The golf season is back in full swing, with the biggest events on the sport’s calendar rapidly approaching. From the majors to the cups, there’s a whole lot of golf to follow in 2023, and this year, the purses are more stuffed than ever!
Here’s your breakdown of the biggest golf events of the year, as well as when they’re taking place and the odds for the leading names at the major tournaments.
The Players Championship (March 9-12)
With an increased purse of $25 million to hold the meet as the most lucrative on tour, the Players Championship will take place from March 9 to 12 in 2023 but will do so without its reigning champion.
Cameron Smith is set to miss the tournament. That still leaves the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, and seven Canadians to battle for the vacated crown.
As The Players Championship approaches, McIlroy is the narrow favourite at +900, with Rahm and Scheffler hot on his heels at +1000 each.
The Masters (April 6-9)
Perhaps the most highly regarded event on the golf calendar, The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club never fails to entertain fans and regularly produces new champions.
Over the last ten meets, there hasn’t been a back-to-back winner, making a Scottie Scheffler defence seemingly unlikely.
Runner-up in 2022, Rory McIlroy, however, is very much in the mix at +800 in the Masters odds to get himself a green jacket, but that does place him behind Rahm at +700.
Scottie Scheffler is the 2022 Masters champion. #themasters pic.twitter.com/smCowk5i8V
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2022
PGA Championship (May 18-21)
For the first time in almost a decade, Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester will play host to the PGA Championship, which last crowned Jason Dufner as the tournament winner.
Familiar faces Rahm and McIlroy sit as the favourites a couple of months out at +1100, but Justin Thomas isn’t counted out from landing his third PGA Championship win and second in a row at +1400 – on par with Scheffler.
U.S. Open (June 15-18)
This year, the U.S. Open will take place in the midst of the urban metropolis of Los Angeles on the North Course: surrounded by skyscrapers and bustling traffic.
Interestingly, at the Los Angeles Country Club, there are five holes with a par three, hole four is listed as 232 yards, hole nine is 181 yards, and hole 15 is 131 yards.
The defending U.S. Open champion, Matt Fitzpatrick, is out at +2000 to reclaim the crown, with Rahm at +1000 and McIlroy at +1100 leading the charge again, but sports betting fans will have their eyes on the hole-in-one odds.
U.S. Women’s Open (July 6-9)
Rather than venturing to the intimate North Course of L.A., the U.S. Women’s Open will be going to the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time.
The July 6 to 9 tournament on the Monterey Peninsula will be a very special occasion indeed, and after putting up an Open-best 271 last year, Minjee Lee will be eyeing up the top spot at Pebble Beach.
The Open Championship (July 20-23)
Across the pond, the finest golfers on tour will battle at the Royal Liverpool in England for this year’s Open Championship, with defending champion Smith out at +1800 to retain the crown.
In his place, the last man to win The Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool course is the favourite. To repeat his 2014 effort, McIlroy’s the +900 frontrunner.
Women’s Open Championship (August 10-13)
The Women’s Open will be moving on from last year’s host, Muirfield in Scotland, to English turf to compete at Walton Heath.
Having secured the 2022 title in a playoff with Chun In-gee last year, Ashleigh Buhai will be looking to claim the first Women’s Open tournament played here, but there’ll also be Georgia Hall hoping to win on home soil.
Wait, wait, wait... is the AIG Women's Open at @waltonheath_gc really now less than six months away?
— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) February 21, 2023
(Yep, it is!)#AIGWO pic.twitter.com/qumcv1QKZG
Solheim Cup (September 22-24)
Spearheaded by captain Catriona Matthew, Europe secured back-to-back Solheim Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2021, winning at Gleneagles and then the Inverness Club in Ohio – only Europe’s second win in the U.S. since the cup commenced in 1990.
For the 2023 edition, Stacy Lewis will helm the U.S. team, while Suzann Pettersen will attempt to replicate Matthew’s success as the cup goes to Málaga, Spain.
The winner odds currently have Europe and the U.S. neck-and-neck at +110, but to lift the trophy, Europe is the narrow favourite at -125.
Ryder Cup (September/October 29-1)
Taking place in 2021 rather than its allotted 2020 date, the U.S. managed to right the loss from the year prior with a solid 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Captaincy will change hands to Zach Johnson for the U.S., while Europe will be led by Luke Donald at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
Despite the Ryder Cup coming to Europe this year, the U.S. is the clear favourite at -175 to win it and -228 to lift the trophy.
It looks set to be a great year of golf, with the greatest expectations being piled onto McIlroy and Rahm in 2023.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 8th March 2023
