FrontPageBets 2022 PGA Championship first look: Tiger in, Mickelson out

Phil Mickelson will not defend his title this week at the PGA Championship, but Tiger Woods will be in Tulsa, Okla., to add another page to his storybook comeback.

Two of the most recognizable names in golf were supposed to tee it up this week in the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, but now it's just Woods ... oh, and 34 other major winners.

Mickelson, who hasn't played a professional round since early February, decided Friday to extend his hiatus from golf after making controversial comments about the PGA Tour and his involvement with the rival LIV tour out of Saudi Arabia. The last time the six-time major winner played in a PGA Tour event was at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, where he missed the cut at Torrey Pines.

Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship last year at Kiawah Island to become the oldest major champion at age 50, was a longshot to win this weekend anyway with +13000 odds.

Woods, of course, made his return to golf at last month's Masters after nearly 14 months off recovering from a severely broken leg after a car accident in February 2021. Woods made the cut at Augusta National and finished 47th after firing a 1-under 71 in his first round back. He has won the PGA Championship four times (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007).

Woods will be joined by an all-star field of other major winners, including 2022 Masters champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Woods is +6500 to win at Southern Hills.

FrontPageBets takes a first look at this week's PGA Championship.

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings, unless otherwise noted)

The course

Southern Hills was designed by pioneering course architect Perry Maxwell. It opened in 1936 and was known for its tree-lined fairways, forcing a need to be uber accurate off the tee.

A redesign by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner in 2018 changed the complexion of the seven-time major host venue. It now plays par-70, 7,556 yards. There are just two par-5s, both monsters spanning more than 600 yards. Many trees have been trimmed back. There are additional bunkers and wider fairways for the combatants to attack. Thick rough has been taken away from around the greens.

To be successful on the new-look Southern Hills, the winner must show the chops to weigh risk and reward and recover from challenges.

There's a lot more to the formula for success now than just being straight out of the tee box.

The favorites: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm (+1200)

All three of these standouts have shown major mojo in the past. McIlroy, ranked seventh in the world, has four major championships, including a pair of PGAs in 2012 and 2014. Scheffler has been dominant on Tour this season and pocketed the first major of the season and his career at Augusta. Rahm, No. 2, has been considered the man to beat at most tournaments this year and claimed his first major at the 2021 U.S. Open. All are solid selections in Oklahoma.

Pick to win: Patrick Cantlay (+2200)

Cantlay, last year's FedEx Cup champion, probably carries the title of best player on Tour yet to win a major. Ranked fifth in the world he could be poised to break through. His best major finish to date in T-3 at the 2019 PGA. He teamed with Xander Schauffele to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2022. He has collected six top 10s this season, including runner-up finishes at the RBC Heritage and Waste Management Phoenix Open. 

Top 5: Daniel Berger (+650)

Expect No. 21 Berger to be in contention. He has a pair of top 10s under his belt, including fourth at the Honda Classic and T-5 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He's eighth in strokes gained approach the green (.781) and should pair well with Southern Hills.

Top 10: Tyrrell Hatton  (+600)

The Brit, +600 by FanDuel to finish in the top 10 this week, is ranked 28th in the world and has been in the chase with a T-2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T-9 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. A putting savant, he is second on Tour in strokes gained with the flatstick (1.009).

Favorite Prop: Margin of victory 2 strokes +340

The last four victors of the PGA Championship have won by two strokes, and 10 times since 1998.

Another wager to consider is a playoff at +300. Four times since 2000 has the PGA Championship gone to a playoff -- the last was Keegan Bradley's 2011 win at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

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