Betting notebook: Book takes hit on Scheffler’s win; Oilers Cup favorites

Jordan Spieth joked that Quail Hollow, site of the PGA Championship, might as well be called the “Rory McIlroy Country Club” for McIlroy’s four wins there.

But Scottie Scheffler put his stamp on the Charlotte, North Carolina, golf course en route to winning his third career major Sunday, much to the delight of a Westgate SuperBook bettor who won $47,500 on a $9,500 wager on Scheffler placed at 5-1 odds in February.

Sharp bettors also dealt the book a loss on a prop that pitted the event’s top four favorites (Scheffler, McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas) against the rest of the field at +130.

Scheffler and McIlroy, fresh off his Masters win that completed the career grand slam, entered the tournament as +450 co-favorites.

“I would’ve had Rory higher, but we had nearly twice as much liability on Rory than we did Scheffler,” Westgate golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. “With what we wrote off updated odds, (Scheffler) was a small loser for us. We got people to back other golfers, so it reduced our liability down.”

Scheffler was +325 before the second round, 2-1 before the third round and started at -450 before the fourth round. The price on Scheffler then dropped to -400 before the final round when bettors backed the field against him in a yes-no prop.

Sherman made Scheffler the +325 favorite and McIlroy the 7-1 second choice at the U.S. Open, which starts June 12. Bryson DeChambeau, who tied for second at the PGA Championship, is the 9-1 third pick, followed by Jon Rahm (14-1) and Xander Schauffele (16-1).

Thunder favored to win next two NBA titles

The NBA is down to its final four teams and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the odds-on -175 favorites to win the league title. The New York Knicks are the 5-1 second choice, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves (+550) and the Indiana Pacers (9-1).

Oklahoma City is also the clear +230 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook to win the 2026 NBA championship. New York and the Cleveland Cavaliers are next at 9-1, followed by Minnesota (10-1), the Boston Celtics (12-1), the Houston Rockets (14-1), the Pacers (15-1), the Denver Nuggets (15-1) and Los Angeles Lakers (18-1).

The Thunder are -350 series favorites over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. They’re 7-point home favorites in Game 1 on Tuesday after whipping the Nuggets 125-93 on Sunday in Game 7 of their second-round series.

“You might have a smaller spread in Game 1 because the Thunder have a quick turnaround with one day off and Minnesota has been rested,” Sherman said. “When they head to Minnesota, the Thunder (are) going to be favored on the road in those games, too. That’s why you have over a (-300) favorite in this series.”

The Knicks are -155 series favorites over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals and 4½-point favorites Wednesday in Game 1.

“It feels like it’s going to be a very tightly contested series,” Sherman said. “It feels like the type of series that you’ll probably do well if you just bet the underdog with the point spread in each game.”

Oilers favored to win Stanley Cup

The NHL is down to its final four teams and the Edmonton Oilers are the slight +255 favorites at the Westgate to win the Stanley Cup. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are the +260 second choice, followed by the Dallas Stars at +290 and the Carolina Hurricanes at +320.

Not surprisingly, sportsbooks won when the Golden Knights lost to Edmonton in the Western Conference semifinals. The Knights were the biggest liability to win the Stanley Cup.

“That helped,” Sherman said. “They were a six-figure liability, like they are every season.”

The Westgate took sharp action Monday on Florida as a -120 series favorite over Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers are now -130.

The Oilers are -120 series favorites over Dallas to win the West.

“It’s very tight,” Sherman said. “They both just feel like complete toss-ups.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.