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“Bear Bets” are real stakes Chris “The Bear” Fallica actually doing.
Like every golf junkie out there, I’m pretty excited about the PGA Championship.
And between the latest with LIV and some golfers still trying to get back to their true form after injuries, this week’s tournament should be interesting and fun to watch.
This is where I put my money.
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Scottie Scheffler
Can Scottie Scheffler lift the Wanamaker trophy for the second year in a row? (Getty Images)
The defending champion has a great chance to repeat as he comes off three straight deuces. He is so good that only one player has finished the last three tournaments ahead of him. In his six PGA appearances, he has five top 10 finishes. In his last 13 majors, he has only twice finished outside the top 10. There’s really no reason to roll off other statistical superlatives. If he is not there on Sunday, something has gone very wrong.
PICK: Scottie Scheffler (-175) Top 10 including tie
PICK: Scottie Scheffler (+480) to win
Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau is eyeing his third career major at the 2026 PGA Championship (Getty Images).
There is so much drama surrounding LIV right now and I can’t help but wonder if it weighed on his mind at the Masters when he missed the cut. Now that everything is pretty much out in the open, I would expect Bryson to play better this week, especially considering he has done so well on PGA courses with three straight top-4 finishes. Among the courses this week for Aronimink are Pinehurst No. 2 and Winged Foot — the two courses where Bryson won his two US Opens. If you listen to Rory McIlroy, this PGA has very much a “hit it as far as you can and figure it out feeling.” That’s exactly how DeChambeau won at Winged Foot. I’ll take him against Aberg, who in his six non-Masters majors has missed the cut four times.
PICK: Bryson DeChambeau (+220) Top 10 including tie
PICK: Bryson DeChambeau (+2100) to win
PICK: Bryson DeChambeau (+110) vs. Ludvig Åberg
Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick looks for his fourth win of the season and his second major championship of his career (Getty Images).
Quail Hollow wasn’t great for him last week, but the last time Fitzpatrick finished outside the top 20 at Bay Hill, he rattled off 2-1-18-1-1 finishes in his next five starts. He has become one of the best and most consistent players on the tour and should once again have a solid finish. Unlike DeChambeau – who I think is really in a better place in his mind with post-LIV plans – I don’t get that same feeling with Jon Rahm. He’s been so eloquent the last few weeks in light of everything, and I understand that he realizes that he torpedoed his image a bit, as well as his career, with the switch to LIV. I don’t know what to expect from him this week, but for a nice plus price, I’m willing to take Fitz in this head-to-head.
PICK: Matt Fitzpatrick (-115) Top 20 including tie
PICK: Matt Fitzpatrick (+150) vs. Jon Rahm
Justin Thomas
Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica believes Justin Thomas will contend at the PGA Championship (Getty Images).
JT has struggled for the last few years partly due to various injuries. Since winning the 2022 PGA, he has earned a top-30 ranking and has missed the cut in seven of his last 13 majors. I wonder if this type of pitch — where he won’t be the longest hitter out there, and he still isn’t the most accurate either — might put him at a disadvantage here. I know he played well in Quail Hollow, but I have my doubts this week. I love Brooks Koepka in this head-to-head as Koepka has been playing pretty well since his return to the PGA Tour.
PICK: Justin Thomas (+198) to miss cut
PICK: Brooks Koepka (+100) vs. Justin Thomas
Collin Morikawa
Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica likes Brooks Koepka to finish ahead of Collin Morikawa at the PGA Championship (Getty Images).
Morikawa didn’t play well at all in Doral and couldn’t give it a shot last week at Quail Hollow as his back still appears to be an issue. What he did at the Masters was amazing, but I’d be surprised if he had a success story again this weekend. I will also back Brooks here in head-to-head vs. Morikawa.
PICK: Collin Morikawa (+210) misses the cut
PICK: Brooks Koepka (-110) vs. Collin Morikawa
Justin Rose
Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica likes Justin Rose missing the cut at the PGA Championship (Getty Images).
There has been so much talk about Rose winning the 2013 US Open at Merion this week, which is fine, but the equipment change is a problem. Since flirting with a win at Augusta, he has finished outside the top 40 at both Doral and Quail Hollow. He would be a good contrarian fade this week.
PICK: Justin Rose (+198) for miss cut
Extra bets
While it won’t be the FedEx Cup setup that led to Keegan Bradley posting a winning score of 20 under, the prevailing thought from players and caddies I’ve heard from is somewhere between 13 and 15 under will win this week. And with just a little rain in the middle of the week and not much wind, check out that score projection.
SELECTION: Winning result (+102) u267.5
Hovland’s form has dipped from 2023-24 and his third-place finish at the US Open last year, but that’s more a failure of Ludvig Åberg than anything else. Hovland has played PGA courses well, finishing second, third and 28th over the last three years. He posted a top-20 finish at the Masters, so maybe things are picking up again.
CHOICE: Viktor Hovland (+470) Top Scandinavian
