PGA Championship Round 1 3-Ball Bets (Bet Hideki Matsuyama to Beat Hovland, Smith)
We're less than 24 hours away from the opening tee shot at the 2024 PGA Championship.
I've already given you my best bets for the tournament on this week's Green on the Greens episode (see below), but in this article we're going to focus on the opening round of the event.
3-ball bets are some of my favorite wagers to place. They're a great way to make the first couple of rounds extra exciting and keep in the action on the weekend even if your outright picks are out of the mix.
They are wagers on a golfer to finish with the lowest round score in the threesome that he's playing in. I've narrowed in on three that I'm targeting for Round 1. Let's jump into them.
PGA Championship Round 1 3-Ball Bets
The odds listed below are via BetMGM Sportsbook.
- Hideki Matsuyama +210 vs. Hovland/Smith
- Tyrrell Hatton +165 vs. Finau/Theegala
- Sungjae Im +125 vs. Bezuidenhout/Hossler
Hideki Matsuyama +210 vs. Hovland/Smith
My only concern with Hideki Matsuyama is his health after withdrawing from last week's Wells Fargo Championship. If he's healthy, there's a strong chance he'll be in contention this week. His style of golf fits Valhalla perfectly. He's long off the tee and has been a magician around the greens this season.
I have no concerns about Viktor Hovland based on how he's played lately. He has finished inside the top 20 just once in 2024 and his play around the greens has been horrific, which is going to hurt him at Valhalla. Cam Smith could be a cause for concern as he's coming into this event in solid form in LIV events, but I can't pass up betting on Matsuyama in this group at +210 odds.
Tyrrell Hatton +165 vs. Finau/Theegala
Tyrrell Hatton might be the most underrated LIV golfer heading into this week. Not only did he finish T9 at the Masters, but he has been consistent on a weekly basis on LIV.
Meanwhile, Tony Finau has not had his best stuff all season and finished just T55 at Augusta. Sahith Theegala could be a bit of a concern, but he missed the cut and finished T52 after finishing solo second at the RBC Heritage so I have questions about how form heading into this week.
Sungjae Im +125 vs. Bezuidenhout/Hossler
Sungjae Im has finally started to round into form this season. Since missing the cut at the Masters, he finished T12 at the RBC Heritage and T4 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Sandwiched in between those two PGA Tour events was a win on the Korean Tour.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout may struggle at Valhalla this week. With distance off the tee being arguably the most important asset, his 170th ranking in driving distance doesn't bode well for his chances.
The third golfer of the group, Beau Hossler, has struggled all season and didn't finished better than T52 in seven-straight starts before a T4 finish at the alternate field event last week, the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!