Best Sleeper Picks for the 2025 PGA Championship

With a field of over 150 of the world’s top golfers, there are dozens of potential sleeper picks for the PGA Championship every year. In 2025, the race for the Wanamaker Trophy returns to Quail Hollow Club for the first time since 2017.

This guide will highlight my top PGA Championship sleeper picks. I will tell you my top dark horse picks and explain why my top five sleepers could make surprising runs at the Wanamaker Trophy. 

Best 2025 PGA Championship Longshots Summary

See the table below for my best PGA Championship sleepers based on the latest odds at top golf betting sites.

Brooks Koepka, a three-time champion, is tied for the 10th-best odds at +4000. This has been Koepka’s best major, and his last win came in 2023.

For reference, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are +450 co-favorites to win the 2025 PGA Championship. McIlroy is coming off a win at the 2025 Masters, and Scheffler is the top-ranked golfer in the world.

Hideki Matsuyama, who has two top-five finishes at this event, is also listed at 40-1 odds. A win at Quail Hollow Club would be Matsuyama’s second major win of his career. 

Other sleepers to watch include Jordan Spieth (+4500), Sepp Straka (+5000), and Patrick Reed (+7000).

The PGA Championship is the only major missing from Spieth’s Grand Slam report card. Straka, on the other hand, is a rising star who has won two PGA events already this year. Reed has struggled in his recent PGA Championship appearances, but he finished second the last time this tournament was played at Quail Hollow Club.

1. Brooks Koepka (+4000)

Koepka has finished in the top five in six of his 12 PGA Championship appearances. In three of those top five finishes, Koepka won the event. His last win came in 2023, but Koepka fell out of the top 20 last year.

At +4000, the American has an implied win probability of 2.44% heading into this year’s tournament, according to the bookies.

His stumble last year is a big reason why Koepka is tied for the 10th-best odds to win the PGA Championship 2025. However, up-and-down performances at this major are not an unusual occurrence for Koepka.

Wait for Brooks Koepka’s smile after his hole-in-one 😄 #themasters

(via @TheMasters)pic.twitter.com/wd32rp1e2O

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2025

Here is a quick look at Koepka’s finishes at the PGA Championship since 2018:

• • 2018 – 1st
  • 2019 – 1st
  • 2020 – T29
  • 2021 – T2
  • 2022 – T55
  • 2023 – 1st
  • 2024 – T26

Koepka has a history of bouncing back after a poor finish in this major. If that continues, he could win his fourth PGA Championship this year.

Also, his experience as a three-time champion in this event makes Koepka stand out from other potential sleepers. A win this year would be Koepka’s fourth Wanamaker in the last eight years. It would also put him one win behind tying Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen’s record for most PGA Championship wins.

2. Hideki Matsuyama (+4000)

The other sleeper listed at 40-1 odds to win this year’s PGA Championship is Hideki Matsuyama. He has two top-five finishes in this major, but the last one came in 2017.

Despite his recent struggles in this tournament, Matsuyama should not be overlooked. This year’s PGA Championship is being hosted at the Quail Hollow Club.

What rainstorm? 🌧️

Hideki Matsuyama is still getting reps in.
(via austin_eckroat // IG) pic.twitter.com/cTXWYhJ0yU

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) May 12, 2025

The last time the PGA Championship was played there, Matsuyama finished -5 under par, tying for fifth place. He was one stroke behind the trio of second-place finishers, and just three strokes behind Justin Thomas, who won the event.

It is also worth noting that Matsuyama was tied for the lead through 36 holes, finishing with scores of 70 and 64 on the first two days of the tournament. If he can get off to another hot start this time around at Quail Hollow Club, he will significantly increase his odds of winning the event.

Despite not winning a major since 2021, Matsuyama has largely held his own on the PGA Tour. He is currently the seventh-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. The discrepancy between his world ranking and his standing in the latest PGA Championship odds is great news for dark horse bettors.

3. Jordan Spieth (+4500)

McIlroy’s thrilling 2025 Masters win completed the Irish golfer’s career grand slam. Another pro with a chance to secure a long-awaited Grand Slam this season is Jordan Spieth. Spieth won the 2015 Masters, the 2015 U.S. Open, and the 2017 Open Championship.

However, the closest Spieth has come to winning the PGA Championship was his second-place finish in 2015. He is listed at +4500 to win this year and complete a Grand Slam over a decade in the making.

Jordan Spieth’s game is trending with another shot at the career Grand Slam coming soon at the PGA Championship. 📈👀 pic.twitter.com/0FK9ex4sbZ

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 5, 2025

Spieth ended 2024 ranked 69th in the world, but he has moved into the top 50 after a top-15 finish at the 2025 Masters. He also finished fourth at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament earlier this month.

Another reason to consider Spieth is that he consistently makes the cut in this major. The last time Spieth missed the cut at the PGA Championship was in 2014. He has made the cut in over 80% of the PGA events during his career.

In addition to making the cut, Spieth has also finished in the top 30 in eight of his last 10 attempts to win the Wanamaker Trophy. His consistency throughout his career is the biggest strength for this dark horse candidate.

4. Sepp Straka (+5000)

Up next is Sepp Straka, who is listed at +5000 to win his first major at this year’s PGA Championship. His best result thus far in this tournament was a seventh-place finish in 2023.

This will be Straka’s fifth appearance in the PGA Championship, and he only has one top-10 finish. Last year, Straka missed the cut at the Valhalla Golf Club. On the bright side, he has made the cut in his other three appearances and has made 10 cuts in his 15 major appearances.

Austria’s first PGA TOUR champ now has four! 🏆🇦🇹

Sepp Straka wins @TruistChamp at Philly Cricket Club. pic.twitter.com/x7S0HLIhz0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 11, 2025

Straka has also been building momentum all season long. He finished 2024 ranked 36th in the World Golf Rankings but has surged all the way to ninth. This is the highest that Straka has been ranked so far in his career.

Fueling this sharp rise in the rankings are two wins on this year’s PGA Tour. Straka won The American Express tournament in January, beating Justin Thomas by two strokes. He beat Thomas again at this year’s Truist Championship, claiming victory by the same margin.

With two wins under his belt this year, Straka has all the momentum he could ask for heading into the PGA Championship. If he can keep up his current level of play, Straka will have a career-best showing at Quail Hollow Club this year.

5. Patrick Reed (+7000)

Rounding out my list of the best sleeper picks for the 2025 PGA Championship is Patrick Reed. Bovada lists Reed at +7000 to win the second major of his career.

Reed won the Masters in 2018, and his best major result since was a fourth-place finish at the 2018 U.S. Open. He is currently 52nd on the Official World Golf Rankings.

🗣️ “I feel more appreciated in Europe than the US”

After another near miss at the Masters, Patrick Reed tells @ricktimes in an exclusive interview that he is ready to ruffle more feathers as he chases US PGA Championship glory ⬇️https://t.co/f3Z373qcxL

— Times Sport (@TimesSport) May 12, 2025

He has not finished inside the top 10 of this tournament in nearly a decade. However, there are two important factors that could push Reed to the top of the final leaderboard in North Carolina. First and foremost, Reed has momentum on his side after a third-place finish in Augusta.

Also, Reed’s best performance in this tournament came in 2017. The last time Quail Hollow Club hosted the PGA Championship, Reed finished tied for second. He was two strokes behind Justin Thomas, who won with a score of -8 under par.

Reed shot under 70 in three of the four rounds that year. Unfortunately, a 73 on day two proved costly in the end. If Reed can turn in a similar performance, shooting an average score below 70, he should be in the running for first place this year.

Where to Bet on 2025 PGA Championship Sleepers

Betting on sleeper picks for the PGA Championship is one of the best ways to make the second major of the year even more exciting. My top sleeper is Brooks Koepka, but there are plenty of other dark horses to bet on as well.

See the guide above to learn more about my top sleepers at Quail Hollow Club this year. Then, I recommend checking Bovada for your PGA Championship sleeper picks. New members can use the code BV1000 to get up to $1,000 in bonus golf betting funds.

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