While it lacks the intensity and excitement of other professional sports, betting on golf still is one of the most popular sports to bet on in the spring and summer months.

If you’re a beginner at betting on golf online, you’ve come to the right place. The 2024 Players Championship odds are listed below. They were last updated on March 13, 2024:

The Players Odds 2024 Bovada BetOnline BetUS MyBookie BetNow
Scottie Scheffler +550 +550 +550 +550 +600
Rory McIlroy +1600 +1600 +1600 +1600 +1600
Xander Schauffele +2200 +2200 +2200 +2200 +2200
Viktor Hovland +2500 +2200 +2200 +2200 +2200
Max Homa +2200 +2500 +2500 +2200 +2500
Justin Thomas +2500 +2500 +2500 +2500 +2500
Patrick Cantlay +2800 +2800 +2800 +2800 +2800
Collin Morikawa +2800 +2800 +2800 +2900 +2800

How to Bet on Golf Online

We’ve compiled a guide to betting on your favorite golf events, from the US Masters to the PGA Championships – we have you covered. We’re here to answer the simple question: how do I bet on golf?

On average, each major golf event will host about 140 professional golfers, and oddsmakers will quickly outline the sure favorites, the midrange players and the underdogs. It will be obvious when looking at the odds board who is in which category, and who you should be keeping an eye on.

If you’re familiar with futures betting in any other sport, golf betting is essentially the same. The odds board has so many options, and with so many golfers competing for the same title, the value can be quite good for even a favored player.

Be sure to keep an eye on the odds though, for a golfer’s odds can shift week to week, day to day, and in the blink of an eye, an underdog could climb the board to be a favorite in just one good finish.

golf betting

Golf Odds Explained

So, what do golf odds mean? When the odds are released, the betting odds represent how likely it is for that specific golfer to win the tournament. Negative numbers like -300 would mean the likelihood of that golfer to win the tournament is high, and positive numbers like +1200 would rank their chances to win lower.

Golf Betting Options

While picking the winner of the tournament is easily the most popular betting option, there are plenty of other golf betting options available for sports bettors who want an edge or to mix things up for each tournament.

Golf Tournament Winner

As we’ve mentioned above, the golf tournament winner is by far the most popular golf betting option available. You can usually find this at any sportsbook before the event, as soon as the tournament golfers are announced. It’s simple, and doesn’t get more straightforward than picking who you think will win the tournament.

For example, if you wanted to pick Jordan Spieth to win the Masters, and his odds were +500, you’d need to bet $100 to win $500 (and your initial $100). If his odds to win the masters were $1000, you’d have to bet $100 to win $1000 (and your initial $100). As we mentioned before, these are riskier bets as there are so many options on an odds board so your player would need to win outright for your bet to cash.

Each Way Golf Betting

If you’re looking to make your golf betting a little more interesting, you can choose to place an Each-way bet. You’re essentially betting on a top-five placement for your selected golfer. If you think of it as two separate bets, a bet to win the tournament, and a bet to place top five, it’s like a safety blanket if you don’t want to pick the winner.

Say there is a golfer you think has a great chance of winning, but you aren’t confident enough that they’ll finish first to place a big wager on it. You can place an each-way bet, which will double your odds, so your $20 bet will turn into a $40 bet, and if he places in the top five, you will win a quarter of what you would win if he placed first.

Let’s say the golfer has +5000 odds, and you want to bet $10 - you can place a $20 each-way golf bet. If he places the top five, instead of the $20 paid out $1,000, you will receive a quarter of the odds on him placing in the top five. So, your half of your each-way bet winnings of $500, will be dropped to $125 in winnings.

First-Round Leader Betting

First-round leader betting is another simple golf betting option. Prior to the event, odds will be posted for the outright lead after the first day. If you see a golfer who you believe will get a quick start in the tournament, you can place a first-round leader bet on that golfer. After each round, there will be second-round leaders, third-round leaders, and final-round leaders as well after each day.

Top Nationality Golf Bet

Usually, each country sends multiple golfers, and you can bet on the top golfer from each country. You can bet on the top Asian, top Australian, top US, top Canadian, etc. Each category could have two golfers, and some could have up to 20 or so. This betting type follows similar rules as the outright bets listed above.

Head-to-Head Golf Bets

This betting type is as simple as it sounds. You can place a golf bet on head-to-head events, like who will beat their playing partner for the day, or who will win a certain hole within a round. Some online betting sites will offer odds that pin two favorites against each other by score, per round.

Top 5, 10 and 20 Golf Bets

Yet another simple betting type for golf is betting placements in the top five, 10 and 20. You can score some great value on underdogs using this golf betting type, as some of the breakout players surely arise. You can parlay these betting types, if you think a player might place top 5, you can bet this specific player in all three categories to maximize your winnings - parlay it if you feel extra confident!

golf betting strategies

Golf Betting Events

There are several big golf tournaments throughout the golf season, all of which have golf betting odds readily available throughout. We will give a brief outline of the four majors, with links to our event pages, and a list of other popular golf betting events outside of the majors.

  • The Masters Hosted at Augusta National year after year, The Masters is the only golf tournament held in the same venue - giving players and sports bettors a bit of an edge when it comes to course familiarity.
  • The PGA Championship The PGA Championships was always held in August, but since last year, has been moved to a timeslot in May. Currently, the 2021 PGA Championship is scheduled for May 20th to 23rd at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
  • The US Open Not to be confused with the tennis tournament of the same name, The US Open is known to be one of the more challenging tournaments of the season. Notably known as the most controversial, and interesting golf tournaments one can watch and bet on.
  • The British Open Known as the oldest major in golf and most prestigious, The British Open is truly ‘open’ to all - professionals and amateurs alike (by invitation or qualification of course). The 149th British Open will be held at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent from July 15th to 18th, 2020.

Other Golf Events:

  • Ryder Cup
  • Valero Texas Open
  • The Players Championship
  • FedEx Cup

Best Golf Betting Sites

With such a large quantity of golfers participating in any given tournament, comes a large quantity of sportsbooks offering a variety of different betting odds.

Sportsbook odds are not linear, there is no standard for odds, so finding the sportsbook with the best golf betting odds is crucial. Professional sports bettors have multiple accounts at different sportsbooks to do their line shopping before any major golf betting event. But first, finding a sportsbook that’s trustworthy, safe and secure should be your main priority.

Online sportsbook reviews can provide much-needed guidance before making your selection for your golf betting needs. Finding a sportsbook that also suits your specific needs is important. Does the sportsbook have your preferred payment method? Do they offer great bonuses or loyalty programs? Does the sign-up process take long? Are they mobile-friendly? These are all questions you should be asking before signing up at a sportsbook for your golf bets.

We have a great selection of trusted sportsbooks that we use ourselves, and would highly recommend as the best online sportsbooks for golf betting. Check out our sportsbook reviews for more in-depth information on each betting site.

Meet the author

Eric Uribe

Eric has been passionate about sports since he was 10 years old. He brings over 10 years of sports journalism experience to his expert coverage of sports betting. Hailing from the US, Eric leverages his diverse expertise covering sports at all levels – from high sch...