Two PGA Championship 2023 Round 2 Matchup Bets Including Rory McIlroy Vs. Collin Morikawa
All that pre-tourney noise about Oak Hill Country Club's East Course being one of the toughest tracks in PGA Tour history was no joke. The 1st round of the 2023 PGA Championship was a humbling experience for the world's best.
Technically, there was a frost delay Friday and Round 1 ended up getting suspended for darkness. But, world No. 1 Jon Rahm and No. 17 Tyrrell Hatton both shot 7-over par in Round 1, and No. 18 Sungjae Im went 10-over par.
Jon Rahm reacts after a putt on the 9th green during the 1st round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
Oak Hill turned out to be the hellscape most of golf's talking heads and yours truly projected it to be. Truth be told, my 2023 PGA Championship betting card FUBAR'd entering the 2nd round.
Regardless, I'm putting some Pizza Bets (aka $25-ish wagers) on 2nd round matchups at Oak Hill Country Club. Below, I'll go through my favorite head-to-head bets for Round 2 of golf's 2nd major.
Rory McIlroy (-135) over Collin Morikawa
Typically, Collin crushes with his irons and struggles on the greens. But, on Thursday, Morikawa ranked 87th in this field for Strokes Gained (SG): Approach (APP) and 11th in SG: Putting, according to DataGolf.com.
McIlroy on the other hand was 6th in SG: APP and 11th in SG: Tee-to-Green (T2G) Thursday. Also, I'm one of the biggest Morikawa fans out there but even I can admit McIlroy's ceiling is much higher than Collin's.
Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy shake hands on the 9th green during the 1st round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Rory's pre-PGA Championship head-to-head matchups were Rahm and World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler. Morikawa is the 2021 Champion Golfer of the Year but that Open Championship was his last Tour win.
McIlroy looked destined to miss his 3rd consecutive cut before chipping in to save par on the 11th hole. Rory went on to make back-to-back birdies and is 27th after a 1-over par in the 1st round.
BET: Rory McIlroy (-135) > C. Morikawa in the 2nd round of the 2023 PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy's 2nd-round head-to-head odds vs. Collin Morikawa in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
Sahith Theegala (-110) over Gary Woodland
Theegala got off to a scorching start Thursday before peeing down his leg on the greens. He was 5-under par after 11 holes then bogeyed five of his final seven holes and missed a 4-footer for par on Hole No. 18.
Per DataGolf.com, Theegala ranked 148th out of 156 golfers in SG: Putting in the 1st round but 7th in SG: T2G. But, Woodland was doomed from the beginning of Thursday: He was five-over par after 11 holes in Round 1.
Sahith Theegala looks on from the 18th green during the 1st round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
While Woodland's game is a better fit for Oak Hill, Theegala is having a better season. Woodland is 81st in total SG (+0.293) on the PGA Tour this season and Theegala is 46th (+0.684).
According to FantasyNational.com, Theegala ranks 34th in this field for SG: Around-the-Green (ARG) and 26th in Scrambling. Woodland is 147th in both of those categories. ARG play is tricky at Oak Hill and Scrambling is vital in all majors.
BET: Sahith Theegala (-110) > G. Woodland in Round 2
Sahith Theegala's 2nd-round head-to-head odds vs. Gary Woodland in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club from DraftKings.
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