Jordan Spieth popular pick to complete career grand slam
May 15 - It has been eight years since Jordan Spieth has won a major tournament and three years since he has won an event of any type, but that hasn't deterred bettors who believe the 31-year-old is primed to complete the career grand slam this week.
Spieth is the biggest liability in the entire PGA Championship field at BetRivers, where he has been backed by 4.2 percent of the total bets and 3.8 percent of the money wagered on this week's winner at Quail Hollow. His odds opened at +4000 but have lengthened to +6000.
Rory McIlroy won his first major in 11 years at last month's major to complete his career grand slam. The "major" difference, however, is that McIlroy is ranked No. 2 in the world and had already won twice in 2025.
Spieth's most recent victory came at the 2022 RBC Heritage. He is currently ranked 48th in the world and is coming off a tie for 34th at last week's Truist Championship. Spieth does have three top-10 finishes this year, but none of them have come at a major or signature event.
Still, bettors have been drawn to his longshot odds.
BetMGM's second biggest liability is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the co-favorite at +500 along with McIlroy. Scheffler leads the field with 27.8 percent of the money backing him to win this weekend, followed by McIlroy at 15.6 percent.
The book's third biggest liability is LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau, who has drawn 13.0 percent of the money while seeing his odds shorten from +2200 to +800.
"With Rory completing his grand slam in Augusta, bettors now turn to Jordan Spieth to do the same with a victory in the PGA Championship. Speith is the worst result for us, and not far behind is Scottie Scheffler fresh off a dominating performance at the Byron Nelson," BetMGM senior trader Matt Wall said.
"Bettors are also rooting for Bryson DeChambeau, as his odds have shrank to +800 while the book is rooting for Rory to win, which is surprisingly a good result for us right now."
Scheffler is the biggest liability to be the leader after Thursday's first round, followed by DeChambeau and McIlroy. McIlroy finishing in the top 5 this week has been the most popular prop bet of the event.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Man up and get on with it!' – Scots golf legend in astonishing blast at players moaning about US Open rough conditions
COLIN MONTGOMERIE has told the elite golfers who are unimpressed with the tough conditions at the US Open this week to "man up". Oakmont is playing host to the third major of the golf season this week and the rough in particular is brutal. 4 The rough at Oakmont will make things extremely tough st the US Open Credit: Getty 4 Colin Montgomerie had a few choice words for unhappy golfers at the event Credit: Getty 4 The rough is being kept to a uniform five inches by an army of lawnmowers Credit: Getty 4 Tyrrell Hatton takes a shot from the rough during a practice round Credit: EPA It was measured at around five inches deep but the United States Golf Association (USGA) trimmed it down after a series of complaints from the game's top players. The Pennsylvania track is renowned for its difficulty even under normal circumstances - with a reputation as perhaps the hardest golf course in the world - with narrow and sometimes sloping fairways, a litany of penal bunkers and tricky and undulating greens (with a few blind approaches). But things have been ramped up for the US Open, with the greens running even quicker and the rough allowed to grow thicker than usual. An army of lawnmowers have been sent out to keep the rough in check as star players opined that the average amateur golfer wouldn't even FINISH their round. Recent Masters winner Rory McIlroy revealed he shot an 81 (11 over par) in practice, two-time US Open champ Bryson DeChambeau called it "the hardest course you can play right now" and Jhonattan Vegas, who led the PGA Championship last month, went as far as to call the rough "unplayable". But Monty is having none of it. A three-time US Open runner-up - including one at Oakmont in 1994 - Montgomerie said players these days have no excuse for missing the fairways and landing in the suped-up rough. He pointed to improvements in equipment compared to his day and said only harsh winds would be a valid reason for errant shots. Speaking at at Trump International Golf Links, ahead of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, Montgomerie, 61, said: 'I was disappointed at the USGA having to cut the rough a wee bit because it was too severe. '[Compare] technology now from 30 years ago. US Open release incredible video of army of lawnmowers to tackle rough as stars brand conditions 'unplayable' 'The golf ball that we were playing with 30 years ago moved around all over the place. It was soft, it went 20 yards shorter. 'Now, the golf club development, the drivers, the irons, the putters, look at the putters now, the development in the putters. 'So, get on with it. For Christ's sake, you've got technology there that is beyond what you would ever, ever dream of. 'Use it and play golf. I mean, at this level, you shouldn't be missing any fairways, unless it's blowing a gale. 'The research and development that's been poured into the game, man up. Yeah, get on with it.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Belfast Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Rory McIlroy's attitude concerns me ahead of U.S. Open bid, admits Paul McGinley
McIlroy is looking to claim his second Major win of the year at Oakmont having already won the Masters at Augusta in April, however he has had his fair share of struggles in recent weeks. The World No.2 was outraged that his name was leaked after failing a driver compliance test at the US PGA Championship last month, refusing to talk to the media in the aftermath, and he missed the cut at the Canadian Open last week after struggling off the tee in a second round 78. As well as that, McIlroy has admitted to suffering from a lack of motivation in the aftermath of the monumental effort it took to complete the Career Grand Slam, his Masters victory meaning he has now won all four Major titles. As a result, along with the resurgence of World No.1 and US PGA champion Scottie Scheffler, the 35-year-old has fallen down the list of favourites to win this week in Pennsylvania and, after his Tuesday media briefing, McGinley shared his concerns. 'You'd have to say it was very worrying looking at his press conference there. His eyes weren't alive. The energy was not there,' said the Irishman on Sky Sports. 'He certainly didn't have the pointy elbows the way we saw coming into the Masters. (At the Masters) he was a man on a mission, he was a man on a bounce, he was a man out to prove something. 'Get out of my way, here I come.' You could see that and feel the energy. 'You don't see it at the moment. I know from my own experience, when you win tournaments, you check out. You don't feel the same. You want to be there and you put in the energy but something inside you is just missing. 'It takes some time for that to reset and I think he's going through a period of that. He's completed a Grand Slam – it's a huge achievement. 'I'm no psychologist but it looks like the air has been sucked out of him a little since that, not just in the way he's played but in his press conferences. It's very un-Rory-like to have such low energy. This is not normal Rory. 'This is not when he's at his best in my opinion. I think he's at his best when he's p****d off or following off a big loss or something that went wrong.'
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
USGA has no plans to publish results of driver tests
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 11 (Reuters) - The United States Golf Association (USGA) said on Wednesday it has no plans to publish results or change protocols for driver testing after clubs belonging to two of the game's biggest names failed conformance tests last month. USGA CEO Mike Whan, speaking ahead of this week's U.S. Open, said drivers deemed non-conforming through random tests are the result of overuse and "creep over the line" of what's allowed but never raise eyebrows by those overseeing the tests. Driver testing made headlines at the PGA Championship last month after a report said the club belonging to Masters champion Rory McIlroy was ruled non-conforming. McIlroy, who later confirmed the report and expressed his disappointment that test results were leaked, played with a backup driver all week. World number one Scottie Scheffler, speaking after he won the PGA Championship, revealed he also used a backup driver that week after his original one failed a test. Whan said the USGA conducts driver testing as a service to players, manufacturers and the tours and has no desire to see results made public. "If I'm being honest with you, I think in terms of what happened at the PGA Championship, it made us more committed to not wanting to have this be the topic of the town," said Whan. "Because I think when you talked about a rules violation or somebody who's playing with a hot driver, that gets so much more sensational than the reality." Faces on the drivers used by current players relax over time and ultimately lead to them failing a so-called "characteristic time" test that measures the spring-like effect of the club. Whan likened the test to someone jumping on a trampoline, saying the longer they are on the trampoline the higher they bounce off. "So we set a limit with manufacturers in terms of how long that ball can stay on -- it's tested in terms of microseconds," Whan said. "There's a test, there's a tolerance, but at the end of the day, if it's on there for more than 258 microseconds, we consider that club out of tolerance." Although Whan said the USGA conducted random tests this week at Oakmont Country Club, where the year's third major begins on Thursday, he was not aware of any failures. "I know that if we saw a trend that was alarming in terms of either how many or how far they were moving beyond, we would change the way we approach it," Whan said.
