Scottie Scheffler shortest PGA Championship favorite since Tiger Woods

Scottie Scheffler is in the midst of the most dominant run by a pro golfer since Tiger Woods in his prime.

Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, became the first golfer since Woods in 2007-08 to win four tournaments in five PGA Tour starts when he won the RBC Heritage the week after winning the Masters.

He also is the shortest favorite to win this week’s PGA Championship since Woods was 4-1 in 2013, according to sportsoddshistory.com.

Scheffler is the +450 favorite at the Westgate SuperBook to win the year’s second major, which tees off Thursday at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.

At Caesars Sportsbook and Boyd Gaming, he is 3-1, the shortest odds to win any major since 2009, when Woods was +175 to win the PGA Championship and +175 to win the U.S. Open.

“If he putts decent, he’s going to win,” Woods said May 1 on “The Today Show” in reference to Scheffler starting any tournament. “If he putts great, he blows away fields. If he has a bad putting week, he contends. He’s just that good of a ball-striker.”

Scheffler hasn’t played since his win at the Heritage on April 22. His wife, Meredith, recently gave birth to the couple’s first child, Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday.

“He’s got recent time away from the course, but he’s just been in such solid form for so long, I don’t think it’s going to affect him too much,” SuperBook golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said.

Scheffler, 40-1 to win the Grand Slam, is the PGA Championship money leader at the SuperBook and tied for third in tickets with Rory McIlroy, the +750 second choice to win the major. Scheffler is the ticket and money leader at BetMGM.

Ludvig Aberg is No. 1 in tickets and No. 2 in money at the Westgate, where he’s 20-1.

Brooks Koepka, the defending champion and winner of three of the past six PGA Championships, is 16-1. He is second in tickets and fourth in money at the SuperBook.

Woods, a 200-1 long shot, is the largest liability at the Westgate, where a bettor wagered $1,000 to win $100,000 (100-1) in February on the 15-time major champion.

“You’re always going to have liability on Tiger,” Sherman said. “But it’s too limited of a schedule for him. He’s dealing with too many issues.”

Woods finished the Masters with a 16-over 304, his highest 72-hole score as a pro.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.