PGA Championship 2023: Will Justin Thomas claim another win?

Justin Thomas will be eager to get his name back among the world’s top golfers. It feels like a lifetime ago that he first exploded onto the scene, but the fact he hasn’t hit 30 yet will be a positive for him and his team.

His breakthrough year in 2017 was when he landed his first PGA Championship, and following his success last year, he will be keen for consecutive titles.

He faces stiff competition this year and we will explore how likely his back-to-back quest will be.

However, winning three PGA Championships before he turns 30 will set him up nicely for a career resurgence.

How likely is it that Justin will win a third PGA Championship?

Even if you don’t bet on golf, looking at the odds is usually a good start. The sportsbooks often factor in many components to compile their list of likely favourites. Despite his impressive victory last year, Justin Thomas wasn’t the favourite and he isn’t this year, either.

Since Justin has scraped back into the top 10 in the world rankings, many other contenders are more likely to lift the trophy this year. Bet UK golf odds provide a comprehensive breakdown of this outright market.

Scottie Scheffler has been in inspired form over the last 12 months and rightly sits at the top of the world’s men’s rankings. For this reason, it should come as no surprise that he is the joint favourite to win the PGA Championship this year.

Jon Rahm is neck and neck with Thomas in these rankings; again, this should come as no surprise, given the Spaniard is one of the top players in the world at the moment and playing some of the best golf of his career. However, Rory McIlroy is a name that carries the most crossover power in the sport and he is one of the most recognisable faces on the circuit today.

McIlroy is so esteemed because of his blistering start to his career and he finds himself behind Rahm and Scheffler. However, when they’re all operating at their best, McIlory is the best of the bunch and could be a good selection as an outsider.

Although his form seems to have taken a significant hit following his outspoken views against the rival LIV tour, he is a formidable opponent on his day. He is level with Justin, with two PGA Championships in his trophy cabinet.

Justin Thomas. Image by Rolex / Augusta National 2023

The top four

Behind these three, Justin also finds himself in this pack. Between Scottie, Rahm, Rory and Justin, it isn’t easy to see anybody else challenging these four. Justin proved last year that he could upset the apple cart and win, despite the sportsbooks suggesting otherwise.

All things considered, he is good value for this year’s tournament. As we know, with the PGA Championship and major tournaments, it is a marathon, not a sprint. But since he scooped up last year’s trophy, Justin will be confident and familiar with the standards he needs to set on this course to win.

The elephant in the room is that Justin made a superhuman effort to win the PGA Championship in 2022. It was one of the biggest news stories of the golfing calendar and hit the headlines worldwide due to its dramatic finale.

Following an unprecedented seven-shot deficit from the previous day, he somehow clawed his way back into the game to defeat Will Zalatoris in one of the most exciting finishes to a PGA Championship we have seen for many years.

Conclusion

When it mattered, Justin put his foot on the gas and took the trophy home. However, it would be fair to say that his overall form throughout last year’s competition wasn’t the most consistent. Other players lost it just as much as he won it. However, he stepped up to the plate when it mattered most, and this is often the extra 5% that separates excellent players from the world’s elite-level operators.

Thomas, Rahm, Scheffler and McIlroy will be confident in this year’s tournament. Choosing out of these four who will come out on top is challenging. It would be a surprise to see Thomas retain his title, as it would mean the other three players on this list aren’t performing to their full potential.

With all due respect to Justin, he is a fantastic player but if all of these players are firing on all cylinders, it is unlikely he will win the PGA Championship in Tulsa this year. However, Justin Thomas will be the first to tell you that the odds don’t matter. Last year, he was 28/1 to win the championship, and look what happened there.

He is much shorter odds this time, so it won’t be the biggest shock in the world if he manages to win it again.