PGA Tour and Popular Golf Leagues to Bet On
There are several golf tours to bet on from around the world. The most famous is the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour. The PGA Tour hosts men's professional golfing events across the United States and North America. Over the past half-century, it became the premier golf tour in the world.
Now, though, a competing organization is threatening the PGA Tour’s prestigious status. The Super Golf League, funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and known as LIV Golf for its 54-hole format, offers massive prize funds which lured away some of the PGA's best. It should be noted that most sportsbooks offer markets for each of the major golf contests. It's safe to say betting on the Masters Tournament is the most popular of the contests. Here are some of the most popular leagues bookmakers offer odds for:
- PGA Tour
- LIV Golf
- DP World Tour (European PGA Tour)
- LPGA Tour
- PGA Tour Champions (Senior PGA Tour)
These five professional tours are by far the most popular among gamblers. The wonderful thing about golf betting is that there are events to gamble on throughout the year. Even if the PGA Tour or Super Golf League are not playing on a given weekend, the Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, and PGA Tour Champions are there to pick up the slack. It arrived on the scene with high drama and controversy, however watching and betting on LIV golf is now a standard but of the calendar.
There are five main events on the golf calendar every year, though only four men's competitions have major status. Of the international golf contests, betting on the British Open presents the most exciting opportunity for bettors. It is still to be seen how LIV Golf affects these prestigious events. Here are the most popular events on every golf bettor's calendar:
- The Masters
- The Open Championship (British Open)
- The PGA Championship
- The Players Championship (Non-Major)
- US Open
There are an added two biennial international match-play competitions that see the best players from around the world compete against one another representing their home geographical regions. They are:
- The President's Cup (Men's)
- The Solheim Cup (Women's)
These competitions are golf's biggest tests. Golfers devote their lives to chasing the four majors, known as the "Grand Slam of Golf". There are only a handful of Career Grand Slam winners throughout the almost two-centuries-long history of modern golf. Here is a list of golf's best players of all time:
- Gene Sarazen
- Ben Hogan
- Gary Player
- Jack Nicklaus
- Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson deserves an honorable mention for winning three of the four majors and finishing runner-up in the US Open a record six times. If he ever manages to win one, he will be the sixth member of the prestigious Career Grand Slam club.
Tiger Woods is the only player still somewhat active of the five mentioned above, though his career is on the decline. Many other popular golfers with a chance to win every week include Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, and Jordan Spieth.