2020 USPGA Championship Tips & Preview
US PGA Championship 2020
Date - August 6-9
Course - TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, USA
Par - 70
Length - 7,251 yards
Grass - Bentgrass
Defending Champion - Brooks Koepka
USPGA 2019 Leaderboard - Here
Course Info
The US PGA Championship reverts back to its traditional August slot because of the pandemic. Whilst traditionally the final Major of the year, last year it moved to May to become the second.
TPC Harding Park was designed by Scotsman Willie Watson in 1925 and hosted the World Golf Championship events in 2015 and 2005 - latterly the WGC Matchplay Championship and formerly a WGC American Express strokeplay event. It also staged the President's Cup in 2009, so some of the top players have had the advantage of playing the course several times.
The front 9 is tree-lined, so less exposed to wind, whilst the second 9 has water in play. The closing 3 holes should offer much excitement with a driveable par 4, long par 3 17th and a long par 4.
"Here it's kind of more right in front of you, old traditional style golf course. There's not a lot going on in the greens. Actually, I've found them very difficult to read the last few days, just because there's so many subtle little breaks, where I can't decide if it's breaking left or breaking right or straight from 20 feet. So there really hasn't been‑‑ it's just a different style. But I'm definitely more comfortable on a golf course like this where it's kind of right straight in front of you." Jim Furyk, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"I don't necessarily see this as a bomber's course. I didn't really see Dove Mountain (Note - previous WGC Matchplay location) as a bomber's course. I think you've got to work your ball in both places. I think this one may play more into my hands just having to curve the ball a little more maybe both ways off the tee, it's not as much emphasis in hitting high and far. More emphasis in coming from the fairway, because the greens are firm." Jordan Spieth, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"It's tough to make birdies. The golf course is so long that some of the greens are really bouncing right now. It's only the first day, and you're getting some big bounces, even with sand wedges. And the golf course sets up good off the tee for me, as long as I hit my driver well. There's a lot of cut shots off the tee, so it sets up good for me." Bubba Watson, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"I thought Harding Park was a great venue, and I felt like it suited me well." Rory McIlroy, 2016
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
As above The USPGA Championship has returned to August.
Trends
The world's top 50 players have had somewhat of a monopoly on Major titles in recent years given that the last 32 champions have come from this category.
Only one winner in the past 11 years has not had a top-20 in their two previous starts.
Stats Analysis
Driving Distance, Driving Distance and Driving Distance. The PGA of America have in recent years placed their Championship at venues which test the players' length. The only winner among the last nine who hasn't ranked in the top-25 for driving distance is Jason Dufner. Length off the tee is an undoubted advantage.
So, how does that compare with what we know about TPC Harding Park?
The 2105 WGC Matchplay final was contested by Rory McIlroy and Gary Woodland. Of the 8 players who made the quarter finals, 6 of those were longer than average off the tee, with only Jim Furyk and John Senden being shorter, accurate hitters.
At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods secured 5 points out of 5 and Phil Mickelson went undefeated scoring 4.5 out of 5. Admittedly they were 1st and 2nd in the world at that time, but both finished 2009 inside the top-21 for Driving Distance.
At the 2005 WGC American Express it was a similar story with Tiger Woods winning and another big hitter (John Daly) following him home. It's worth noting however, that the three golfers who finished 3rd were Europeans who were more accurate players (Stenson, Garcia and Montgomerie). A shorter, accurate player can get in the places.
In-play
Unlike the other Majors, players don't need to be within the top-10 at US PGA Championship's. Around 50% of USPGA Champions have come from outside the top-10 after the first round.
*As ever, follow our daily in-play updates and tips on our US PGA Championship in-play page*
Course - TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, USA
Par - 70
Length - 7,251 yards
Grass - Bentgrass
Defending Champion - Brooks Koepka
USPGA 2019 Leaderboard - Here
Course Info
The US PGA Championship reverts back to its traditional August slot because of the pandemic. Whilst traditionally the final Major of the year, last year it moved to May to become the second.
TPC Harding Park was designed by Scotsman Willie Watson in 1925 and hosted the World Golf Championship events in 2015 and 2005 - latterly the WGC Matchplay Championship and formerly a WGC American Express strokeplay event. It also staged the President's Cup in 2009, so some of the top players have had the advantage of playing the course several times.
The front 9 is tree-lined, so less exposed to wind, whilst the second 9 has water in play. The closing 3 holes should offer much excitement with a driveable par 4, long par 3 17th and a long par 4.
"Here it's kind of more right in front of you, old traditional style golf course. There's not a lot going on in the greens. Actually, I've found them very difficult to read the last few days, just because there's so many subtle little breaks, where I can't decide if it's breaking left or breaking right or straight from 20 feet. So there really hasn't been‑‑ it's just a different style. But I'm definitely more comfortable on a golf course like this where it's kind of right straight in front of you." Jim Furyk, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"I don't necessarily see this as a bomber's course. I didn't really see Dove Mountain (Note - previous WGC Matchplay location) as a bomber's course. I think you've got to work your ball in both places. I think this one may play more into my hands just having to curve the ball a little more maybe both ways off the tee, it's not as much emphasis in hitting high and far. More emphasis in coming from the fairway, because the greens are firm." Jordan Spieth, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"It's tough to make birdies. The golf course is so long that some of the greens are really bouncing right now. It's only the first day, and you're getting some big bounces, even with sand wedges. And the golf course sets up good off the tee for me, as long as I hit my driver well. There's a lot of cut shots off the tee, so it sets up good for me." Bubba Watson, 2015 WGC Matchplay
"I thought Harding Park was a great venue, and I felt like it suited me well." Rory McIlroy, 2016
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
As above The USPGA Championship has returned to August.
Trends
The world's top 50 players have had somewhat of a monopoly on Major titles in recent years given that the last 32 champions have come from this category.
Only one winner in the past 11 years has not had a top-20 in their two previous starts.
Stats Analysis
Driving Distance, Driving Distance and Driving Distance. The PGA of America have in recent years placed their Championship at venues which test the players' length. The only winner among the last nine who hasn't ranked in the top-25 for driving distance is Jason Dufner. Length off the tee is an undoubted advantage.
So, how does that compare with what we know about TPC Harding Park?
The 2105 WGC Matchplay final was contested by Rory McIlroy and Gary Woodland. Of the 8 players who made the quarter finals, 6 of those were longer than average off the tee, with only Jim Furyk and John Senden being shorter, accurate hitters.
At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods secured 5 points out of 5 and Phil Mickelson went undefeated scoring 4.5 out of 5. Admittedly they were 1st and 2nd in the world at that time, but both finished 2009 inside the top-21 for Driving Distance.
At the 2005 WGC American Express it was a similar story with Tiger Woods winning and another big hitter (John Daly) following him home. It's worth noting however, that the three golfers who finished 3rd were Europeans who were more accurate players (Stenson, Garcia and Montgomerie). A shorter, accurate player can get in the places.
In-play
Unlike the other Majors, players don't need to be within the top-10 at US PGA Championship's. Around 50% of USPGA Champions have come from outside the top-10 after the first round.
*As ever, follow our daily in-play updates and tips on our US PGA Championship in-play page*
US PGA Championship - Six To Watch
As outlined in our Tipping Record, our strategy is to focus on speciality bets and value in-play. However, we have identified the following six players if you do wish to place a bet before the event begins:
Justin Thomas - 10/1 @ William Hill
After doing the business for us last week, winning the WGC after we tipped him up after 18 holes at 7/1, we like everything about Justin to go back to back this week and claim his second PGA title. We can't understand how he is only a point or two shorter than Brooks Koepka and Rory Mcllroy, given his performance last week where he ranked 1st for SG: Tee to green. In fact he leads that category for the season by a massive 0.3 gap to his nearest rival. The worrying part for Justin's rivals is that he putted terribly last week and still won by 3 shots. One word of caution, Justin occasionally starts slow so you may be able to get a better price than 10/1 in-play, however he does have an early tee time which should get the best of the conditions.
Collin Morikawa - 35/1 @ William Hill
Next in line we have the Collin Morikawa who is only making his 2nd major start, and the price shows that the bookies are taking no chances with the young superstar. Collin warmed up nicely last week, never in contention though playing the weekend in 67, 66 to finish 20th. What was noticeable about his performance was he ranked 2nd for driving accuracy and 3rd for greens in regulations. He ranks 4th for the season in SG: Tee to green and all of this combined makes us think he will be perfectly suited to the test at Harding park.
Abraham Ancer - 66/1 @ Bet365
Abraham was marked down for the USPGA some weeks back when he produced an extraordinary ball striking display to finish 2nd at the RBC Heritage in June. Although he's been unable to hit those heights since, he has showed signs last weekend he is close with rounds of 65, 66 to finish 15th. Like Morikawa, he impressed stats wise finishing 6th for driving accuracy and 7th for greens in regulation. If the brief is correct that you want to keep out of the rough at all costs this week, Ancer is a good man to have onside. The course is also meant to play firm this week which should suit his accurate game.
Chez Reavie - 100/1 @ William Hill
We can't ignore Chez after a fine ball striking display last week which saw him finish 2nd in SG: Tee to green, only slightly behind Justin Thomas. He was also ranked 5th SG: around the green, a stat that should be important around Harding Park. This was his 3rd top 25 in succession and he has just the sort of neat and tidy game we expect to prosper this week. He has finished 12th, 14th and 2nd in his last three majors on American soil so the evidence suggests he enjoys a tough major test. With some bookies offering up to 11 places this week, he could represent great value at 100/1.
Tom Lewis- 160/1 @ 888 Sport
It is worth noting that the last 32 major winners were all ranked in the world's top 50 when they won so it was interesting to see Tom Lewis sneak in there with his blistering weekend finish last week. Tom played the weekend in 13 under par, which was in fact the winning score. He was 3rd for greens in regulation and 10th SG: Tee to green. There is without doubt a trend of PGA winners playing well the week before the event and we thought he is fairly priced given the amount of confidence and momentum he will take into this week.
Ryan Palmer - 175/1 @ Bet365
Ryan is another who is quite comfortable in fields of this strength and showed last week he is peaking quite nicely. It was only two weeks ago he took Jon Rahm the whole way to finish 2nd at the Memorial - another tough setup. He then finished last week with a Sunday 64 to finish 15th place, where he was 4th SG: Tee to green. Palmer doesn't have the best major record so it may be worth waiting to see how he starts before getting him onside, but he is without doubt playing some of the best golf of his career right now.
Justin Thomas - 10/1 @ William Hill
After doing the business for us last week, winning the WGC after we tipped him up after 18 holes at 7/1, we like everything about Justin to go back to back this week and claim his second PGA title. We can't understand how he is only a point or two shorter than Brooks Koepka and Rory Mcllroy, given his performance last week where he ranked 1st for SG: Tee to green. In fact he leads that category for the season by a massive 0.3 gap to his nearest rival. The worrying part for Justin's rivals is that he putted terribly last week and still won by 3 shots. One word of caution, Justin occasionally starts slow so you may be able to get a better price than 10/1 in-play, however he does have an early tee time which should get the best of the conditions.
Collin Morikawa - 35/1 @ William Hill
Next in line we have the Collin Morikawa who is only making his 2nd major start, and the price shows that the bookies are taking no chances with the young superstar. Collin warmed up nicely last week, never in contention though playing the weekend in 67, 66 to finish 20th. What was noticeable about his performance was he ranked 2nd for driving accuracy and 3rd for greens in regulations. He ranks 4th for the season in SG: Tee to green and all of this combined makes us think he will be perfectly suited to the test at Harding park.
Abraham Ancer - 66/1 @ Bet365
Abraham was marked down for the USPGA some weeks back when he produced an extraordinary ball striking display to finish 2nd at the RBC Heritage in June. Although he's been unable to hit those heights since, he has showed signs last weekend he is close with rounds of 65, 66 to finish 15th. Like Morikawa, he impressed stats wise finishing 6th for driving accuracy and 7th for greens in regulation. If the brief is correct that you want to keep out of the rough at all costs this week, Ancer is a good man to have onside. The course is also meant to play firm this week which should suit his accurate game.
Chez Reavie - 100/1 @ William Hill
We can't ignore Chez after a fine ball striking display last week which saw him finish 2nd in SG: Tee to green, only slightly behind Justin Thomas. He was also ranked 5th SG: around the green, a stat that should be important around Harding Park. This was his 3rd top 25 in succession and he has just the sort of neat and tidy game we expect to prosper this week. He has finished 12th, 14th and 2nd in his last three majors on American soil so the evidence suggests he enjoys a tough major test. With some bookies offering up to 11 places this week, he could represent great value at 100/1.
Tom Lewis- 160/1 @ 888 Sport
It is worth noting that the last 32 major winners were all ranked in the world's top 50 when they won so it was interesting to see Tom Lewis sneak in there with his blistering weekend finish last week. Tom played the weekend in 13 under par, which was in fact the winning score. He was 3rd for greens in regulation and 10th SG: Tee to green. There is without doubt a trend of PGA winners playing well the week before the event and we thought he is fairly priced given the amount of confidence and momentum he will take into this week.
Ryan Palmer - 175/1 @ Bet365
Ryan is another who is quite comfortable in fields of this strength and showed last week he is peaking quite nicely. It was only two weeks ago he took Jon Rahm the whole way to finish 2nd at the Memorial - another tough setup. He then finished last week with a Sunday 64 to finish 15th place, where he was 4th SG: Tee to green. Palmer doesn't have the best major record so it may be worth waiting to see how he starts before getting him onside, but he is without doubt playing some of the best golf of his career right now.
