PGA Championship 2023 In-Play: Viktor Hovland looks dangerous after two rounds

It’s been a long couple of days at the PGA Championship, and Oak Hill has proved to be as difficult as many expected before the major began. 

Ball striking and total driving have been the requirements over the first couple of days as the cool weather, moderate winds and course set-up tested the field. Those keeping it in play from tee-to-green are prominent on the leaderboard, while there was a small draw bias towards the early/late starters who enjoyed benign and softer conditions at the end of day two. 

I got the brief right in my main PGA Championship preview, but unfortunately not many of the selections are in real contention. Not just yet, anyway. This type of test can see scoring in spurts as Tony Finau has shown on his back nine each day, and it doesn’t take much for the leaderboard to significantly change, especially given just nine guys currently sit under par.

Bryson DeChambeau (17.5) has certainly surprised many people through the 36 holes and he lies in tied-fourth on the board. On the other hand, it is no surprise to see Corey Conners up there tied at the top given he’s one of the very best in the ball striking and tee-to-green departments. Can he stay there, though? 

Conners didn’t have a lot of progressive form leading into the event, but he says he feels very comfortable at Oak Hill and could be a nice bet for a top-five finish.

Viktor Hovland has said that bogey avoidance is important, and that his strategy is to hit fairways and find the centre of the surfaces. Simple enough, right? The middle of the green is no easy two-putt, but keeping mistakes off the card is paramount at this venue. 

Hovland is alongside Conners at the top after his second round performance and he’s a good value price (5.2) given his company at the summit. 

Once again, the LIV golfers are matching their PGA foes after Brooks Koepka (10.5) made a late second round charge. His prize is a Round 3 pairing with old foe and new friend Bryson DeChambeau! 

Can one of the two LIV Mavericks win the championship? The real question is can anyone overtake Scottie Scheffler? The American was the standout candidate stats-wise ahead of the event and now sits at the top of the board with odds of 2.64.

Winning score 

Will five-under par get the job done with some adverse weather conditions rolling in? The brief here is to stay out of the deep spinach that lines the tight fairways and lies in very close proximity with the green complexes. 

My guess is that the winning score will be in low single digits (relative to par). Eight under could be a good number if the weather rings true.

PGA Championship 2023 In-Play Bets

Viktor Hovland to win @ 5.2
Corey Conners to finish top 5 @ 1.75
Brooks Koepka to finish top 5 @ 2.26