Steve Palmer's Australian PGA Championship predictions & free golf betting tips + a £40 free bet

Steve Palmer landed a winner in both the DP World Tour Championship and the RSM Classic as European Ryder Cup stars Nicolai Hojgaard (advised at 25-1) and Ludvig Aberg (14-1) did the business. Find out Steve's tips for this week's Australian PGA Championship below.

When to bet on the Australian PGA Championship

By 8pm on Wednesday

It’s also worth noting that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet that you can grab here ahead of the event.

Where can I watch the Australian PGA Championship

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 2.30am on Thursday morning

Steve Palmer's Australian PGA Championship predictions

Cameron Smith
6pts 4-1 general

David Micheluzzi
2.5pts each-way 28-1 Paddy Power

Tom McKibbin
1.5pts each-way 45-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Elvis Smylie
1pt each-way 250-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Harrison Crowe
1pt each-way 150-1 BoyleSports 

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You can bet on the Australian PGA Championship here and get £40 in golf free bets from Paddy Power

Steve Palmer's Australian PGA Championship preview

The old DP World Tour season finished in Dubai on Sunday and the new one starts in Brisbane on Thursday (Wednesday night for UK punters) with the Australian PGA Championship from Royal Queensland.

Min Woo Lee and Adrian Meronk are among those who have jetted from the Middle East to Brisbane, while Cam Davis, Adam Scott and Lucas Herbert are PGA Tour regulars who have entered.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Cameron Smith 4-1

Despite hardly ever getting the chance to pick up world-ranking points these days, Cameron Smith is still comfortably the highest-ranked player in the Australian PGA Championship field, and the former Open champion can boss proceedings in his home city this week.

The LIV Golf star finished runner-up in the Hong Kong Open the week before last, a useful warm-up spin for one of his favourite events, and a fourth Australian PGA Championship title seems on the cards for the colourful Queenslander.

Smith won the last Aussie PGA by three shots at Royal Queensland, having triumphed in 2017 and 2018 at Royal Pines, another Queensland track. The Brisbane boy always gets a hero's welcome in these parts and he will be relishing the chance to bolster his reputation and world ranking.

The fairways are generous and this seems set to be a low-scoring event in perfect weather. Smith is arguably the best putter in the field and probably the richest player after another successful LIV campaign. He won LIV London in July and LIV Bedminster – by seven shots – in August. Talent-wise he remains a top-five player in the world.

With no obvious prospect for draw bias, Smith looks a more than fair price. Lee and Meronk have had a 15-hour journey from Dubai to deal with, while Smith has been nicely settled. Expect the Major champion to leave his market rivals behind. 

Next best bet

David Micheluzzi 28-1

Perhaps the main threat to Smith is his compatriot David Micheluzzi – a 27-year-old riding the crest of a wave. In the last 14 months, he has won four times on the Australasian circuit, with three of those victories coming this year. The latest was the Victoria PGA Championship last week.

Micheluzzi's Sunday success will probably not have taken much out of him – after two holes of the final round he was seven shots behind, before going birdie crazy and winning by a shot – and this rising star of Oz golf must be followed.

Micheluzzi was 14th in the Dunhill Links Championship last month, then second in the Queensland PGA Championship. He is putting better than ever and can handle this week's low-scoring assignment.

Micheluzzi finished ninth and sixth in the two Aussie PGAs last year and he has not got the pressure of chasing a DP World Tour card this week. Having won the Australasian Order of Merit, he has earned DPWT status.

Other selections

Tom McKibbin 45-1
Elvis Smylie 250-1
Harrison Crowe 150-1

A runner-up effort in the 2020 Australian Amateur Championship at Royal Queensland showed Tom McKibbin has an affection for this week's venue. Having won the European Open in June, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman is going places fast.

McKibbin was 14th in the Dunhill Links last month, despite suffering at soggy Carnoustie on the final day, then ninth in the Qatar Masters, 33rd in the Nedbank and 32nd in Dubai last week. He took some money off his pals Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in a pre-tournament skins game and is looking forward to the future with confidence.

Complete your attack with two big-priced youngsters. Elvis Smylie turned pro aged 18 after hugely impressing at a young age and the 21-year-old left-hander could be ready for take-off. In the last two Aussie PGAs he has finished 12th and he has become a regular contender on the Oz Tour.

Smylie has played ten events this year, posting three top-tens and six top-20s. He was a quarter-finalist in the 2020 Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland and has used course-designer Mike Clayton as caddie in the PGA.

Harrison Crowe turned pro in September after a brilliant amateur career. The cocksure 22-year-old won the Asia-Pacific Amateur last year to gain access to the Masters and Open, delaying his switch to the paid ranks.

Crowe won the New South Wales Open on the Oz Tour last year when still an amateur. He has played hardly any events but has already posted three top-threes. He was second in the Queensland PGA earlier this month and eighth in the Hong Kong Open last time out.

Course guide for the Australian PGA Championship

• Course Royal Queensland Golf Club, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Prize money A$2m ($333,400 to the winner)
• Length 7,084 yards
• Par 71 – three par-fives; 11 par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Cameron Smith (18), Cameron Davis (44), Min Woo Lee (45), Adam Scott (47), Adrian Meronk (48)

• Course records - 72 holes 262 Jediah Morgan (2022) 18 holes 63 Jediah Morgan (2022)
• Course winners taking part Jediah Morgan, Cameron Smith
• When to bet By 8pm on Wednesday
  

• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 2.30am on Thursday morning
  
• Time difference Queensland is ten hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
  
• Course type Parkland
  
• Course overview Royal Queensland was redesigned by Michael Clayton and rebuilt, opening in December, 2007, staging two Australian PGAs last year – one in January and one in November. The Australian Amateur was staged at Royal Queensland in 2009 and 2020. This flat course is on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The fairways are wide and there is no rough, but bunkers are strategically placed, with some even in the middle of fairways at the three par-fives
  
• Story of last year Jediah Morgan enjoyed an 11-shot victory in the January edition, before Cameron Smith won by three shots in the November renewal
  
• Weather forecast A mixture of sunshine and showers, temperatures around 25C, and light breezes
  
• Type of player suited to the challenge Finding the right sections of the fairways to get the best angle of attack to the greens is important, but putting well is arguably the key on a low-scoring track in fantastic weather
  
• Key attribute Touch/putting

Steve Palmer's Australian PGA Championship key stat

21 of the last 22 winners of this event have been Australian

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We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet to place on all of the golf action at the event.

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Paddy Power golf Australian PGA Championship betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new golf betting signup offer before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of the Australian PGA Championship free bets and what's expected of you as a new customer.

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