Australian PGA Championship 2025 Betting Tips: Four Names to know Down Under

It may still be 2025 but the Australian PGA Championship heralds the start of the 2026 DP World Tour season. The Ashes may be the focus of the sporting world Down Under but with a big gap between the first and second Test Matches - we have plenty of time to enjoy some top-level action at the Royal Queensland Golf Club. You can follow the action on Sky Sports Golf all week.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with his usual long-read preview of the event and has picked out four players he likes the look of this week to back each-way, ranging from 14/1 all the way up to a 100/1 shot. Check out Jamie's thoughts and his Australian PGA Championship 2025 Betting Tips below...

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Just two weeks on from Rory McIlroy being crowned the Race to Dubai winner for the seventh time at Jumeirah Estates, the DP World Tour begins its 2025/26 season with the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club. 

This first event of the Opening Swing will swiftly be followed by the Australian Open/Nedbank Challenge double-header next week, before Royal Johannesburg hosts the Alfred Dunhill Championship in a fortnight. The tour will then head to Mauritius for its closing event of the calendar year, the Mauritius Open. 

Rory McIlroy is the main attraction next week, playing in the Australian Open for the first time since 2014. However, much of the intrigue at this time of year comes from the plethora of newcomers, with rookies aplenty from the HotelPlanner Tour and Q-School, and they'll be looking to make a name for themselves at Royal Queensland against a host of familiar Aussie stars this week.  

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

First played in 1904, the Australian PGA Championship is one of the oldest tournaments in the world. With the exception of the January 2022 renewal, each edition since 2015 has been co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA of Australia. 

The event has an illustrious roll of honour, featuring past champions such as Gary Player (1957), Peter Thomson (1967), Hale Irwin (1978) and Seve Ballesteros (1981). Yet, it's the 1960 Open Champion Kel Nagle – a record 61-time winner on the PGA of Australia – who stands out above the rest, having claimed six victories (1968, 1965, 1959, 1958, 1954, 1949). 

Two of Australia's biggest names of recent years have developed excellent records in this event of late, with Cameron Smith (2022, 2018, 2017) and Adam Scott (2019, 2013) winning five renewals between them since 2013.  

Last five winners: 

• 2024 (Royal Queensland) 

Winner: Elvis Smylie (-14) 

Runner-up: Cameron Smith (-12) 

• 2023 (Royal Queensland) 

Winner: Min Woo Lee (-20) 

Runner-up: Rikuya Hoshino (-17) 

• 2022, December (Royal Queensland) 

Winner: Cameron Smith (-14) 

Runners-up: Ryo Hisatsune, Jason Scrivener (-11) 

• 2022, January (Royal Queensland) 

Winner: Jed Morgan (-22) 

Runner-up: Andrew Dodt (-11) 

• 2019 (Royal Pines) 

Winner: Adam Scott (-13) 

Runner-up: Michael Hendry (-11) 

Elvis Smylie became the latest homegrown talent to take this title in 2024's weather-shortened 54-hole edition. The youngster delivered an impressive wire-to-wire victory to beat off a horde of more established players, including Cameron Smith in 2nd and Marc Leishman in 3rd. He returns to defend this week. 

THE COURSE 

Royal Queensland Golf Club has been the exclusive home of this event since 2022, having first staged back-to-back editions in 2000 and 2001. It's also a three-time host of the Australian Open (1947, 1966, 1973) and has held several versions of the prestigious Australian Amateur Championship, most recently in 2020 – an event in which course expert Jed Morgan beat Tom McKibbin in the final. 

The original course here was designed by Carnegie Clark in 1920. However, it was extensively renovated by Mike Clayton in 2007, almost 30 years after he won the Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland. 

Measuring 7085 yards, this par-71 venue contains 4x par 3s (137-197 yards), 11x par 4s (319-499 yards), and 3x par 5s (574-596 yards). Although the layout can yield low scores when calm and receptive, it is a completely different beast if it achieves the intended firm-and-fast conditions. 

Sitting on the banks of the Brisbane River and possessing little in the way of elevation changes, Royal Queensland resembles the type of course found in Melbourne's famous Sandbelt area. It's largely exposed and water hazards/marshlands are in play on eight holes, creating several risk/reward opportunities. 

The fairways are among the widest on the DP World Tour, rating as the second-easiest to find since 2020. There is little rough, with waste areas lining most holes, and large, deep, uneven bunkers are strategically placed, regularly sitting in the middle of the fairways. 

Finding the short grass may be simple but players still need to position the ball smartly in order to attack the small, elevated bermudagrass greens. These surfaces are predominantly open-fronted, encouraging play along the ground, and they showcase variety throughout, with some sloping dramatically and others presenting the players with subtler breaks. 

With shaved run-offs guarding most, often leading to balls tumbling into the penal greenside bunkering, they rank among the 10 toughest greens to hit. Also sitting inside the top 10 in scrambling difficulty, this puts a huge amount of pressure on approach play. 

With three reachable par 5s and several shorter par 4s, including the drivable 319-yard par-4 12th, there are plenty of birdie chances to be had. However, many of these opportunities come with danger attached, ensuring that another unpredictable and exciting contest awaits at Royal Queensland this week. 

THE WEATHER 

Hot and humid weather is predicted throughout, carrying the threat of thunderstorms all week. Fortunately, it doesn't look like it will impact tournament play too much until Sunday.  

While players may have to deal with gusting winds of up to 24mph, it is forecast to blow at a reasonably gentle 8-9mph for the most part. Combined with those likely soft course conditions, scoring should again be decent. 

KEY STATS 

• SG: Around-the-Greens/Scrambling 

• SG: Putting (bermudagrass) 

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation 

Due to the DP World Tour only recording stats from this event for players aligned to the tour, we have an incomplete set of data from Royal Queensland. That said, with small, perplexing greens that are hard to find and pose difficult questions when you miss, it's no surprise to see high-class short-game players enjoy success here. 

2022 winner Cameron Smith and 2023 champion Min Woo Lee are both excellent on and around the greens. This theme was again on show last year, as winner Elvis Smylie is another player who excels in these areas, ranking 7th in SG: Around-the-Greens (SG: ATG) and 52nd in SG: Putting on the DP World Tour last season. 

Strength with the irons is also key. Finding these putting surfaces is the best way to avoid the dangers that lurk around them, and with potentially receptive conditions on the cards, those most precise in approach are well equipped to create the clearer scoring chances. 

CORRELATING EVENTS 

Royal Queensland has been compared to the Old Course at St Andrews by renovator Mike Clayton and the similarities do catch the eye. Both have extremely wide fairways that are strategically bunkered; challenging green complexes encourage play along the ground; and they typically suit players with a sharp short game. 

Not only does it regularly host the Open Championship – most recently in 2022, an edition won by Queensland conqueror Cameron Smith – but with two rounds of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship played there, we can also look to that event for clues. 

The sandy, firm, and exposed nature of this week's course means that links form in general is a decent guide. Aside from the Open Championship, that also includes the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club – a venue where 2023 Australian PGA Championship winner Min Woo Lee won in 2021. 

In addition, those same characteristics apply to many courses in the Middle East. The Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club and the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club stand out in particular due to their lack of elevation changes. 

THE FIELD 

Last year's Race to Dubai runner-up Marco Penge is the highest-ranking player in the field at No. 30. He is one of five participants from inside the top 100, alongside Ryan Fox (No. 41), Min Woo Lee (No. 46), Adam Scott (No. 64), and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (No. 81). 

Elvis Smylie will defend his title and is part of an eight-strong group of former winners in attendance, joined by Min Woo Lee (2023), Cameron Smith (2022, 2018, 2017), Jed Morgan (2022), Adam Scott (2019, 2013), Greg Chalmers (2014, 2011), Geoff Ogilvy (2008), and Peter Lonard (2007, 2004, 2002). 

The home challenge is strengthened by the PGA Tour's Cameron Davis and LIV's Marc Leishman. Meanwhile, LIV adds further depth to this field with Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer, Sebastian Munoz, Carlos Ortiz, and last week's Saudi International winner Josele Ballester all in the field. 

Thirteen of the 20 HotelPlanner Tour graduates will tee it up. This includes the No. 2 ranked player David Law and three-time winner in 2025, Renato Paratore.  

Additionally, we also welcome 16 of the 20 players who earned their card at Q-School. Among them is talented Portuguese youngster Daniel Rodrigues, the returning Eddie Pepperell, and American Davis Bryant, who impressed in limited DP World Tour starts last season. 

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders: Joaquin Niemann 8/1, Min Woo Lee 9/1, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 10/1, Marco Penge 11/1, Adam Scott 12/1, Cameron Smith 14/1, David Puig 14/1, Marc Leishman 14/1 

Marc Leishman 

Arriving at Royal Queensland in fine form, Marc Leishman heads my selections this week. He ended his four-year wait for a title at LIV Miami back in April, and having previously performed superbly around this layout, he looks the pick of the market leaders. 

Leishman's win at Doral was not just his maiden LIV title, but his first since winning the Zurich Classic alongside Cameron Smith on the PGA Tour in 2021. He's been solid outside of that, qualifying for and making the cut in both The Open and US Open, while he's finished 3rd, 6th, and 11th on his last three starts across the Asian Tour and PGA of Australia. 

The standout part of his game has been his approach play, gaining strokes in all but three of his LIV appearances in 2025. Blending this with a sharp short game, he's a strong statistical match for this challenge. 

Leishman has played in each of the last three editions of this event, finishing 12th in 2022 and 3rd in the last two seasons. He's fired nine out of 11 rounds in the 60s, and if he's able to build on recent results, he can land a long-awaited win on home soil. 

Carlos Ortiz 

Contending for a US Open, winning on the Asian Tour in Macau, and finishing 8th in the LIV season-long standings, 2025 has been full of positives for Carlos Ortiz. He was solid enough when returning to action in Saudi last week, and as a neat-and-tidy player around the greens who is hitting his irons better than ever, he has the game to tame Royal Queensland. 

Ortiz started his year with a notable display in Australia, finishing 2nd at LIV Adelaide on his third appearance. He won the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour three starts later and has picked up four further top-five finishes this season; chief amongst them is an excellent 4th-place finish in the US Open at Oakmont. 

The Mexican ranked 3rd in SG: Tee-to-Green (SG: T2G) there and he's excelled in this area throughout the year, ranking 6th in this field. He's been typically good around the greens, ranking 6th and with his ranking of 9th in SG: Approach a career high, this week's venue should hold no fear. 

Ortiz hasn't played here before, but his runner-up finish in Adelaide came at another Mike Clayton redesign – The Grange Golf Club. He's also won on a sandy, exposed course in the Middle East in Oman, and winning his only PGA Tour title at Memorial Park in the Houston Open – a venue that is similarly demanding around the greens – I'm confident he'll appreciate this test. 

Alex Fitzpatrick 

In possession of an excellent short game, it's no surprise that Alex Fitzpatrick took to this place on debut in 2023, finishing 18th. He's played some of his best golf in the latter part of the year, and hopefully taking inspiration from brother Matt notching up another win in Dubai, he can earn that breakthrough win in Queensland. 

After his promising first full campaign in 2024, there has been a drop-off from Fitzpatrick this year. However, he found something over his final starts of last season, recording consecutive finishes of 9th in the Open de Espana, 3rd in the DP World India Championship, 21st in the Genesis Championship, and 41st in the Abu Dhabi Championship. 

His long game has been the issue in 2025, ranking outside of the top 100 in SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) and SG: Approach on the DP World Tour. There were signs of life in those areas across that recent run of form and still displaying some of the soundest short-game skills on tour, ranking 7th in SG: ATG, he can handle the intricacies of Royal Queensland. 

Indeed, this was on show in that debut effort in 2023, as Fitzpatrick ranked 4th of the recorded players in scrambling. He then finished 8th in the Australian Open the following week, and as a player who has a top-20 in The Open and several top-25s in the Middle East, he excels in this environment. 

Freddy Schott 

Picking up three top-20 finishes in his last four starts, Freddy Schott is showing greater consistency at present than he has at any other time this year. He has positive experiences at Royal Queensland from both the amateur and pro ranks, and he can rely on that knowledge of the layout to break his DP World Tour duck this week. 

Schott's performances were up and down at the beginning of the year, with top-10s in Kenya on the DP World Tour and the UAE on the HotelPlanner Tour sitting among a raft of underwhelming displays. He was largely disappointing through the middle part of the year, but he looked to have found his stride at the end of the DPWT season, recording top-20 finishes in the Open de France, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and DP World India Championship. 

The 24-year-old German has excelled on the greens this season, ranking 51st in SG: Putting, and it's this club that engineered his 15th-place finish here last year, ranking 1st in those limited standings. He's also solid around the greens, and as a long but inaccurate driver, he clearly appreciates these generous fairways. 

Schott finished 33rd in the 2020 Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland and again showed an ability to perform at the course in 2024, with three rounds in the 60s taking him to that eye-catching top-20. He followed that with a 16th-place finish in the Australian Open and impressing with a strong performance at the Dunhill Links in October, finishing 15th, this is a layout that certainly appears to complement his game. 

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