The 104th PGA Championship will be the most popular golf betting event of the 2022 PGA Tour season to date. As the experts in the business and game of golf, we recognize how important a real professional perspective is when it comes to guessing who might win the year’s second major. You won’t find this level of access and interpretation anywhere on the internet.
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The stage: set. ✅ Southern Hills is ready.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/qhz6tS3kdI
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2022
The first step in building a narrative around who will contend this week involves a breakdown of the course. Perry Maxwell designed Southern Hills Country Club in 1936. We have seen some work over the years by other architects, but the most significant changes took place in 2018 when Gil Hanse performed a comprehensive “historic restoration.” Hanse’s term for amplifying the original characteristics of a course while making it relevant to the modern game.
A first step to making predictions is through the gathering of data from previous player performances on similar courses. Perry Maxwell worked with Alister MacKenzie on several projects. Their connection can be seen on their most famous designs. A great comp course for Southern Hills is Augusta National. In fact, the connection goes much deeper than that.
BETTING ODDS: BetMGM Odds for Entire 2022 Field at Southern Hills
Maxwell helped renovate 11 of the 18 holes at ANGC over the years. The time he spent with Dr. MacKenzie truly shaped his vision. If a player can perform well at the Masters, they can handle Southern Hills. Another man who represents a key relationship between these two courses is GSCAA member Russ Myers. Russ is the Director of Grounds at Southern Hills CC. It just so happens this agronomy expert worked at Augusta National for a period during his career ascent.
The Masters is the most predictive tournament we handicap all year. With this comp connection, we now have a very strong start to building a player model with very little local knowledge. Curious how I can connect these two courses even more? Take two previous PGA Champions from Southern Hills Raymond Floyd and Tiger Woods. Both of those Southern Hills winners also own a Green Jacket!
I spoke with Southern Hills Director of Golf, Cary Cozby as part of my preview. Listen to his breakdown of the layout, his favorites, and the experience of lifetime, caddying for Tiger Woods. The 2016 National PGA Professional of the Year was also an All-American player for Oklahoma. His player knowledge around this layout is extremely valuable.
Part 2 will preview the PGA Championship, selecting which players I predict to contend. Take a moment over coffee to learn more about the skill set needed to win the Wanamaker and who I think will do it.
PICK YOUR PROS: Build Your 2022 PGA Championship Fantasy Team
PGA Professional Keith Stewart writes for Read The Line.
The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (“PGA”) is not an online gambling operator, and PGAChampionship.com is not a gambling site of any kind. Odds are provided for information and entertainment purposes only. Odds were sourced from BetMGM and last updated on: 2:32 PM May 18, 2022. PGA makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of information given.
READ PART 2: Top Names to Bet on at the 2022 PGA Championship
