A new virtual golf tour for coronavirus relief features celebrities Don Cheadle and Darius Rucker as well as the PGA Tour’s Patrick Reed.
While we impatiently wait for the return of tournament golf next month, varying formats of competitive golf are actually right around the corner.
There’s the charity skins match between Rory McIlroy-Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler-Matthew Wolff on May 17, not to mention The Match: Champions for Charity between Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady.
On the virtual side, the European Tour is using TrackMan for the BMW Indoor Invitational. On top of that, celebrities and professional golfers are teaming up for coronavirus relief.
Streaming exclusively on Twitch, T’d Up Golf has partnered with Group 33 for a one-of-a-kind virtual golf tour. The first “tour stops” feature celebrities Don Cheadle, Anthony Anderson, Darius Rucker and Chris Spencer being coached by the PGA Tour’s Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, Wyndham Clark and Kevin Na. The first event will virtually transport the players to Scotland.
“As we approach summer, we recognize that many people are missing the opportunity to not only play a round of golf themselves but also see their favorite professionals in action on famous courses around the world,” said Eric Brunner, Sports Partnerships Lead at Twitch. “Through our partnership with Group 33 and the launch of T’d Up Golf, we’re excited to bring some of golf’s most well-known athletes, fans and courses back to viewers’ screens through a virtual and interactive format that can only be found on Twitch.”
Teams will be playing to generate revenue benefiting COVID-19 frontline workers, providing them with food and the necessary resources. Viewers will also be able to use Twitch’s chat feature to interact with the teams throughout the competition.
“The format of pairing celebrities who have the chops for golf with PGA TOUR pros as fun-loving sidekicks/hilarious caddies is sure to make for great content,” added Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of PXG, also a partner for the fundraising event.
More information is set to come, including the schedule, additional golfers and celebrities. You can sign up for more information and updates right here.
The four-time PGA Tour winner talks about how he could work in sales if he wasn’t making a comfortable living in his current vocation.
Kevin Na lets his putter do most of the talking on the golf course, but when he’s away from the links he’s pretty sure he can talk you into spending money you shouldn’t spend.
That’s just one of the funny notes Na serves up in our most recent edition of Quick Hits.
The four-time PGA Tour winner talks about how he could easily work in sales if he wasn’t making a comfortable living in his current vocation.
“If I wasn’t a golfer, I think my occupation would be a salesman,” Na said. “Because I think I can sell you something that you don’t need.”
Na’s first win came in Nevada back in 2011, when he captured the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open title by two strokes. Coincidentally, Na lives with his family in Las Vegas and talks about it being one of his favorite places. And he talks about his favorite player to play with, which comes as no great surprise.
Brooks Koepka is no longer world No. 1 but he is plenty motivated at this week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
[jwplayer HoWyYfvE-9JtFt04J]
The 2020 Genesis Invitational hosts a field of 120 golfers this week in Pacific Palisades, California. Eight of the top-10 golfers from the Official World Golf Ranking are among them, making this the top PGA Tour event of the season thus far. Below, we’ll analyze the golf betting odds, while making our picks to win the 2020 Genesis Invitational.
The key stats for the 7,322-yard, par-71 Riviera Country Club are:
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Strokes Gained: Around the Green
Birdies Gained
Par 4 Scoring: 450-500 Yards
Driving Distance Gained
My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 50 rounds on courses between 7,200 and 7,400 yards.
Genesis Invitational – Tier 1
Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka hug after the final round of the 2019 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. (Photo Credit: Butch Dill – USA TODAY Sports)
There isn’t likely to be anyone in the field this week more motivated than Koepka, who gave up the No. 1 spot in the OWGR to Rory McIlroy on Monday morning. With the bump in the rankings, Koepka’s outright odds to win a tournament plummeted. By contrast, Koepka is +900 to win the Masters, +1000 to win the British Open, +800 for the U.S. Open and +800 for the PGA Championship.
While he missed the cut in 2017 (his only appearance in the last five years), this is nearly a major-caliber field. Koepka remains second in the OWGR, but he’s seventh by the odds this week.
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Adam Scott (+3000)
Scott ranks third in this field in Strokes Gained at Riviera among those with a minimum of 10 rounds played on the course. Ranked 14th in the world, he’s coming off a win at the Australian PGA Championship in late December and is well rested. He looks to become the third Aussie to win on the PGA Tour in 2020 behind Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.
Genesis Invitational – Tier 2
Collin Morikawa watches his shot from the fifth tee during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. (Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)
Collin Morikawa (+4500)
Morikawa has never participated in this event, but he offers adequate value after routinely being priced among the favorites in the weaker early-season events. He still hasn’t missed a cut as a professional, and he ranks 18th by the overall stat model as a great ball striker.
Kevin Na (+6600)
Na tied for 33rd last year following a co-runner-up finish in 2018 and a T-4 in 2017. He rebounded from a missed cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to tie for 14th last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He’s one of the best in the elite field in SG: Around the Green.
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Genesis Invitational – Longshots
Francesco Molinari and caddie Mark Fulcher look on from the fourth tee box during the first round of The American Express golf tournament at La Quinta Country Club. (Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)
Jason Kokrak (+10000)
Though he lacks the winning pedigree of many of those in the field, Kokrak has done well at Riviera. He has made the cut each of the last five years and was a co-runner-up in 2016. He ranks sixth in the field in total strokes gained over those five appearances.
Francesco Molinari (+12500)
Yes, this is the same Francesco Molinari as the 2018 Open Champion. He enters the week ranked 24th by the OWGR, but he was inside the top 10 as recently as September. He’s coming off missed cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open and the American Express, but these odds are laughable for one of the best iron players in the world.
Complete odds
Player
Odds
Rory McIlroy
+700
Jon Rahm
+850
Justin Thomas
+850
Dustin Johnson
+1400
Tiger Woods
+1600
Patrick Cantlay
+1800
Brooks Koepka
+2000
Xander Schauffele
+2000
Bubba Watson
+2200
Hideki Matsuyama
+2500
Tony Finau
+2500
Adam Scott
+3000
Jason Day
+3300
Justin Rose
+4000
Marc Leishman
+4000
Patrick Reed
+4000
Phil Mickelson
+4000
Bryson DeChambeau
+4500
Collin Morikawa
+4500
Matt Kuchar
+4500
Paul Casey
+4500
Jordan Spieth
+5000
Sergio Garcia
+5500
Abraham Ancer
+6000
Sungjae Im
+6000
J.B. Holmes
+6600
Kevin Na
+6600
Matthew Fitzpatrick
+6600
Alex Noren
+8000
Branden Grace
+8000
Cameron Smith
+8000
Max Homa
+8000
Nick Taylor
+8000
Charles Howell III
+9000
Joaquin Niemann
+9000
Ryan Moore
+9000
Scottie Scheffler
+9000
Adam Hadwin
+10000
Brendon Todd
+10000
Brian Harman
+10000
Cameron Champ
+10000
Chez Reavie
+10000
Corey Conners
+10000
Erik Van Rooyen
+10000
Jason Kokrak
+10000
Keegan Bradley
+10000
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
+10000
Ryan Palmer
+10000
Scott Piercy
+10000
Bud Cauley
+12500
Carlos Ortiz
+12500
Danny Willett
+12500
Francesco Molinari
+12500
Lanto Griffin
+12500
Matthew Wolff
+12500
Russell Knox
+12500
Vaughn Taylor
+12500
Andrew Putnam
+15000
Charley Hoffman
+15000
Emiliano Grillo
+15000
Jhonattan Vegas
+15000
Jim Furyk
+15000
Matt Jones
+15000
Patrick Rodgers
+15000
Joel Dahmen
+17500
Luke List
+17500
Rory Sabbatini
+17500
Wyndham Clark
+17500
Aaron Baddeley
+20000
Aaron Wise
+20000
Andrew Landry
+20000
Cameron Tringale
+20000
Denny McCarthy
+20000
Dylan Frittelli
+20000
Harold Varner III
+20000
Kevin Chappell
+20000
Kevin Tway
+20000
Martin Laird
+20000
Nate Lashley
+20000
Nick Watney
+20000
Pat Perez
+20000
Scott Stallings
+20000
Sebastián Muñoz
+20000
Sung Kang
+20000
Adam Long
+22500
Danny Lee
+22500
James Hahn
+22500
Talor Gooch
+22500
Adam Schenk
+25000
Jimmy Walker
+25000
Kyle Stanley
+25000
Matt Every
+25000
Sam Ryder
+25000
Troy Merritt
+25000
Brian Gay
+30000
Chris Stuard
+30000
Bronson Burgoon
+30000
J.J. Spaun
+30000
Jason Dufner
+30000
Joseph Bramlett
+30000
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
+30000
Michael Thompson
+30000
Peter Malnati
+30000
Russell Henley
+30000
Sam Burns
+30000
Sepp Straka
+30000
Steve Stricker
+30000
C.T. Pan
+40000
Kyongjun Moon
+40000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee
+40000
Scott Brown
+40000
Si Woo Kim
+40000
Chris Stroud
+50000
Jim Herman
+50000
Roger Sloan
+50000
Ryan Armour
+50000
Tyler Duncan
+50000
Martin Trainer
+100000
Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 Genesis Invitational, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.
The 2020 Genesis Invitational hosts a field of 120 golfers this week in Pacific Palisades Calif. Eight of the top-10 golfers from the Official World Golf Ranking are among them, making this the top PGA Tour event of the season thus far. Below, we’ll analyze the golf betting odds, while making our picks to win the 2020 Genesis Invitational.
The key stats for the 7,322-yard, par-71 Riviera Country Club are:
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Strokes Gained: Around the Green
Birdies Gained
Par 4 Scoring: 450-500 Yards
Driving Distance Gained
My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 50 rounds on courses between 7,200 and 7,400 yards.
Genesis Invitational – Tier 1
Aug 25, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka hug after the final round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. (Photo Credit: Butch Dill – USA TODAY Sports)
There isn’t likely to be anyone in the field this week more motivated than Koepka, who gave up the No. 1 spot in the OWGR to Rory McIlroy Monday morning. With the bump in the rankings, Koepka’s outright odds to win a tournament plummeted. By contrast, Koepka is +900 to win the Masters, +1000 to win the Open Championship, +800 for the US Open and +800 for the PGA Championship.
While he missed the cut in 2017 (his only appearance in the last five years), this is nearly a major-caliber field. Koepka remains second in the OWGR but he’s seventh by the odds this week.
Looking to place a bet on this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!
Adam Scott (+3000)
Scott ranks third in this field in Strokes Gained at Riviera among those with a minimum of 10 rounds played on the course. Ranked 14th in the world, he’s coming off a win at the Australian PGA Championship in late December and is well rested. He looks to become the third Aussie to win on the PGA Tour in 2020 behind Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.
Genesis Invitational – Tier 2
Jan 24, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; Collin Morikawa watches his shot from the fifth tee during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. (Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)
Collin Morikawa (+4500)
Morikawa has never participated in this event, but he offers adequate value after routinely being priced among the favorites in the weaker early-season events. He still hasn’t missed a cut as a professional, and he ranks 18th by the overall stat model as a great ball striker.
Kevin Na (+6600)
Na tied for 33rd last year following a co-runner-up finish in 2018 and a T-4 in 2017. He rebounded from a missed cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to tie for 14th last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He’s one of the best in the elite field in SG: Around the Green.
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Genesis Invitational – Longshots
Jan 16, 2020; La Quinta, California, USA; Francesco Molinari (R) and caddie Mark Fulcher look on from the fourth tee box during the first round of The American Express golf tournament at La Quinta Country Club. (Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)
Jason Kokrak (+10000)
Though he lacks the winning pedigree of many of those in the field, Kokrak has done well at Riviera. He has made the cut each of the last five years at this event and was a co-runner-up in 2016. He ranks sixth in the field in total strokes gained over that those five appearances.
Francesco Molinari (+12500)
Yes, this is the same Francesco Molinari as the 2018 Open Champion. He enters the week ranked 24th by the OWGR, but he was inside the top 10 as recently as September. He’s coming off missed cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open and The American Express, but these odds are laughable for one of the best iron players in the world.
Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.
[jwplayer Mr8Fu9mp]
The PGA Tour shifts back to the West Coast for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Dustin Johnson, ranked fifth by the Official World Golf Ranking, leads the field as he’ll tee it up on the mainland for the first time since August’s Tour Championship.
The key stats for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which will cycle through Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, are:
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Around the Green
Strokes Gained: Scrambling
Birdies Gained
Par 4 Scoring: 350-400 Yards
Proximity from 125-150 Yards
My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 24 rounds on courses shorter than 7,200 yards.
Johnson returns to the USA following a runner-up finish at the European Tour’s Saudi International. He’s back in form following a lengthy injury layoff and a T-7 result at the 30-man Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii to open 2020. He’s a two-time winner of this event and leads the week’s stat model. He scores particularly well on the shorter courses and ranks second in birdies gained.
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Brandt Snedeker (+2200)
Snedeker, the 2015 champ, suffered a rare missed cut at least week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open following a T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He’s one of the best in the field at putting on the difficult Poa Annua greens, and he’ll benefit from playing the shorter venue.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Tier 2
(Photo Credit: Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports)
Kevin Na (+6600)
Na has played this event just one of the last three years when he finished T-20 in 2018. He missed the cut last week to fall to 28th in the OWGR, but he remains a strong value play in a weaker field. He’s an expert scrambler, and his lack of distance will be mitigated here with none of the three courses topping 7,000 yards.
Kurt Kitayama (+6600)
Kitayama, ranked 68th in the world, will play his first PGA Tour event since the WGC-HSBC Champions in early November. The European Tour regular is coming off a T-6 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. His last professional victory was last year’s Oman Open after he won twice in 2018.
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AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Longshots
(Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports)
Matthew NeSmith (+12500)
NeSmith, 26, will make his debut at this event. He sat out last week’s tournament after a three-event stretch composed of a T-32 at the Sony Open, T-17 at The American Express and a T-30 at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Brian Stuard (+17500)
Stuard ranks 10th by the week’s stat model. He has been strong on approach and around the greens. He’s also fourth in the field in three-putt avoidance on Poa Annua greens. He comes into the week ranked 145th in the world following a missed cut in Phoenix, but this event routinely produces longshot champs.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Kevin Na received his invite to the 2020 Masters at Augusta National and shared the letter on Instagram.
Christmas is still a few days away, meaning most people will need to wait another two days before opening their presents.
Kevin Na got a pretty big gift on Monday.
The 36-year-old shared a letter on his Instagram account any of us would love to receive from Fred Ridley: A cordial invitation to the 2020 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
The four-time winner on the PGA Tour, who most recently had a dramatic victory in October at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, has finished as high as T-12 twice at Augusta National, first in 2012 then again at 2015.
In honor of 17-year-old Alec Cabacungan, Kevin Na will donate $50,000 to Shriners Hospitals Brittle Bone Program.
Kevin Na’s victory at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open was nearly two months ago, but the win is still making waves.
On Instagram Tuesday, Na posted about his admiration for Alec Cabacungan who has osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. The 17-year-old found a special place in Na’s heart after the two met in October at the Shriners Open.
Cabacungan, who has been treated at Chicago’s Shriners Hospital since 2002, dreams of becoming a sports anchor and had the opportunity to interview Na at TPC Summerlin during the 2019 Shriners Open. In Na’s video posted on Instagram Tuesday, the two spoke about Na winning the Shriners Open in 2011 and Na gave Cabacungan a T-shirt with his signature “walking it in” move on the front.
Along with the post, Na announced he and his family will donate $50,000 of his winnings to the Shriners Hospitals Brittle Bone Program and thanked Cabacungan for being an inspiration.
“My family and I have decided to donate $50,000 that I received from @RSM for making the most birdies during my victory (at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) to the (Shriners Hospitals) Brittle Bone Program to help kids who have osteogenesis imperfecta,” Na wrote on Instagram. “Alec, thanks for getting me ready for the tournament! @aleccco, you’re a star and and an inspiration to so many!”
According to the Chicago Tribune, Cabacungan has broken more than 60 bones during his lifetime and had more than a dozen surgeries, but has remained optimistic and focused throughout it all.
