Poised to make eagle. Rory McIlroy goes for glory on No. 15. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hAM0zxnkM7

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 13, 2025

The future Hall of Fame golfer has put together one of his most all-around efforts recently. As a result, McIlroy’s odds are amongst the shortest to win the tournament at +450, and he ranks No. 2 on the OWGR rankings. However, I am not so certain that this is the best value bet for your 2025 PGA Championship winner picks!

Scottie Scheffler (+450)

The 28-year-old from Texas took the golf world by storm with his historic season in 2024. Scheffler was the most heavily bet golfer to win tournaments after the public caught on to his unbelievable form.

Scheffler was the betting favorite in every tournament he played! With seven PGA Tour wins, he cashed a whole lot of tickets for bettors. Scheffler’s huge scores included The PLAYERS, the Masters, the Travelers Championship, and TOUR Championship.

That being said, should Scheffler be part of your PGA Championship betting strategy? There are several green lights with Scheffler, but let’s delve into the details.

Recent Form

Although Scheffler’s form may not be as wildly impressive as McIlroy’s because of the Masters, he is on an impressive streak to open the season. Scheffler has finished in the top 10 in four straight tournaments, including a win in his latest start.

The 2024 Masters winner won the Bryson Nelson in a blowout and record-tying fashion at TPC Craig Ranch. Scheffler shot a -31 to put him eight strokes ahead of Erik van Rooyen! It wasn’t the toughest field, with Jordan Spieth perhaps the most notable opponent.

What a performance from Scottie Scheffler at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson‼️

He ties the lowest score in a 72-hole event in PGA Tour history (253) 👏 pic.twitter.com/hKdwwT34Jq

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 4, 2025

In any event, this was a tune-up outing for Scheffler, and he passed the test with flying colors. He was in the running to repeat at Augusta National but settled for 4th after failing to give himself enough room to stage a comeback on Sunday. Scheffler ultimately came three strokes shy of joining the playoff with Rose and McIlroy.

The way I see it, Scheffler remains on top of his game, and his 2024 form has carried over into this season. He’s definitely a major threat to win the Wanamaker Trophy for the first time!

• Best PGA Championship Result: T2 (2023)

Scottie Scheffler 2025 Stats

McIlroy won the Masters, but Scheffler has the stronger overall marks this season. Currently, Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in SG: Total, so his all-around game tops the field in 2025.

If Scheffler could improve his effort around the green with his irons and putting, he wouldn’t have much competition as far as the stats are concerned. Nevertheless, if Scheffler continues to approach the green like he has been, there isn’t going to be much concern for his play from just outside the putting surface.

Last season, Scheffler’s putting wasn’t anything to get excited about. In spite of his fantastic results in 2024, he was just 77th in putting. In 2025, Scheffler is up to 25^th in the only aspect of his game that was mediocre a year ago.

6 shot lead? Still going right at the pin.

Scottie Scheffler is on another level right now. pic.twitter.com/rE60BPndZc

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 4, 2025

McIlroy has the clear edge in driving, but Scheffler’s accuracy with his irons from the fairway erases any advantage. In short, there isn’t a lot separating Scheffler and McIlroy as these two get ready to duel!

Like McIlroy, though, I believe there’s stronger value for your PGA Championship betting picks.

Bryson DeChambeau (+1200)

LIV Golf star DeChambeau may not be playing on the PGA Tour, but he remains one of the best golfers in the world. DeChambeau hasn’t played full-time on the PGA since the 2020-21 season, yet that didn’t prevent him from winning the 2024 U.S. Open.

LIV players are eligible to enter majors, so he’ll have another crack at his first PGA Championship title at Quail Hollow. Does he have what it takes to win a major in back-to-back years?

Recent Form

DeChambeau has progressively gotten stronger as the season has progressed on the LIV Golf circuit. Four events back, DeChambeau finished T10 with a solid showing at LIV Singapore. Since then, he’s shown improvement in each ensuing week.

After finishing 5th in Miami in early April, DeChambeau responded with a top 5 effort at the Masters, a T2 effort in Mexico City, and, most recently, won the LIV Golf Korea event. He edged out Charles Howell III for a two-stroke win on a 19-under showing.

HUGE CELEBRATION🔥

Man of the moment @brysondech drops the birdie putt on 17 to go clear by 2 📈

🇺🇸 @FS1 | 🇰🇷 @CoupangPlay | 📲 LIV Golf app#LIVGolfKorea pic.twitter.com/pfILgux9wY

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) May 4, 2025

If DeChambeau were playing on the PGA Tour, these performances would put him near the top of the leaderboard with McIlroy and Scheffler. While the competition isn’t as tough in the LIV Golf tournaments, DeChambeau’s form puts him right next to the top players in the PGA!

• Best PGA Championship Result: T2 (2024)

Bryson DeChambeau 2025 Stats

DeChambeau has been destroying the ball off the tee this year! He is averaging a whopping 333.3 yards with his driver, which puts him well ahead of McIlroy and Scheffler. McIlroy is known for killing the ball on the tee, but DeChambeau has surpassed him in terms of average distance.

That also beats the PGA Tour leader Aldrich Potgieter’s 323.9 yards off the tee. Additionally, DeChambeau’s 70.90% mark of greens in regulations would put him sixth on the PGA Tour, just a smidge behind Scheffler’s 71.45%.

Comparing LIV Golf and the PGA Tour isn’t 1:1, but it does give us a solid indication of where DeChambeau is now compared to his counterparts at Quail Hollow. The T5 finish at the Masters pretty well solidified his standing as one of the best in the world.