Australian PGA Championship tips: Cam Smith and Min Woo Lee to prove class in homecoming showdown

This will be second time this tournament has been hosted by Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, which offers a coastal, often wind-affected, course that is a par 71 and 7,134 yards in length. 

LIV Golf flag bearer Cameron Smith won here in 2022, and he is joined by plenty more Aussies and LIV golfers here this week, alongside a healthy contingent of DP World Tour regulars to have journeyed on from Dubai to compete here this week.

Suggested bet: Cam Smith to win the Australian PGA Championship

Brisbane-born Smith bids to retain his title and will unsurprisingly tee off as the 4/1 market leader. He is in good contending form on the LIV Golf Tour and so is the obvious favourite this week, having won three of the last four editions of this tournament.

Cam Davis placed here last year after a double bogey start on day one, and has been strongly touted to win in 2023 after being a previous winner of the Australian Open. However, for someone who has struggled to win on the USPGA Tour the value of his 10/1 odds this week seems questionable against the top two and the field.

Home country favourite Adam Scott is also 10/1, but can he win again? Well, back home and in this kind of field must give him a chance, although it’s becoming more difficult to imagine him winning these days and his odds do not set the heart pounding.

Making up the principal homegrown contenders at a shorter price is 6/1 shot Min Woo Lee, who was fourth here a year ago and has a liking for this type of course. He showed decent form in Dubai last week as well, and he must be a contender again if he has managed to overcome a troublesome journey to get here. 

Suggested bet: Min Woo Lee to win the Australian PGA Championship

International raiders include Adrian Meronk, who is already a winner in Australia, having taken their Open title in 2022. The popular Pole has had a long hard season, but with more than enough success to take his career forward, and he has every right to fancy his chances back down under, albeit at unappealing 12/1 odds. 

Joachin Niemann makes a rare appearance outside his usual Liv Tour cocoon, and while we’re unsure as to whether this is his type of course the Chilean has more talent than almost all of this field and could outplay his 14/1 price tag.

In-form Ryo Hisatsune is 20/1, and although he finished third here in 2022 and has had a great six months on the DP World Tour, he has not been able to win and looks likely to be outclassed by some of the guys above him in the betting.

Marc Leishmann is back from LIV Golf and has been on a three-week break preparing for this short run of tournaments and to achieve his goal of landing an ‘Aussie Major’ before time runs out on him. He. Steady but unspectacular in his LIV exploits, he will need that desire to win on home soil to take him forward this week with a 20/1 price tag round his neck.

Last but not least, it would be unwise to overlook another homegrown talent in Jason Scrivener who was runner-up to Smith 12 months ago. It’s been an average year for him so far in 2023, but the Aussie returns to his favourite course and can be found at 35/1 for anyone who thinks he can finish his year on a high.

Suggested bet: Jason Scrivener each-way in the Australian PGA Championship

Suggested bet summary:

• Cam Smith, 5 points win at 4/1
• Min Woo Lee, 4 points win at 6/1
• Jason Scrivener, 1 point each-way at 35/1

 

All prices provided by Planet Sport Bet were correct at the time of writing but could be subject to change