Top Betting Picks for the 2021 BMW PGA Championship

It’s one of the most prominent events on the European Tour schedule, and it’s the final opportunity to impress Padraig Harrington before his captain’s picks are announced. Throw in the $8 million prize pool, and it’s no wonder an all-star cast has assembled at Wentworth Club this week.

There are all sorts of ways to bet on the BMW PGA Championship – head to one of the safe golf sportsbooks to check out odds for a variety of prop markets. Here, I’ll unveil my favorite under-the-radar plays, my best bets, and my top matchup bet of the week.

Last week’s winner (Nicolai Hojgaard) has been installed at +7500 across all of the top sites – that gives you an idea of some of the value that’s lurking on the betting sheets.

In terms of capturing favorable odds with your BMW PGA Championship betting picks, here are two names to take into consideration.

Priced at +4000 at most reputable betting sites for golf, Henrik Stenson’s +5000 price tag at SportsBetting.ag piqued my interest. It’s been a dreadful year for Stenson as a whole – he’s missed 11 of 19 cuts worldwide and watched his world ranking plummet to #181 in late July.

But then came August and September.

Making his fourth start in four weeks, the 45 -year-old Swede arrives in Surrey with lots of pep in his step. Henrik is 30-under-par in his last 12 rounds and has been popping on page one of leaderboards.

You could do a lot worse than back this 11x European Tour winner at +5000.

+7000 seems pretty reasonable for a man riding with this much confidence. Since the start of July, Johannes Veerman has recorded four top-10s, including a win and a solo third. Veerman’s recent switch into Ping’s i59 irons is clearly paying off – the former Texas A&M standout is surging up the world ranks and evolving into a seriously capable player.

Positioned 29^th in the Race to Dubai, Wentworth provides Veerman with a golden opportunity to become a household name.

Viktor Hovland is the overwhelming favorite at Wentworth, no matter where you’re betting on golf online. I’m as big of a supporter of Hovland as any, but the Norwegian’s +700 number in a field this superb doesn’t excite me.  

Instead, I’m looking at two players who can be backed at much more appealing numbers.

Whether you’re looking for positive course history or studying players with robust recent form, Alex Noren checks all of the boxes. The left-to-right hitting Swede won the 2017 BMW PGA Championship and finished 3^rd at Wentworth in 2018.

As for the “what have you done for me lately part,” Noren parlayed his T16 at the Tokyo Olympics into a brilliant performance at the FedEx Cup Playoffs (T4 at THE NORTHERN TRUST; T9 at the BMW Championship).

All signs are pointing toward Alex throwing his hat in the ring this weekend in Virginia Water.

One of my BMW PGA Championship predictions is that Christiaan Bezuidenhout carries the momentum he gained in Indiana across the pond and into England. Coming off a blistering 64 (-8) Sunday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the 27-year-old South African utilized a top-10 in Boise and a solo-3^rd in the finale to solidify his PGA Tour status for 2021-22.

Those unfamiliar with Christiaan’s overall resume know that he’s a 3x European Tour winner who’s ranked ahead of names like Justin Rose and Ian Poulter in the latest edition of the OWGR.

I’m constantly combing for “plus-money” value when targeting head-to-head golf matchups. After a bit of surveying, the combination of backing Billy Horschel and fading Matt Fitzpatrick started sounding better and better.

Fitzpatrick is a tremendous player who finished 7^th here last year and is on his way to Whistling Straits as a member of the European Ryder Cup team. At the same time, he’s clearly in a bit of a funk.

Flip the coin, and Billy Horschel is fresh off finishing 7^th in the 72-hole stroke-play portion at East Lake and a man looking to make a serious move in the Race to Dubai.

Currently fourth in the R2D standings, none of the three players slotted ahead of Billy are in the field at Wentworth. In other words, Horschel’s got a lot to play for.

If you’re on board with any of these BMW PGA Championship picks, check out my preview for this week’s PGA Tour Champions event.