Golf odds: Bettors backing Matt Fitzpatrick at BMW PGA Championship

Bettors love Matt Fitzpatrick’s chances of winning the BMW PGA Championship.

The U.S. Open champion is getting nearly 30% of the handle ahead of the DP World Tour event that begins Thursday. Fitzpatrick is one of numerous top-50 players competing in the event since the 2021-22 PGA Tour season has concluded. Eighteen golfers from the newly-formed LIV Tour are also participating in one of Europe’s biggest tournaments of the season.

Fitzpatrick’s odds have dropped from +1400 to +1100 to win the tournament. He’s the third-most bet golfer with 7.5% of tickets and no golfer comes close to Fitzpatrick when it comes to money bet. Viktor Hovland is the most-bet golfer with 12.8% of tickets and has the second-largest handle share at 16.6%.

Tour Championship winner Rory McIlroy is the favorite at +600. Milroy’s odds opened at +550 as bettors aren’t inclined to make large bets on him. Just under 8% of tickets are on McIlroy to win but they make up less than 3% of the handle.

Jon Rahm is the No. 2 favorite at +800 and Fitzpatrick is the No. 3 favorite.

Taylor Gooch is the LIV golfer with the lowest odds to win. He’s at +3000 to win. Patrick Reed is at +3500 along with Abraham Ancer and Sergio Garcia while Lee Westwood is at +6600.

Billy Horschel, a member of both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, is at +2800. Horschel called out the LIV golfers in attendance this weekend and said they shouldn’t be playing in the event after signing contracts with the Saudi-funded rival golf tour.

McIlroy is at +125 to finish in the top five while Rahm is at +175 and Fitzpatrick is at +200. McIlroy is at -135 to finish in the top 10 and -350 to get a top 20. Five golfers have shorter than even odds to finish in the top 20 — McIlroy, Rahm, Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Hovland. Horschel is at +100 to finish in the top 20 while Gooch is at +120.

BMW PGA Championship favorites

• Rory McIlroy (+600)

• Jon Rahm (+800)

• Matt Fitzpatrick (+1100)

• Shane Lowry (+1600)

• Viktor Hovland (+2000)

• Billy Horschel (+2800)

• Tommy Fleetwood (+2800)

• Taylor Gooch (+3000)

• Adam Scott (+3300)

• Tyrrell Hatton (+3300)

• Abraham Ancer (+3500)

• Sergio Garcia (+3500)

• Patrick Reed (+3500)