Now that sports betting is live in Virginia, golf bettors need to know about their options in the state. The PGA Championship is an annual favorite, so it’s important to get a sense of what Virginia sportsbooks have available.

Here in Virginia, you can bet on every PGA, LPGA, and European Tour event and great international matches such as the Ryder Cup. Every PGA golf tournament draws plenty of betting action, but it increases tenfold for golf majors. Among those, of course, is the PGA Championship.

We’ll cover the ins and outs of betting on one of the best golf events of the year, from live PGA Championship odds to the bet types you’ll find. We’ll also offer some essential beginner golf betting tips.

You will find futures bets for the 2023 event right now at Virginia’s most popular sportsbooks.

2023 PGA Championship Odds

As one of golf’s four majors, there’s an active futures market for the PGA Championship. Futures are bets you can make on the outright winner of the tournament well in advance of the event.

You can make your futures bets soon after the odds are released or stay on the hunt all season, looking for a few solid dark horses or laying a big bet down on a favorite.

PGA Championship odds move throughout the season as the action flows in and players hit good or bad streaks. So make sure to note the trends often.

How To Bet on Golf in Virginia

You can bet on the winner of the next PGA Championship at virtually any time via the futures market. Once the tournament rolls around, you’ll have a whole lot more to consider. Here’s a look at the main golf bets and how they work.

To Win

As the PGA Championship draws near, the futures market for which golfer will win the event picks up. Odds are available for all golfers in the field, ranging from heavy favorites down to the longshots. After the first couple of rounds, odds on the leaders drop significantly, so a pre-tournament bet offers the best payouts.

Here’s what the odds might look like for a handful of favorites.

• Rory McIlroy               +800
• Jon Rahm                    +900
• Jordan Spieth             +1000

For the uninitiated, “+800” means a $100 bet on Rory to win would pay out at 8:1 and give you a total of $900 (your original $100 plus the $800 that you won).

Head-to-head

Sportsbooks pair off golfers into head-to-head matchups, and you get to pick which golfer you think will score lowest. For those looking for a parallel from team sports betting, this is the one. Odds are listed just like a moneyline bet with negative odds for favorites and positive numbers for underdogs. For example:

• Rory McIlroy             +120
• Tiger Woods               -140

Finishing Position

This is a bet you can make on golfers to finish in specific spots. Offerings will vary, but many sportsbooks offer bets on the Top 5, Top 10, or Top 20 finishers. The odds for these bets will be just like what you would find in the futures market. Here’s what the numbers might look like for a few golfers to finish in the Top 10:

• Scottie Scheffler    +1000
• Justin Thomas       +1200
• Jon Rahm               +1400

Golfer Vs. the Field

For the bigger favorites in the field, sportsbooks will offer up a simple choice: Who will win, the favored player or someone else from the field? For example:

• Jon Rahm       +200
• Field                -180

Group Betting

Similar to head-to-head betting, sportsbooks set up groups of three or four golfers for bettors to choose from. Also known as 2 or 3-balls, these are great bets that can keep you even further engaged as the PGA Championship plays out. Sample odds for who will have the better round:

• Webb Simpson                       +145
• Patrick Cantlay                       +125
• Xander Schauffele                  -115

Each Way

Let’s say you have a good feeling for a golfer to perform well at the PGA, but you’re not necessarily sure he’ll be able to win the event. In cases like this, look towards each way bet, which covers you to win or place highly, such as in the Top 5.

• Adam Scott     +225
• Jason Day       +250
• Justin Rose     +275

Golfers To Make Cut

For the PGA Championship, the top 70 plus ties advance after the first two rounds are in the books. It can work out to around half of the field or so, and you can make your choices on which golfers you think will move on to play the weekend. Sample odds:

• Tony Finau      +1200
• Patrick Cantlay  +1400
• Tyrell Hatton   +1600

Round Leaders

While the PGA Championship revolves around the winner over four rounds of play, sportsbooks allow you to zero in even further. For each round of the tournament, you can bet on which golfer you think will post the best score. For example:

• Jordan Spieth             +2000
• Rickie Fowler              +2200
• Paul Casey                 +2400

Prop Bets

A popular item on the betting menu for all sports is prop betting, and you’ll find plenty of side bets for PGA tournaments. Many of them will be based on specific performance metrics for golfers in the field, such as:

• How many birdies will Tiger Woods have in round two – Over/Under 6.5?
• What will be the top score after three rounds – Over/Under -9.5?
• Who will have more birdies in round one – Dustin Johnson or Brooks Koepka?

When the majors are on, you’ll find most sportsbooks beef up their prop betting offers – and even introduce some intriguing cross-sport props.

Nationality of Winning Golfer

You can often find this entertaining bet under the prop bet section, but it’s worth a mention. This is a bet you can place on the home country of the golfer who you think will win the PGA Championship. For example:

• USA                +120
• England           +150
• Etc.

PGA Live Betting

As the legal sports betting industry has grown, interest in betting on golf has spiked right along with it. There’s also another huge factor that has contributed to the surge, and it’s one of the fastest-growing segments of the betting industry as a whole.

Live betting has taken off like a rocket in recent years. Also known as in-play or in-game betting, it refers to bets you can place after the action has already gotten underway. For a golf tournament such as the PGA Championship, you have multiple opportunities to explore across all four days of the event.

It’s a fast-moving market, but sportsbook apps make it simple to stay on top of what’s going on. Offerings will vary based on the situation, but here’s a peek at some of the bet types you might come across.

• What will Tiger Woods card on hole four – Ace/Eagle/Birdie/Par/Bogey/Double Bogey or worse?
• Who will have the longer tee shot on the sixth hole – Jon Rahm or Collin Morikawa?
• Will Xander Schauffele sink this putt for par – Yes/No?

Live betting opens the doors to even more bets as the PGA Championship plays out. Among the other benefits of using a betting app to get even closer to the game is that many sportsbooks provide hole-by-hole coverage in real-time.

What Are the Vegas Odds for the PGA Championship?

Las Vegas is the sports betting capital of the world, and in years past that was the place to find the benchmark odds for any sporting event. These days, the story has changed a bit.

Vegas still holds the mantle of betting capital, but it no longer has a hammerlock on oddsmaking. Legal and regulated online sportsbooks in many states now provide their own odds — most right in line with what you’ll see in the Vegas odds.

For the PGA Championship, odds from top sportsbooks outside of Vegas are in line with what you’ll find there. You can certainly take a look to see what the oddsmakers there have to say, but you’ll find similar prices right here.

Where Is the 2023 PGA Championship?

As one of the biggest golf events of the calendar year, the PGA Championship is always held at a top course in a picturesque setting. It’s no different for the next edition. Here are the details you need to know about the 2023 PGA Championship:

• Location: Rochester, NY
• Course: Oak Hill Country Club (East Course)
• Designer: Donald Ross with restoration by Andrew Green
• Par: 70
• Length: 7,334 yards
• Course rating: 77.2
• Slope rating: 151

Oak Hill Country Club has earned its reputation as a big event course. The venue has hosted three PGA Championships (not counting 2023), the Ryder Cup, and three US Opens.

How To Watch the PGA Championship

Here’s where you’ll be able to catch all of the action for the next PGA Championship.

• Dates: May 18-21, 2023
• Broadcast: CBS, ESPN
• Supplemental: ESPN+

ESPN typically handles early-round coverage, as well as the early mornings on the weekend. CBS takes over the broadcasts for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. ESPN+, a subscription add-on of the sports media powerhouse, handles supplemental coverage of the event.

CBS and ESPN are part of many cable, streaming, and satellite packages. You can find streaming options online and via mobile with both networks. For ESPN, just note that you’ll need to sign in with valid credentials from your provider.

Also, keep in mind that some sportsbook operators provide enhanced coverage via their mobile betting apps. While you may not necessarily be able to catch the action live in this fashion, those who go all out for live betting generally provide great shot-by-shot coverage of the PGA.

PGA Championship History

When the best golfers in the world tee off with lots on the line, special things seem to happen. That has certainly been the case for the last decade of PGA Championships. Here’s a look back at the last 10 winners.

Year	Golfer	Score	To Par	Course
2022	Justin Thomas	275	-5	Southern Hill Country Club – Tulsa OK
2021	Phil Mickelson	282	-6	Kiawah Island Golf Resort – Kiawah Island, SC
2020	Collin Morikawa	267	-13	TPC Harding Park – San Francisco, CA
2019	Brooks Koepka	272	-8	Bethpage Black Course – Farmingdale, NY
2018	Brooks Koepka	264	-16	Bellerive Country Club – Town and Country, MO
2017	Justin Thomas	276	-8	Quail Hollow Club – Charlotte, NC
2016	Jimmy Walker	266	-14	Baltusrol Golf Club – Springfield, NJ
2015	Jason Day	268	-20	Whistling Straits – Kohler, WI
2014	Rory McIlroy	268	-16	Valhalla Golf Club – Louisville, KY
2013	Jason Dufner	270	-10	Oak Hill – Rochester, NY

As you can see, scores have varied greatly depending on the venue. A trio of winners have hit paydirt while shooting a -8 for the event, while Jason Day came out on top in 2015 with a four-day tally of -20.

The last time the event was held at Oak Hill, a -10 score from Jason Dufner got it done. Jim Furyk finished two strokes back as a runner-up in 2013.

In 2022, Justin Thomas lifted the trophy after a tiebreaker with a score of -5. Will Zalatoris joined Thomas in the playoff. Mito Pereira and Cameron Young finished just a stroke behind the leaders.

Can You Legally Bet on Golf Online in Virginia?

Yes, it’s legal to bet on golf online in Virginia. Sports betting launched in the Commonwealth in January 2021.

To bet online, you’ll need to create an account with the sportsbook of your choice. Signing up is easy, and the best course of action is to click through on our exclusive links to begin.

By doing so, you’ll be eligible for some free bet sign-up offers. Next, it’s just a matter of entering a few simple pieces of information to create your account. Once that’s all set, download the iPhone or Android app from the sportsbook site.

Afterward, log in on the app, and you’ll be ready to go. Note that you’ll need to be within state lines for betting online or via mobile app. To verify that you are, sportsbook operators use what’s known as geolocation tracking. You can manage your account from anywhere, but you’ll need to be back in Virginia when it’s time to bet.

As for actually betting online, you can perform all of the same functions as you would at a brick-and-mortar sportsbook. You can deposit funds, research the odds, and place your bets, all right from your computer or phone/tablet.