The second major of 2021 is here as the PGA Tour returns to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Below, we look at the fantasy golf power rankings and odds for the 2021 PGA Championship, with PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Collin Morikawa is the defending PGA Championship winner but Rory McIlroy is the reigning champ at Kiawah Island. He won by eight strokes at 13 under at the Ocean Course in the 2012 PGA Championship. They’re No. 24 and 15, respectively, in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
The 7,876-yard Ocean Course rewards the Tour’s longest hitters, but there’s an even greater emphasis on play around the greens and on approach.
2021 PGA Championship: Fantasy Golf Top 20
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Monday at 6:15 p.m. ET.
20. Patrick Reed (+3300)
Won the Farmers Insurance Open in late January and has three other top-10 finishes this year, including a T-8 at the Masters. Averaging 0.24 Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green this season and has been hot with the putter.
19. Matt Fitzpatrick (+6000)
Four top-10 finishes through seven PGA Tour events this year before missing the cut at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. Putting very well but also gaining strokes in all other key areas and is eighth in par 4 efficiency: 450-500 yards.
18. Joaquin Niemann (+6600)
No. 9 in the Golfweek rankings but shares just the 27th-best odds to win this streak as a strong value. He averages 0.55 SG: Off-the-Tee per round.
Fans watch from under a tree on the second hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship at Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort. (Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
17. Cameron Smith (+4000)
Fifteenth on Tour in bogey avoidance. Averaging 0.46 SG: Around-the-Green and 0.34 SG: Approach per round. Fourth on Tour in sand save percentage.
16. Daniel Berger (+2500)
Struggling with the short game but averaging 0.73 SG: Approach and 0.59 SG: Off-the-Tee per round. He’s sixth in bogey avoidance and tied for third at the Byron Nelson while ranking third among those to make the cut with 1.09 SG: Off-the-Tee per round.
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15. Will Zalatoris (+5000)
Led last week’s field with 2.37 SG: Approach per round but finished T-17 amid a poor putting performance. Tied for sixth in the 2020 U.S. Open and was the runner-up at April’s Masters.
14. Tyrrell Hatton (+5000)
Fourth on Tour in SG: Approach with 0.92 per round and 10th in sand save percentage. Hasn’t played since a T-39 finish at the RBC Heritage after withdrawing from the Valspar Championship due to a positive COVID-19 test.
13. Xander Schauffele (+2000)
The top-ranked player in the Golfweek rankings shares just the seventh-best odds to win. He finished in the top 10 in each of his last three majors, including a T-3 at this year’s Masters.
12. Webb Simpson (+4000)
Withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship just before his tee time while citing a neck injury. Two weeks off should serve him well for another try at a second career major. He leads the Tour in bogey avoidance and is averaging 1.25 SG: Tee-to-Green per round.
11. Tony Finau (+3300)
His T-10 finish at the 2021 Masters was his ninth career top-10 finish in a major through 19 appearances. He’s seventh on Tour in SG: Approach and will benefit from the wide fairways of the Ocean Course.
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10. Collin Morikawa (+3000)
The defending PGA Championship winner enters sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking with a win and two other top-10 finishes this year. He’s just T-125 in driving distance this season and will struggle if the weather makes the course play any longer than it is.
Brooks Koepka plays a shot during a practice round prior to the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort’s Ocean Course on May 17, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
9. Brooks Koepka (+3300)
Played the AT&T Byron Nelson for his first event since a missed cut at the Masters. He missed the cut but his surgically repaired knee didn’t seem to be an issue, and he was third in the field in SG: Around-the-Green over 36 holes.
8. Dustin Johnson (+1800)
Still No. 1 in the OWGR, the 2020 Masters champ won the European Tour’s Saudi International earlier this year but has just one top-10 finish through eight PGA Tour events. He missed the cut at this year’s Masters and most recently withdrew from the Byron Nelson due to knee discomfort.
7. Viktor Hovland (+2000)
Among the Tour leaders in SG: Approach, SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Tee-to-Green, Hovland has also vastly improved his putting but still struggles with the short game. Enters off of back-to-back third-place finishes at the Valspar Championship and Wells Fargo Championship with excellent weekend scores.
6. Jon Rahm (+1400)
Tied for 34th at the Byron Nelson following a missed cut at the Wells Fargo in his first events since a T-5 at the Masters. He does his best work in the biggest tournaments and is fourth on Tour in total strokes gained per round.
Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm during a practice round for the 2021 PGA Championship at Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort. Photo by Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
5. Patrick Cantlay (+4000)
The only player on Tour averaging better than 0.50 SG: Around-the-Green and Off-the-Tee per round. Also 28th in sand save percentage and seventh in bogey avoidance.
4. Justin Thomas (+1400)
Second on Tour in SG: Approach and total strokes gained per round. He’s tied for 53rd in driving distance and has a disadvantage compared to the other top favorites.
3. Bryson DeChambeau (+1600)
Leads the Tour with an average driving distance of 322.0 yards and is No. 1 in SG: Off-the-Tee per round. His putting and short game are underrated and he’ll be able to try some unique angles with the open fairways.
2. Rory McIlroy (+1100)
The defending champion of the Ocean Course was among the favorites by the futures odds since they were posted last summer. He won here by eight strokes in 2012 amid difficult weather conditions and ranks second on Tour this season in driving distance. His sand play and short game were sharp in winning the Wells Fargo Championship.
1. Jordan Spieth (+1400)
The feel-good story of the 2020-21 PGA Tour season will try again to complete the career grand slam this week. He has a victory and six other top-10 finishes through 10 events this year. The open fairways will save him from his usual trouble off the tee.
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