PGA Championship predictions, odds 2021: John Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas picks from PGA insider

Kiawah Island will host a major championship for the second time starting on Thursday, May 20, when the 2021 PGA Championship tees off on the Ocean Course. The first time the PGA was played on the South Carolina barrier island, Rory McIlroy went 13-under and cruised to an eight-stroke victory in 2012. Collin Morikawa comes in as the defending champion after shooting that same score but winning by just two over Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park last August. All of those players are expected to be in the stellar 2021 PGA Championship field, while two-time champion Brooks Koepka hopes to be ready after knee surgery.

World No. 1 Johnson is the 11-1 favorite in the latest 2021 PGA Championship odds from William Hill Sportsbook, with second-ranked Justin Thomas and No. 3 Jon Rahm right behind at 12-1. Other top 2021 PGA Championship contenders include reigning U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau (14-1), two-time PGA winner McIlroy (16-1), three-time major champion Jordan Spieth (16-1) and fourth-ranked Xander Schauffele (16-1). Before you lock in any 2021 PGA Championship picks or PGA Tour predictions, you need to see who golf insider Sal Johnson is backing.

A media legend and consummate golf insider, Johnson has a strong feel for which players have the momentum and how their games fit the courses.

Before Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters three weeks ago, Johnson made special mention of Spieth, Schauffele and Will Zalatoris as golfers to watch. He listed Spieth and Schauffele in his top three contenders and had Zalatoris as his top rookie. Zalatoris nearly caught Matsuyama and finished as runner-up, while Spieth and Schauffele tied for third.

He also knows when surging players are poised for a breakthrough. He tabbed Sungjae Im as a top contender before his first Tour win at the Honda Classic last season, then touted Tyrrell Hatton before he got his first tour victory the following week. Anyone who has followed Johnson’s advice has cashed in huge.

Now Johnson, the first producer of “Inside the PGA Tour,” a longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman, and the founder of the world’s top golf stats database, has released his highly confident 2021 PGA Championship picks, and they will surprise you.

Top 2021 PGA Championship expert picks

Shockingly, the golf expert is fading Jon Rahm, who is near the top of the PGA Championship odds 2021 and is playing arguably the best golf on tour. The problem is, he hasn’t been able to turn that strong play into victories. He has finished in the top 10 in nine of his past 11 events, but the 27-year-old hasn’t won on tour this season and has three wins in his career. Johnson isn’t sure if it is a lack of killer instinct or experience, but he isn’t listing him among his favorites to win.

On the other hand, Johnson knows that Thomas has the skill and mentality to tame the Ocean Course. The world’s No. 2 player hasn’t been putting well, but he dominated the strokes gained categories at the Valspar Championship on his way to a tie for 13th. Entering the Wells Fargo Championship, he led the Tour in scoring average (69.738) and was fourth in total strokes gained. His ball-striking is impeccable, and he ranked 18th in greens in regulation (69.44 percent).

The golf expert also knows what Koepka can do when he is healthy. It is unclear if he will play at the Byron Nelson, but he willed himself to play in the Masters, missing the cut just a month after surgery on his kneecap, and could do the same here. The four-time major champion has four top-10 finishes this season, two in his three events before the surgery. That includes a win at Phoenix, and he was 34-under in those three events before going five-over in two days at Augusta.

How to make 2021 PGA Championship predictions

This week, Johnson is touting a monumental long shot. This player has been playing consistently well and quietly was near the top of the leaderboard the last time the major was played at Kiawah Island. He could pull off a stunning victory in the PGA Championship 2021, and anyone who backs this underdog could cash in huge. You can only see who it is here.

Who wins the 2021 PGA Championship? Where do Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka finish? And which huge long-shot is a must-back? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sal Johnson’s full leaderboard, picks and analysis for the 2021 PGA Championship, all from the insider who has a strong feel for when these players are in line for a big weekend.

2021 PGA Championship field, odds, contenders

Dustin Johnson 10-1Jon Rahm 11-1Justin Thomas 12-1Bryson DeChambeau 14-1Jordan Spieth 16-1Brooks Koepka 16-1Xander Schauffele 16-1Rory McIlroy 16-1Collin Morikawa 22-1Patrick Cantlay 25-1Hideki Matsuyama 25-1Daniel Berger 30-1Viktor Hovland 30-1Tony Finau 30-1Will Zalatoris 33-1Tommy Fleetwood 33-1Tyyrell Hatton 33-1Webb Simpson 33-1Patrick Reed 33-1Justin Rose 40-1Harris English 40-1Jason Day 40-1Cameron Smith 40-1Scottie Scheffler 45-1Joaquin Niemann 50-1Louis Oosthuizen 50-1Matthew Wolff 50-1Matthew Fitzpatrick 50-1Adam Scott 50-1Paul Casey 50-1Sung-Jae Im 60-1Sergio Garcia 60-1Shane Lowry 66-1Lee Westwood 66-1Marc Leishman 66-1Corey Conners 66-1Francesco Molinari 80-1Gary Woodland 80-1Max Homa 80-1Rickie Fowler 80-1Si-Woo Kim 80-1Abraham Ancer 80-1Matt Kuchar 100-1Henrik Stenson 100-1Bubba Watson 100-1Cameron Champ 100-1Brendon Todd 100-1Robert Macintyre 125-1Kevin Kisner 125-1Branden Grace 125-1Billy Horschel 125-1Jason Kokrak 125-1Martin Kaymer 125-1Christiaan Bezuidenhout 125-1Kevin Na 125-1Sebastian Munoz 125-1Alex Noren 125-1Zach Johnson 125-1Ian Poulter 125-1Phil Mickelson 125-1Bernd Wiesberger 150-1Thomas Pieters 150-1Danny Willett 150-1Byeong Hun An 150-1Chez Reavie 150-1Rafa Cabrera Bello 200-1