Tag: Rory McIlroy

2020 PGA Tour major odds: Will Rory McIlroy snap major drought?

Analyzing Rory McIlroy’s chances and betting odds of winning another major championship during the 2020 PGA Tour season.

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Will Rory McIlroy win a PGA Tour major championship in 2020? Based off BetMGM‘s golf betting odds, I analyze McIlroy’s best opportunities to win along with some of the best potential golf betting lines to cash in on McIlroy’s play this year. This piece is part of a SportsbookWire series, which will look at the PGA Tour’s biggest names and their chances of winning a major championship in 2020.

Rory McIlroy’s 2019 PGA Tour Highlights

  • T-4 Sentry Tournament of Champions
  • T-5 Farmers Insurance Open
  • T-4 Genesis Open
  • 2nd WGC-Mexico Championship
  • Won The Players Championship
  • Won RBC Canadian Open
  • T-4 FedEx St. Jude Invitational
  • Won Tour Championship
  • T-2 Omega European Masters
  • T-3 Zozo Championship
  • Won WGC-HSBC Champions
  • 4th DP World Tour Championship, Dubai

PGA Tour odds to win a major in 2020

Name Official World Golf Ranking Odds Last PGA Tour win (Solo) Last major
Brooks Koepka 1 +200 July 2019 2019 PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy 2 +250 Nov. 2019 2014 PGA Championship
Jon Rahm 3 +350 Jan. 2018 NA
Justin Thomas 4 +450 Oct. 2019 2017 PGA Championship
Dustin Johnson 5 +200 Feb. 2019 2016 US Open
Tiger Woods 6 +400 Oct. 2019 2019 Masters
Patrick Cantlay 7 +500 June 2019 NA
Justin Rose 8 +400 Jan. 2019 2013 US Open
Xander Schauffele 9 +500 Jan. 2019 NA
Tommy Fleetwood 10 +600 NA NA

While Rory won four times on the PGA Tour in 2019 and now has 26 worldwide wins in 309 career events, he hasn’t won a major since going back-to-back at The Open and PGA Championship in 2014. He has eight top-10 major finishes in that time, however, including two in 2019.

Looking to place a bet on Rory McIlroy to win a major in 2020? Get some action on it at BetMGM.  Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Where is Rory McIlroy’s best chance of winning a major in 2020?

Event 2020 Venue Best career result Odds
Masters Augusta National 4th (2015) +800
PGA Championship TPC Harding Park Won (2012, 2014) +1000
US Open Winged Foot Won (2011) +1000
Open Championship Royal St. George’s Won (2014) +1200

McIlroy’s best chance of ending his major drought in 2020, according to BetMGM, comes at the one major separating him from the career grand slam. Last year’s event was his first time finishing outside the top-10 at Augusta National since 2013.

He finished T-25 the last time The Open was at Royal St. George’s in 2011, and he has never played professionally at either Winged Foot or TPC Harding Park.

Will Rory McIlroy win a major in 2020?

McIlroy certainly finished up his 2019 season well, and he has been a strong early-year golfer for the majority of his career, as seen by his top finishes a year ago. His frequent trips to the winner’s circle in 2019 should boost his confidence heading to Augusta as a rightful favorite.

I’m betting McIlroy at the Masters and pairing up a green jacket win with each of the other majors, as well. Victories at the Masters and Open, for example, would return a profit of $1,160, for example, with +11600 odds.

Top PGA Tour bets to win a major in 2020

  • Jordan Spieth
  • Tiger Woods
  • Brooks Koepka
  • Dustin Johnson
  • Rickie Fowler
  • Jon Rahm
  • Justin Rose
  • Phil Mickelson
  • Patrick Cantlay
  • Patrick Reed

Get some PGA Tour betting action by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Tiger Woods in pajamas? Golf stars gather for TaylorMade Christmas card

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson in green Christmas onesies? You bet.

Last week Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson were donning the red, white and blue for Team USA as the Americans made an epic comeback to win the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia.

Now, they’re rocking … green Christmas onesies in front of a fireplace?

Woods and Johnson, alongside last season’s European Tour player of the year Jon Rahm, former World No. 1 Jason Day, Golfweek’s player of the decade Rory McIlroy and PGA Tour stars on the rise Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff, all gathered together to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas from Team TaylorMade.

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Where does Tiger Woods rank among top PGA Tour players of decade?

Tiger Woods completed his comeback over the last few years, but two PGA Tour stars notched 18 victories in the last decade.

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The first decade of the 21st century was dominated by Tiger Woods.

He won 56 PGA Tour titles and 12 major championships. He was named the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year eight times. And his sustained brilliance and dominance continued to elevate the sport’s exposure – as well as its purses.

His star power was so lit that people wondered if the sport would survive if he ever went away. Well, Woods didn’t go away despite a public scandal and numerous battles with his back and left knee when the calendar turned to 2010. And joined by a stellar cast of gifted golfers, the game marched on in the next decade.

A new crop of stars, many inspired by Woods, included Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Jason Day, took the stage. Established stars, with Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, helped the game flourish.

Here are the top 10 players of the decade who authored so many flashes of stardom.

DECADE’S BEST: Comeback stories | LPGA players | LPGA moments

10. Phil Mickelson

Lefty began the decade with an emotional victory at the Masters as his wife, Amy, successfully battled cancer. It was his third green jacket. In 2013, he won the British Open for the first time, his fifth major. While the U.S. Open remains elusive, he finished second in 2013 for his record sixth runner-up in the national open. He went nearly five years without a victory but then won the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in 2018, which he followed with his 44th Tour title the following year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at age 48. He won seven PGA Tour titles and also played in every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup except one during the decade.

9. Bubba Watson

The big-hitting, creative lefty from tiny Bagdad, Florida, began the decade with zero wins. He ended the decade with 12 victories, the third-most by a player in the decade. Two of those wins came in the Masters, two others in World Golf Championships. While he wowed galleries everywhere with his pink driver and prodigious firepower, he was one of the best on and around the greens.

8. Justin Rose

After beginning his career by missing the cut in his first 21 tournaments, Rose became a force in this decade. He won 10 PGA Tour titles. He won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, won the 2018 FedExCup at 38. He draped the gold medal around his neck when golf returned to the Olympics in 2016. He reached No. 1 in the world.

7. Jason Day

Through numerous ailments – especially to his back – Day won 12 times in the decade, including his lone major title at the 2015 PGA Championship. He won the Players, two World Golf Championships and two titles during the FedExCup Playoffs. His run from 2015-16, when he won seven of 17 titles, was one of the best in the decade. He also became No. 1 in the world.

MORE: Best men’s college players | Women’s | Rules controversies

6. Justin Thomas

After joining the PGA Tour in 2014-15 season, it didn’t take long for Thomas to establish himself as one of the game’s elite. In 2019, he became just the fifth player in the past 60 years to win 11 Tour titles before turning 27. The others? Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. His 2017 was one of the decade’s best years, as he won his maiden major at the PGA Championship, captured five titles in all and won the FedExCup. He also reached No. 1. He heads into the next decade coming off a 2019 in which he won twice, including a tournament in the FedExCup Playoffs.

5. Tiger Woods

The game’s biggest star kept coming back. After a public scandal kicked off his decade, he added three Tour titles to his haul in 2012 and five more in 2013, when he was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year by his peers and became No. 1 again. Then his back went out and Woods wondered if his playing career was over. But four surgeries to his back – the most recent a spinal fusion – gave him back his way of life. Then he overcame an addiction to prescription painkillers. After a five-year winless drought, he won the 2018 Tour Championship. Seven months later, he marked his comeback with a remarkable victory at the Masters, his fifth green jacket, 15th major and first in 11 years. In his last PGA Tour start of the decade, he won the Zozo Championship in Japan for his record-tying 82nd PGA Tour victory.

Tiger Woods celebrates after making a putt on the 18th green to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports)

4. Jordan Spieth

He was in high school when the decade started. He used sponsor’s exemptions to kick off his career and won his first PGA Tour title as a teenager. He won 10 more times in the decade, with his creativity, bulldog attitude and electrifying putters among his numerous weapons. In 2015, he posted the decade’s best year and flirted with the Grand Slam as he won the Masters and U.S. Open, finished in a tie for fourth in the British Open (one stroke out of a playoff) and second in the PGA. He also won the FedExCup and became No. 1. His third major title came at the 2017 British Open. That was his most recent victory, but he’s confident his elite form will return in the coming decade.

3. Brooks Koepka

He began his professional career in the remote areas of the European Tour’s developmental circuit but finally touched down in the U.S. with a victory in the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Then he became a major force, both with his power, demeanor and touch on and around the greens. From 2017-19, he won his four majors and became the first player ever to go back-to-back in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. In 2019, he won the PGA, finished second in the U.S. Open, tied for second in the Masters and was fourth in the British Open. He will begin the new decade as the top-ranked player in the world and the game’s most feared player in the four major championships.

2. Dustin Johnson

He tied for the most victories in the decade with 18, among them his lone major at the 2016 U.S. Open, six World Golf Championships and four wins in the FedExCup Playoffs. He also had the most top-5s in the decade (58) and most top-10s (88). He won at least one PGA Tour tournament every year. He also finished runner-up in three majors, including twice in 2019 at the Masters and PGA Championship. While his power is matched by few others, he worked hard to become one of the game’s best from 150 yards and in.

1. Rory McIlroy

The boy wonder became the man in golf this decade. He won 18 times on the PGA Tour and added six more titles on the European Tour. He became the heart and soul of the European Ryder Cup team. With his eight-shot romps in the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship, he joined Tiger Woods as the only players to win multiple majors by at least eight shots. With his FedExCup titles in 2016 and 2019, he joined Woods as the only two-time winners of the lucrative postseason. McIlroy won four majors, tying Koepka for the most in the decade, and three PGA Tour Player of the Year awards, the most in the decade. In 2019, won four PGA Tour titles, including the Tour Championship and the Players. He won the decade’s last World Golf Championship. He was the best player of the decade.

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Rory McIlroy on Patrick Reed’s penalty: Some just want to ‘kick him when he’s down’

Rory McIlroy gave his opinion about the rules controversy surrounding Patrick Reed that occurred during the Hero World Challenge.

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Rory McIlroy believes Patrick Reed should be given the benefit of the doubt regarding the controversial two-shot penalty Reed incurred at the Hero World Challenge. But he thinks Reed has become an easy target for some critics.

“I think it’s hard because you try to give the player the benefit of the doubt,” McIlroy said during an extensive interview on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive on Monday. “He’s in there and he’s trying to figure out which way to play the shot. Obviously he’s moved some sand so it is a penalty. But I keep saying, I don’t think it would be a big deal if it wasn’t Patrick Reed. It’s almost like a lot of people within the game, it’s almost like a hobby to sort of kick him when he’s down.”

The live shot and slow-mo versions of Reed’s two practice swings at the Hero in the Bahamas have now been dissected millions of times. Upon reviewing the clips again Monday in the studio, McIlroy said, “I certainly don’t think there was intent there. … It’s very hard for me not to think he didn’t feel what he was doing. It’s a hard one. But again, I’d rather try to give someone the benefit of the doubt. And just say, look, it was a mistake, take your penalty and move on. And yeah, it’s going to make things difficult for him down in Australia this week.”

Under Rule 8, which addresses playing the course as the player finds it, a player is prohibited from improving conditions affecting a stroke.

Under Rule 8-1a, actions that are not allowed include the removal or pressing down of sand or loose soil. Reed did that twice, though the second movement is irrelevant.

The two-stroke penalty proved costly, turning Reed’s 72 into a 74 in the third round. He would go on to finish with a final-round 66 and in third place, two shots back of winner Henrik Stenson.

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Tait’s Take: Rory McIlroy and other top names really do matter in European Tour events

Rory McIlroy matters as much to the European Tour as Tiger Woods does to the PGA Tour, no matter what Keith Pelley says.

LONDON, England – Rory McIlroy matters as much to the European Tour as Tiger Woods does to the PGA Tour, no matter what Keith Pelley says. The same goes for the Europe’s other “names.”

The European Tour chief executive was in an ebullient mood (when is he not?) at the European Tour Hilton Golfer of the Year lunch at the swanky Biltmore Mayfair Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London. Pelley celebrated Jon Rahm winning the Golfer of the Year award, and gushed over the Tour’s accomplishments in 2019.

Pelley spent part of his 25-minute speech reiterating his view that he wasn’t obsessed with star participation. The Canadian made the same point to a select group of journalists during the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, which Rahm won to end the season as European No. 1.

“Talk of player participation is very important to us,” Pelley said in Dubai. “But it’s not the only thing that defines a great tournament.

“If we spend our entire time on top-player participation and if that was the only metric that our sponsors and partners look toward, then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

“So we look at it but we don’t become obsessed with it.”

He would say that, wouldn’t he, since it’s getting harder to guarantee top player participation because of the money these guys are earning?

To make his point, Pelley lauded the Turkish Airlines Open and Nedbank Golf Challenge, two of the final three 2019 Rolex Series tournaments. Both tournaments featured up-and-coming players in Matthias Schwab and Marcus Kinhult going against established Ryder Cup stars in Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood.

True, both events featured exciting finales. They also suffered from a lack of “names.” They were the weakest of this year’s eight Rolex tournaments, events with a prize fund of $7 million or more. The Nedbank had a strength of field rating of just 191, Turkey was second weakest with a 234 ranking. By comparison, the BMW PGA Championship was strongest at 416, stronger even than the DP World at 367. The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open was third at 309.

Pelley took the time during the Player of the Year lunch to have a playful dig at myself and other members of the media sitting at table No. 4 for our obsession with top-player participation. Here’s the truth, Keith: We have a better chance of covering a European Tour event if Rory and other top names are in the field. It’s a far easier sell to our sports editors.

Rory not only has greater appeal to golf fans, but non-golf fans too. Just as Tiger does. Most of my friends who don’t follow golf know who Rory is. Most probably have no idea who Schwab or Kinhult are, no matter how good they might become, and they might struggle even to pick Hatton and Fleetwood out of a police line-up.

Just as Woods moves the needle anywhere he plays, it’s the same with McIlroy on the European Tour. His involvement in a tournament, any tournament, means more fan interest, more media interest and therefore more publicity for the sponsor. I’ll guarantee the happiest sponsors of the eight Rolex Series tournaments this year were the three Rory played in – the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship and DP World.

I had a conversation recently with a golf administrator at a golf course which has previously held European Tour events. I asked if the course was interested in hosting another tournament any time soon. Yes, was the answer, but not if it meant getting the European Tour’s B-team.

If the Rolex Series events can’t guarantee the top names, then what chance do sponsors with less funds have?

Star participation matters, Keith, no matter how you spin it.

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Top 10 Euro story lines of the decade: Rory’s statements, Sergio’s tantrum

Rory McIlroy hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind, and the Ryder Cup has provided plenty of drama in our top 10 story lines of the decade.

The European Tour hardly gets a break at all.

Last season ended Sunday at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where Jon Rahm earned the $3 million first-place check for winning his second DP title, and a further $2 million bonus for finishing the season as No. 1 on the Race to Dubai.

The next season starts this week at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, a mere four days later.

With not much time to catch our breath, Golfweek’s Alistair Tait takes a look back at the top 10 story lines on the European Tour in the last decade:

KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, SAUDI ARABIA - FEBRUARY 02: Sergio Garcia of Spain in action during the third round of the Saudi International at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 02, 2019 in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Sergio Garcia during the Saudi International at the 2019 Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

10. Sergio’s Saudi meltdown

Sergio Garcia displayed a lack of etiquette during the 2019 Saudi International that left fellow competitors disgusted. Garcia willfully damaged several greens during his third round. Players behind complained and the Spaniard was disqualified. It was yet another poor breach of etiquette from the Spaniard, following throwing a shoe in anger during the 1999 World Match Play Championship and spitting into Doral’s 13th hole during the 2007 CA Championship.

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Eamon’s Corner: Giving thanks for all that happened in golf this year

First and foremost, Eamon Lynch is giving thanks for Tiger Woods for his win at the Masters and all that it means for the game.

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There was a lot to be grateful for in golf in 2019, and now is the time of year that we get to give thanks for it.

First and foremost, Eamon Lynch is giving thanks for Tiger Woods for his win at the Masters and all that it means for the game. There’s also Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy, who have given golf fans the first taste of a legitimate PGA Tour rivalry in more than two decades.

Lynch’s list spans the villains of golf, the up-and-comers of golf and even the turkeys of golf.

There is indeed a lot to be thankful for this year.

Watch the video at the top of the page to see the latest edition of Eamon’s Corner.

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Jon Rahm moves to front of Race to Dubai grid

Rahm seeks to become the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1991 to hold the Harry Vardon Trophy as European No. 1.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The 2019 Race to Dubai is taking more twists and turns than a Formula 1 race. It took another one when Jon Rahm moved to the front of the grid after the third round of the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Rahm sits in joint first on 15 under after a 6-under 66 in the third round. He’s tied with France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who shot a 3-under 69.

Rory McIlroy is in solo third on 13 under after a bogey-free 65. Tommy Fleetwood played the Earth course in 70 strokes to sit fourth.

Arizona State grad Rahm is now predicted to finish the season at the top of the European pecking order. Friday it was Fleetwood who was destined to replace current incumbent Bernd Wiesberger as European No. 1. The Austrian sits T-24 on 2 under, and is now predicted to finish second on the Race to Dubai.

Rahm skipped the previous two tournaments so he could spend time with fianceé Kelley Cahill before their wedding at Christmas. Many thought that might have ruined his chances of overhauling Wiesberger at the top of the Race to Dubai.

Few would bet against Rahm producing the win Sunday to become the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1991 to hold the Harry Vardon Trophy as European No. 1. Rahm won this tournament in 2017.

“Gives me goose bumps to think about that,” Rahm said. “I’ve said it many times, as a Spanish player, as a Spaniard, any time you join or you have the chance to put your name on a list where there’s only one name and that name is Seve, it’s pretty impactful. It’s really emotional for all of us.

“To think not even Sergio (Garcia) or Miguel Ángel (Jimenez) or Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal) or many other great players couldn’t get it done. It’s hard to believe that I have the chance to be the second.”

Lorenzo-Vera would have the lead on his own if not for a three-putt bogey on the par-5 18th for the second day in a row. The Frenchman put his tee shot into the stream that runs up the center of the 18th fairway, found the green with his third but then needed three putts to finish the hole.

Lorenzo-Vera is chasing his first European Tour victory after 12 years as a Tour member.

“You don’t control anything except your mind,” the 34 year old said. “That’s the only thing you can control tomorrow, so I just hope for the same game plan and let’s see if golf wants to give me something.”

McIlroy took pride in bouncing back from 2-over 74 in round two to get back into contention, and then went into philosophical mode.

“That’s what life is all about,” McIlroy said. “It’s learning from what you do and being of a present mind so that you can learn as you go. I sort of figured out what I did wrong yesterday, and I was able to rectify it somewhat today and get myself back in the tournament.”

McIlroy has won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai twice. He’s aiming for a career first: he’s never won the same tournament three times.

“It’s nice to come back to courses that you’re familiar with. That brings its own advantages. It would be nice. It’s been a great year so far and this is my last event. It would be wonderful going into the break to finish on a high.”

Just to thicken the plot even more, Fleetwood can still win the Race to Dubai for the second time in three years with a win. This Race is far from over.

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Rory McIlroy falters, Tommy Fleetwood takes Race to Dubai lead

The second round of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai didn’t go according as planed for Rory McIlroy.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The second round of the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai didn’t go according to plan. Rory McIlroy hasn’t run away with the tournament and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger is no longer in pole position to finish the season as European No. 1.

After a stellar opening 64, McIlroy began in the final group trailing first round leader Mike Lorenzo-Vera by just a shot. Few would have backed the Frenchman to outplay the World No. 2, but that’s just what Lorenzo-Vera did. By five shots.

The 34-year-old from Biarritz returned a 3-under 69 to move to 12 under and a three-shot lead. McIlroy slumped to a 74 and lies in equal fifth. Fleetwood played the Earth course in 68 shots to lie joint second place with Jon Rahm on 9 under. Fleetwood is now projected to finish above Wiesberger on the Race to Dubai.

Signs that Rory’s round wouldn’t match his first came at the par-3 sixth when his tee shot found water. He scraped a shot back at the next with a birdie, but then bogeyed the 10th and 13th holes.  A birdie at the 14th helped.

“I obviously didn’t quite have it today,” McIlroy said. “The putts that went in yesterday sort of went over the edges today.

“I didn’t actually know the rough was as bad is it was. I was hitting it in the fairway all week. Then I hit it in the rough today and realized it was a bit more difficult.

“It’s a very fickle game, one day it can seem very easy and then someone up there says ‘not so fast’, and brings you back down to earth. That’s golf. I battled through it and I’m still in with a shout to have a go at winning this tournament.”

Lorenzo-Vera is the stereotypical journeyman. He looked like he could make an impact on the European Tour when he won the 2007 Challenge Tour Order of Merit. However, he’s made four unsuccessful trips to the Qualifying School since then.

Lorenzo-Vera’s best European Tor season came in 2017 when he placed 35th on the Race to Dubai. He’s had three runner-up finishes, including this year’s Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters, but he’s still looking for his first European Tour win.

Victory this week would result in a $3 million pay day. The Frenchman knows exactly what he’ll do with the money.

“Last night I was trying to get it out of my head but it did not want to so I accepted and went on to the internet to see what car I’d buy if I won,” he said. “And it would be a Ferrari f12 TdF.”

Wiesberger returned a 1-under 71 and is tied for 13th spot. He is now projected to finish second on the Race to Dubai to Fleetwood, who is seeking to finish a season as European No. 1 for the second time following 2017. He was second to Francesco Molinari last year, and knows what it’s like to run this race.

“I feel very ready at the moment, feel very prepared for the scenarios that get thrown at you,” Fleetwood said. “I’m also very used to it. This is the three years in a row where I’ve been I’m in this situation.

“When I tee off tomorrow, I know what feelings to expect. I have a lot of experience in what to do, so it’s got to help.”

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