The 2025 PGA Tour season began at The Sentry in Kapalua, featuring a $20M purse exclusively for last year's winners and Tour Championship qualifiers, with 59 players competing.

A notable shift in golf betting patterns has emerged, particularly among high-stakes bettors. While traditional small-stake tournament winners' bets continue, many wealthy bettors are now placing large wagers on players not to win, seeking more reliable returns despite smaller profits.

Recent examples from Sporttrade's "Whale Tracker" include:

• $9,325 bet on Collin Morikawa (to net $568)
• $9,500 on Patrick Cantlay (to net $490)
• $9,791 on Nick Dunlap (to net $106)
• $9,900 on Will Zalatoris (to net $98)

After the first round, Morikawa sits T4 with a 66, while Cantlay (+1) and Dunlap (+3) struggled. Zalatoris's strong start (T2 with 65) has put one large bet at risk.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is sidelined for 3-4 weeks due to a Christmas cooking injury but remains the betting favorite for all 2025 majors:

• Masters: +410
• PGA Championship: +490
• U.S. Open: +410
• The Open Championship: +430

Rory McIlroy follows as second favorite across all majors, with odds ranging from +850 to +1000.

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