PGA Championship
Wyndham Championship preview: Billy Horschel sneaking up on another Tour victory
We’re back after a week’s break on the PGA Tour, but many of the players will be as fired up as ever heading to Sedgefield Country Club for the final event of the PGA Tour regular season.
Scottie Scheffler took full advantage of the week in Paris to make it a clean sweep for the USA as far as Major honours are concerned. He and many of those who competed will not be in action this week, opening the door for those less frequent winners on the Tour.
With places in the FedEx Cup Playoffs still up for grabs, top 70 in the rankings is the result that really matters for a lot of these guys.
We’re siding with two players who won’t wilt under the pressure as they have secured their spots in the 70, with a push for the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 still fuelling the fire.
Billy Horschel 25/1
Billy Horschel is one of the most experienced players making their way to North Carolina this week, with eight Tour wins to his name since turning professional 15 years ago. He added to that tally as recently as April and is in some good form at the moment.
Sedgefield Country Club is somewhat of an anomaly on the Tour these days in that it rewards those who are accurate, rather than long off the tee. Horschel ranks a respectable 41st for accuracy with the big stick which is more than good enough in the weakened field.
Fairways and greens will be the most important areas on the course for once, with accurate ball-striking at a premium. This par-70 course throws up four par-3s and that is where Horschel could set himself apart, ranking third in the world for scoring average on the shorter holes.
The American heads into this tournament as the 25/1 third favourite with some good form under his belt, most notably his T2 finish at The Open three weeks ago. He has finished in the 8 places available with William Hill on four separate occasions this year and another strong performance will only improve his confidence ahead of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Akshay Bhatia 35/1
From an experienced 37-year-old in Horschel to one of the Tour’s brightest up and comers, Akshay Bhatia heads to North Carolina with a real chance at landing a third PGA Tour title in just his fifth year as a professional.
The 22-year-old has not been a big name on the circuit for long but has already proven that he belongs at the top table, finishing T25 or better on half of his starts in 2024. He kicked off his season with two T14 or better finishes including a T13 at the Sony Open, with form at that competition often correlating well here.
At 35/1 he sits ninth in the betting this week which is somewhat surprising given that he currently ranks 15th in the FedEx Cup Standings. It must also be noted that the weakened nature of this field is such that only one man who ranks higher than him – this week’s 14/1 favourite Sungjae Im – is in action here.
The 35/1 about Bhatia means that he would still return nicely if finishing in the 8 places available with William Hill, something which he has managed on three occasions this season, including twice in his last four starts.
This course plays right into Bhatia’s hands with its low-scoring nature and as he is set free by the lack of pressure on him as far as FedEx Cup Playoff qualification is concerned, he could be well placed to land a third PGA Tour victory.
