Golf Betting

tiger-woods-1

What began with the Scottish hitting pebbles around sand dunes in the late fifteenth century has evolved into a huge sport. Golf is now enjoyed by millions of people throughout a variety of countries. And this popularity has encouraged lots of betting, especially in regard to the Professional Golf Association (PGA).

Many people love wagering on major PGA events like the Masters, British Open, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Of course, there are plenty of smaller tournaments that bettors can get action on too. If you've ever been interested in golf betting, here's a detailed look at the basics that you need to know to get started.

Three Main Bets

When you visit an online sportsbook to do some golf betting, you'll generally notice three main types of wagers. These include the "Outright Winner", "Field", and wagering on if one golfer will beat another. Below you can see a small description of each wager.

Outright Winner - This is the most common wager that you'll see in PGA betting, and it involves picking who will be the tournament winner. If your golfer finishes second, then you lose. Usually these bets are listed in fractional odds, and here's an example using just a few golfers:

Tiger Woods  6/1
Phil Mickelson  9/1
Rory McIlroy  12/1
Luke Donald  16/1
Graeme McDowell  20/1

In this wager, Tiger Woods is the favorite since bettors are risking $1 to win $6. McDowell is being given the highest odds since people are wagering $1 to earn $20 in profit.

rory-mcilroy

Field - A Field bet calls on bettors to wager on if a golfer will finish first, second or third in a tournament. These bets are listed in fractional, moneyline or decimal odds, depending upon the sportsbook. Below you can see a sample Field wager using the moneyline:

Tiger Woods  -130
Phil Mickelson  +100
Justin Rose  +125
Adam Scott  +150

Here those wagering on Woods to finish in the top three are risking $130 to win $100. People who wager on Adam Scott to finish first, second or third are betting $100 to earn $150 in profit.

Who Finishes Higher - One more commonly seen wager in PGA betting involves picking who will finish higher in a tournament. This bet normally pits two golfers head-to-head, and here's an example:

Steve Stricker  -130
Sergio Garcia  +145

If you bet on Steve Stricker to finish higher in a tourney, you're risking $130 to earn $100. As for a bet on the underdog Garcia, you're wagering $100 to win $145.

Golf Prop Bets

justin-rose

Aside from the main three types of golf bets, you'll also see a wide range of prop wagers too. And what's neat is that these bets vary greatly depending upon which sportsbook you visit. Here's a small sample of the props that you might come across in golf betting.

3 Balls - In golf tournaments, players normally go out in groups of three (a.k.a. 3 balls) during the first two days. You can then wager on which if these players will have the lowest score after 18 holes.

2 Balls - The same as 3 balls, with the notable different being that there are only two players in a group. These pairings happen within the final two days of a tourney.

Lowest Round of the Tournament - And over/under bet on if the lowest round of the tournament will be over or under a certain amount. For example, bettors might see an over/under of 64.5 strokes.

Margin of Victory - Another over/under wager on what the stroke margin will be between the first and second finisher. For instance, you may see an over/under of 1.5 strokes.

Nationality of the Tourney Winner - Betting on what the nationality of the tournament winner will be. In many cases, this is a USA vs. Rest of the World bet. You might also see a list of countries with fractional odds next to each choice.

Will a Player finish in the Top 10 - This is a pretty self-explanatory wager on if a specific player will finish in the top 10.

Will there be a Playoff - Betting on if there will or won't be a playoff at the end of a tourney. This wager is listed in terms of "Yes" or "No."

The world of PGA betting is filled with lots of fun and exciting wagers. And what's nice is that you can easily take advantage of them by signing up at an online sportsbook and making a deposit. This only takes a few moments to do and it'll enable you to bet on lots of tournaments throughout the PGA season.