With the Holiday break upcoming and a week removed from the Presidents Cup, the field is weakened for the year-ending Australian PGA Championship, contested at the picturesque RACV Royal Pines Resort in Queensland. There is no shortage of local golfers with Aussies dominating the field and the winner’s bracket at this event in the past. Natives have won 18 of the last 19 tournaments and 81 total since the first edition of this competition way back in 1905. Two-time defending champion Cameron Smith goes for the hat trick and is one of the favorites at online sportsbooks along with countryman Adam Scott. There are a number of tournament matchups featuring local talent. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete and updated list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Australian PGA Championship Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Yechun Yuan -180 vs. Aaron Pike +143
Jake McLeod -215 vs. David Micheluzzi +168
Blake Windred -110 vs. Dimitrios Papadatos -120
Jake Higginbottom -150 vs. Greg Chalmers +120
Cameron Davis -143 vs. Jarryd Felton +113
James Marchesani +126 vs. Johannes Veerman -158
Rod Pampling +100 vs. Alejandro Canizares -130
Marcus Fraser -116 vs. Matthew Millar -114
Matthew Griffin +110 vs. Hugo Leon -140
Mikumu Horikawa +150 vs. Stewart Cink -190
Michael Sim -117 vs. Brett Rumford -113
Wade Ormsby -134 vs. Rhein Gibson +104
Min Woo Lee +114 vs. Lucas Herbert -144
Brad Kennedy -112 vs. Lucas Herbert -118
Brad Kennedy -148 vs. Min Woo Lee +118
Jamie Arnold -147 vs. Maverick Antcliff +117
Cameron Smith -145 vs. Jason Scrivener +115
Cameron Champ -150 vs. Ryan Fox +120
Cameron Champ -126 vs. Callum Hill -104
Adam Scott -199 vs. Jason Scrivener +156
Adam Scott -165 vs. Cameron Smith +131
Ryan Fox +110 vs. Callum Hill -140
Ben Eccles -110 vs. Darren Beck -120
Andrew Dodt +101 vs. Denzel Ieremia -131
Need to Know
The first thing you need to know is that Australian players have done exceptionally well in this event. That needs to be high on the list when handicapping matchups. American Harold Varner III ended a streak of 16 straight Aussie wins with a victory in 2016, only to have the host country reclaim the Kirkwood Cup when Smith went back-to-back. RACV Royal Pines will serve as host for the seventh year in a row and has offered up some wild numbers. The past three winners went -16, -18 and -19 proving that the layout can be tamed. However, howling winds can wreak havoc like they did in 2015 when three playoff contenders finished the week at even-par. In fact no player broke 70 in the final round that year. With narrow fairways and a number of holes surrounded by water getting to the greens is most important, making driving accuracy a key metric. So, if the trees and water don’t affect the scores, the wind likely will.
Australian PGA Championship Matchup Picks
Cameron Smith +131 vs. Adam Scott
Both Aussies are the favorites to claim another title for their homeland in what is the featured matchup on the list. They were teammates in the Presidents Cup last week and suffered a crushing setback to the Americans. Will there be a hangover? I doubt it since both have performed will at Royal Pines in the past. Smith has one more title here than his counterpart and we know how difficult it is to repeat, let alone three-peat. But Smith is coming off a nice showing last week and will be motivated by a chance to make history on home soil. Besides, it’s hard to pass on him at that price.
Wade Ormsby -134 vs. Rhein Gibson
A hit or miss at this event in the past, recent form suggests Ormsby is ready to hit it big. Experience on this track can’t be overlooked and Ormsby has done well when getting to the weekend. He’s missed the cut three times, but he does have a playoff loss in 2014 and a top-10 in 2017. He comes off a T27 at the Australian Open a few weeks back, a result that should serve him well against the competition at Royal Pines.
Min Woo Lee +114 vs. Lucas Herbert
Experience matters, but in the case of Lee his talent will carry him a long way. He makes his tournament debut however the Aussie is familiar with the conditions at Royal Pines. He has a pair of top-5s on the Euro Tour from earlier in the year and he’s excelled on the Korean Tour recently with a T6 and T3 in the last two months. Herbert’s inconsistent play is cause for concern, which is why I’m leaning toward Lee.
Matthew Millar -114 vs. Marcus Fraser
A field like this opens up for players who have competed on other Tours and Millar comes in after strong results on the Australasia Tour circuit. He grabbed a T6 last month and a T15 at the Australian Open, and he’s 5 of 6 at Royal Pines with a T6 and a T3. There have been some missteps with a pair of MCs here, but you can’t go wrong picking an Aussie.
Ben Eccles -110 vs. Darren Beck
I wouldn’t back Eccles for the outright win, but going with another consistent Australian player on a course he’s performed well on is the right choice in this matchup. He made the cut in all four of his starts here, including a best of T6 at last year’s playing when he finished -6. Eccles logged a T10 a few weeks ago at the New South Wales Open, and he started strong before a middling finish his last time out.
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