ESPN BET Alternative Telecast of PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler is the Tourney Favorite
Thanks to ESPN BET, golf fans will have another way to watch the PGA Championship. An alternate telecast, ESPN BET at the PGA Championship, will air each day during all four rounds of the major championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. It was announced this Wednesday.
The ESPN BET alternative telecast will provide golf-related betting discussion, with live analysis around each of the holes. Tournament futures will also be discussed, including an analysis of who may or may not cut.
It is scheduled to air on ESPN2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET during the first and second rounds and during those same times on ESPN+ during the third and fourth rounds.
Senior golf analyst Michael Collins and sports betting analyst “Stanford” Steve Coughlin will provide on-site commentary. Additional insight comes from betting analysts Tyler Fulghum, Joe Fortenbaugh, and Anita Marks from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut.
Main coverage of the 106th edition of the PGA Championship — for which ESPN BET is an official sports betting sponsor — will begin at 7 a.m. ET on ESPN+ on May 16, with the telecast shifting to ESPN at noon ET. That’s the same for the second round, as well. Third and fourth-round coverage will be from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on ESPN+ and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Scheffler Clubhouse Leader
Scottie Scheffler is the presumptive favorite to win the PGA Championship across sporting betting apps, with odds as low as +350. The world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, Scheffler won the Masters last month and already has four victories on the PGA Tour this season. He also finished sixth or better in four other tournaments.
Rory McIlroy has the second-best odds at +1200, followed by Jon Rahm at +1400. Eight other golfers are 25/1 or better: Xander Schauffele (+1600), Ludvig Aberg (+1600), Brooks Koepka (+1600), Joaquin Niemann (+2000), Wyndham Clark (+2500), Tyrell Hatton (+2500), Collin Morikawa (+2500) and Bryson DeChambeau (+2500).
Koepka won last year’s tournament at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y., carding a 9-under 271 to outlast Viktor Hovland and Scheffler, both of whom shot 7-under. Meanwhile, McIlroy won the 2014 PGA Championship, the last time the tournament was at Valhalla Golf Club. Bettors should keep that in mind when gambling online.
The PGA Championship is the second of four majors on the schedule, preceding the U.S. Open (June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, N.C.) and the Open Championship (July 18-21 at Royal Troon in Troon, Scotland). Golfers will also compete at the Summer Olympics in Paris at the beginning of August.
Expansive Reach
ESPN BET is available in 18 legalized betting states, including Kentucky. It was rebranded from PENN Entertainment and launched in 17 states in November 2023.
As sports betting becomes more mainstream in the U.S., ESPN is now using the odds provided by ESPN BET across its editorial content and other platforms. The ESPN BET alternative telecast is just the latest wrinkle from the online sportsbook.
ESPN BET is seen as a primary competitor to DraftKings and FanDuel, who have set themselves apart as leaders in the sports betting industry.
Stay tuned for more updates on the ESPN BET alternative telecast.
For sports news today, betting analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
