Tag: Marc Leishman

2020 Travelers Championship odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 Travelers Championship, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Travelers Championship begins Thursday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., as the PGA Tour’s best move on from Webb Simpson’s victory at last week’s RBC Heritage. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our best bets for the Travelers Championship.

Another loaded field is in attendance as Patrick Cantlay, who ranks sixth in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, makes his first appearance out of the midseason break. Defending champ Chez Reavie and three-time winner Bubba Watson are also in attendance. Charles Schwab Challenge champ Daniel Berger withdrew from the field Sunday night following his T-3 finish at the RBC Heritage.

TPC River Highlands measures just 6,841 yards and plays to a par of 70 with Bentgrass greens.

2020 Travelers Championship Betting Picks – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Adam Hagy – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, June 22 at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Paul Casey (+2800)

Casey will tee it up for the first time since The Players Championship was canceled. He has three top-5 finishes here in the last three years and another runner-up result in 2015. No one with at least five rounds played at TPC River Highlands averages more than Casey’s 2.46 strokes gained per round on the field, according to Data Golf.

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Marc Leishman (+4500)

Leishman took last week off following a missed cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The Farmers Insurance Open champ was the runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational ahead of the break. He ranks first in this field in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and Par 4 Efficiency: 400-450 Yards on courses shorter than 7,200 yards and featuring Bentgrass greens, according to Fantasy National.

2020 Travelers Championship Betting Picks – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports)

Ian Poulter (+7000)

Poulter has scored in the 60s in six of his last eight rounds, including all four at Harbour Town Golf Links last week. His minus-16 resulted in just a T-14 finish last week in what turned out to be a shootout at the RBC Heritage. He hasn’t played here since a 43rd-place finish in 2013, but he’s a value at these odds due to his current form.

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Jason Kokrak (+9000)

Kokrak disappointed a lot of bettors last week with a missed cut following a T-3 finish in the Tour’s return to play. He has struggled in 19 career rounds here, including missed cuts in each of the last two years, but he’s regained value at this price and excels in proximity to the pin from this week’s key approach distance of 150-175 yards.

2020 Travelers Championship Betting Picks – Long shots

(Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports)

Dylan Frittelli (+15000)

Frittelli grabbed attention Sunday while taking the early lead with a closing 62 before the leaders teed off. He has broken 70 just three times in his last 12 rounds, but the odds don’t reflect his most recent performance.

Doc Redman (+22500)

Redman ranks in the top 10 of the field in all three of SG: Ball Striking, Good Drives Gained and Proximity from 150-175 Yards on short courses with Bentgrass greens. The 22-year-old makes his debut at TPC River Highlands off of a T-21 finish last week.

Get some action on the 2020 Travelers Championship 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.

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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.

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Coronavirus: Secret Golf Match Play Series announced for PGA Tour downtime

At a time when the world is starved for fresh golf content, Secret Golf plans to release up to six matches between PGA Tour pros.

With professional golf tournaments around the world on hiatus due to concerns of COVID-19, former PGA champion Steve Elkington and his partners have dreamed up a modern-day version of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf to bring golf fans the fresh content they crave.

It’s called the Secret Golf Match Play Series for COVID-19 Relief and it will consist of up to six matches that will be played prior to the continuation of the PGA Tour season. The matches are expected to be shown on television – negotiations are ongoing and event production is pending discussions with the PGA Tour – and streamed via the Internet to a global audience along with a companion app that includes exclusive behind the scenes and interactive content to enhance the viewing experience as the competition unfolds.

Among those PGA Tour stars committed to partake in the stroke-play matches are Secret Golf regulars Marc Leishman (World No. 15), Jason Dufner, Russell Knox, Andrew Landry, Ryan Palmer and Pat Perez. Each has been allowed to challenge a player of their choice to face them that may not be on its roster of more than 30 tour pros, male and female. (Potential women Secret Golf ambassadors include Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome and Gerina Piller.)

The initial matchups will be named at a later date, Elkington said, along with the courses, but they will all be at private venues that are closed to the public. Players will wear microphones as they talk, interact and informally educate fans about the shots they are going to hit and just hit. Prepare for plenty of trash talk.

“There are levels of trash talk,” Elkington said. “There are guys who make a lot of noise like Pat Perez and those who are more discreet and pick their spot. Jason Dufner is a real quiet and stoic guy, but in our group you can’t shut him up. It just depends who his audience is. He’s like a parrot that never talks when you ask him to talk.”

As for the stakes?

“Pride mostly,” Elkington said. “The scorecard is a big thing for these guys, but could they be making some side bets for added charity money? I wouldn’t put it past them.”

(Video courtesy Secret Golf.)

The players will carry their own bags, and players, crew and commentators numbering less than 10 in total will follow all safe distancing guidelines advised by the CDC. Elkington will provide on-course commentary and color throughout the match, and Diane Knox will conduct pre-during-post round interviews and provide social media support throughout the event.

“We’re going to ham it up,” Elkington said. “You never get to hear what the Tour player is thinking right after he hits a shot. We’re going to ask them what happened – good or bad?”

The PGA Tour canceled the Players Championship after the opening round on March 12 and later canceled or postponed all tournaments through May 17. All of the Secret Golf matches are expected to be released while the Tour’s schedule is suspended. (It is tentatively scheduled to resume with the Charles Schwab Championship, beginning May 21.)

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“We huddled and felt we needed to do something to help people of all ages at grave risk from the virus. We did not at the time know what to do, but we knew it would be important to offer hope and maybe some ways to show golf fans how to be safe, and maybe offer up something to help everyone get by as we are virtually in quarantine,” event organizers said in a release. “Our events had to be charity based, fall under the guides of the CDC, and be highly sensitive of how the country’s health was as a whole before we would release our matches.”

“When we see the virus flatten, see positive trend statistics support very positive change, and diligently listen to CDC guidance we will at that time make a decision and begin to release the series,” said Vito Palermo, a founding partner of Secret Golf.

Proceeds from these events will go to the charitable foundations of participating players as well as the United Way Pandemic Relief Fund.

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Tyrrell Hatton loses his mind, but holds on to win Arnold Palmer Invitational

Tyrrell Hatton lost his mind before regaining his cool and survived the torture chamber that was Bay Hill for his maiden PGA Tour victory.

ORLANDO – During an interview at a golf tournament, Tyrrell Hatton was once asked what his stage name would be if he were to become a D.J.

“Head case Hatton,” he said without hesitation as he broke into laughter.

It would be a fitting nickname given that the 28-year-old Englishman has developed a reputation of being one swing away from self-combustion. Indeed, there were some testy moments for Hatton in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, including slamming his club, flipping the bird, and pointing his putter like a rifle and firing a pretend shot back in the general direction of a pond on the 11th hole where his ball found a watery grave. He wasn’t the only one whose patience was tested as Bay Hill Club & Lodge turned into a windy U.S. Open-like struggle. Only four golfers managed to break par for 72 holes.

Yet leave it to Hatton to keep his cool down the stretch as others faltered to hang on to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke over Australian Marc Leishman. Juicy rough, greens as hard as cement and howling wind brought the field to its knees with Hatton the ultimate survivor, and winning his maiden PGA Tour title despite a 2-over 74 and a 72-hole total of 4-under 284.

“To hold on and win here at such an iconic venue,” Hatton said, “I’m over the moon.”

API: Updates | Leaderboard | Photos

How tough did Bay Hill play this year? Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka shot 81 on Saturday, the highest score of his career, on a day when the average score was 75.9. On Sunday, World No.1 Rory McIlroy, who started the day tied for second and two strokes back, came unglued on the front nine. Tied for the lead in the early going, he hit a bunker shot into a penalty area at No. 6 and hooked his tee shot out of bounds at nine en route to two double bogeys and stumbled to a front-nine 40. He finished T-5 after a 76.

“I stood up here yesterday saying that the key tomorrow was to keep the big numbers off your card and I made two of those today,” McIlroy said, “and that’s what cost me.”

“I can’t think of anywhere else that played as hard as this, really,” said Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, who finished T-9 after posting a 69 on Sunday, the only score of the weekend in the 60s.

Joel Dahmen summarized the feelings of everyone else when he said, “I’m so happy I’m done.”

Hatton, a four-time winner on the European Tour and the 54-hole leader, regained sole possession of the lead after two early bogeys when he stiffed his tee shot at the par-3 seventh hole to 2 feet and canned a 10-foot birdie at No. 8. He led by three strokes when he tugged his tee shot at 11 into the water, made double-bogey and had his melt down. But he closed with seven gritty pars when it mattered most.

“Of all the courses on the PGA Tour, this is the last one you’d pick if you had a two-shot lead your three to go,” said Leishman, who signed for 1-over 73. “So Tyrell never gave up. He did what he needed to do there at the end.”

“He’s good under the gun,” Graeme McDowell said. “He’s not scared.”

Honda Classic champion Sungjae Im, who was bidding to win for the second week in a row, shared the lead momentarily until he hit into the water at 13 and made double bogey. He shot 73 and finished at 2-under 286. Bryson DeChambeau made four birdies over the final seven holes and was the top American finisher in fourth at 1-under 287.

New Zealand’s Danny Lee (75) and Americans Keith Mitchell (71) and Dahmen (71), shared fifth place and earned spots in the British Open in July as the top three players in the top 10 and ties who weren’t already exempt for the season’s final major.

Hatton was making just his second start since having surgery on his right wrist, which he originally injured at the 2017 Masters when he slipped on the pine straw during the par-3 contest. He was sidelined for three months beginning in late November. When asked how he spent his downtime, he said, “I drank a lot of red wine and played Xbox. That was it.”

It should be quite the celebration now that Hatton is a winner on the PGA Tour.

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On a roll: Adam Scott says he didn’t want to be lagging behind fellow Aussies

Adam Scott joins Aussies Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman as winners on the PGA Tour in 2020.

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Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

Adam Scott’s resolute victory in Sunday’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club kept his home country of Australia rolling on the PGA Tour in 2020. With his first victory on the PGA Tour in nearly four years – and the 14th of his career – the 2013 Masters champion became the sixth man from Down Under to win on professionals tours around the world this year.

Last year, just two Australians registered victories around the world. Well, the men from Oz passed that the first month of 2020.

Scott joined Cameron Smith (Sony Open) and Marc Leishman (Farmers Insurance Open) as winners on the PGA Tour, while Lucas Herbert (Omega Desert Classic) and Min Woo Lee (Vic Open) earned their maiden victories on the European Tour. Wade Ormsby won the Hong Kong Open on a tour co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours.

Scott, who got the best of rugged Riviera and won by two shots over Scott Brown, Sung Kang and Matt Kuchar and by three over world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, credits the Presidents Cup in Australia in December for spurring on his countrymen.

The Internationals nearly pulled off the upset of the Americans before falling late, 16-14, at Royal Melbourne. Scott, Smith and Leishman played on that team.

“I’ve seen it before, with some guys off the back of an incredible Presidents Cup experience where there’s pressure out on the golf course and guys really learning and elevating their games and then putting that into practice the next time they’re in a pressure situation,” Scott said Sunday. “I know I did that back in 2003, we played in December in South Africa and I remember leading the Players going into Sunday but using that pressure situation playing with Ernie (Els) in South Africa as a way to know that I can handle it, and I think some of us might have done that off the back of this Presidents Cup.

“And it’s certainly motivation for me seeing Cam and Marc win to come out and make sure I’m not the one lagging behind, so over to Jason (Day).”

Day, who has played well but is winless since 2018, won’t join his mates with a victory this week as he’s not playing the WGC-Mexico Championship. But Australia will be well represented with Scott, Smith, Leishman, Herbert and Scott Hend in the field.

While three of the top-10 players in the world are bypassing the Mexico Championship – world No. 2 Brooks Koepka, No. 6 Patrick Cantlay and No. 9 Tiger Woods – the field is still stacked.

McIlroy, No. 3 Jon Rahm, No. 4 Justin Thomas, No. 5 and defending champion Dustin Johnson, No. 7 Scott, No. 8 Webb Simpson and No. 10 Xander Schauffele are teeing it up in the second WGC event of the season.

Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry, reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Leishman make it 15 of the top 20 in the field.

Major champions Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell and Francesco Molinari are among others playing.

Scott is definitely one of the favorites this week. The last time he ended a winless drought came in 2016 when he won the Honda Classic. The following week his won the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

“I think anytime you’re coming off a drought of wins, I’ve always kind of judged myself and graded myself on winning tournaments and I’ve done that fairly consistently throughout my career, but it’s been nearly four years since I won on the PGA Tour,” he said. “This is an important step for whatever this next few years is in my career. So I think it is important, it can definitely be used for momentum.”

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Australian Marc Leishman rises above the rest for Farmers Insurance Open win

Marc Leishman closed with 7-under 65 – tying for the low round of the day – to finish at 15 under and one ahead of world No. 3 Jon Rahm.

SAN DIEGO – On a chilly, cloudy Sunday, few things sparkled above the sea at Torrey Pines in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Cold weather, brisk breezes and overcast skies combined to make scoring less than suitable, but in the gloomy conditions, one man stood out like a blazing star on the grand seaside stage. That was Marc Leishman.

The tall Australian burst from the first tee and turned a four-shot deficit after 54 holes into a three-shot lead by No. 11 tee. While most everyone else was laboring, Leishman was scorching, notching three birdies on his first four holes, another at the sixth and another at the eighth to assume command.

Birdies at Nos. 11 and 13 kept the red-number binge going, but par saves from 20 feet on 12, from 12 feet on 14, from 15 feet on 15 and seven feet on 16 were just as key. A final birdie from six feet on the 18th capped his victory.

MORE: Leaderboard | Money | Photos | Winner’s bag

Leishman closed with a 7-under 65 – tying for the low round of the day – to finish at 15 under and one shot ahead of world No. 3 Jon Rahm, whose bid for a tying eagle on the 72nd hole fell inches short.

“Pretty amazing, particularly with all the problems that have been happening back in Australia with the fires and people losing their lives. Just devastating really,” Leishman said. “So if this can bring them a little bit of joy, it’s a big win for me personally and then for them as well. I hope this can bring them a bit of joy.”

Leishman fired rounds of 68-72-68-65 for his fifth PGA Tour title. Rahm, the 54-hole leader who won his first PGA Tour title here in 2017 and got engaged near Torrey Pines, closed with a 70.

Two-time Farmers winner Brandt Snedeker (68) and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy (69) finished three shots back in a tie for third. McIlroy could have become the world’s top player with a victory. In his 2020 debut, Tiger Woods tied for ninth, his final-round 70 leaving him at 9 under.

“I knew if I played good, I could give myself a chance, but if the guys out ahead of me, if they had their best stuff, I wasn’t going to win,” said Leishman, who had tied for second here in 2010 and 2014. “To get off to the start I did, I was 3 under through four and I missed about a five‑foot birdie putt on three, so could have easily been 4 under through four. That’s the start you want to get off to.

“I saw that the guys out front didn’t get off to the best start and then that really got my determination up. Not that it wasn’t already up, but that got me right into it. I think I’ve led here early in the last round maybe once or twice and let it slip. I was very determined to not let that happen again.”

While Leishman was rolling, the final group – Rahm, McIlroy and Ryan Palmer – was reeling. All three bogeyed the first hole. McIlroy, making his 2020 debut, added another bogey on the second hole, Rahm a double-bogey on the third, McIlroy and Palmer both making bogeys on the fourth.

Palmer didn’t rebound – he shot 77 to tie for 21st – while McIlroy made a charge with a birdie on No. 5, an eagle on 6 and birdies on Nos. 8 and 9. A three-putt bogey on 11 stifled his chances.

“I’m happy with the fight that I put up today,” McIlroy said. “Marc played an amazing round of golf to go out there somewhat in contention and shoot 65. To shoot 69 myself after that start, I was trying to make eagle at the last to consolidate third on my own, but T-3 is a good way to start the year.”

Rahm took some time to get going but gave himself a chance to tie on the final hole after making an eagle at No. 13 and birdies at 14, 16 and 17. But from 53 feet on the last, he came up just short.

“I can say I can’t really play much worse for the first 10 holes,” Rahm said. “From 13 on, kind of got in the mindset of just loosen up, doesn’t matter, you’re six shots back, just try to maybe get the round to even par, not shoot over par in this tournament, which is obviously a hard thing to do.

“Made that eagle, started to get some good vibes, started hitting fairways and that birdie on 14 kind of got me going.”

But in the end, it was Leishman’s day, thanks in large part to his putter.

“I was driving it really well early in the week and then I think I might have only hit two or three fairways today. It just left me a little bit,” Leishman said. “But the thing that was trending in the right direction was the putter. I just found a feel on the putting green earlier in the week, which actually I said to (his caddie), when I had the putter in my hand, feels like it did in Malaysia a couple years ago when I won there, which it’s nice when it happens like that occasionally.

“I wish it could be like that every week.”

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Winner’s Bag: Marc Leishman, Farmers Insurance Open

See a complete list of the Callaway gear that Marc Leishman used to win at Torrey Pines, including his new driver and wedges.

The clubs Marc Leishman used to win the PGA Tour’s 2020 Farmers Insurance Open:

DRIVER: Callaway Mavrik (9 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder 757 shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (16.5 degrees), Rogue Sub Zero (18 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder Tour Spec X shaft

IRONS: Callaway X-Forged UT (3), Apex Pro 19 (4-6), Apex MB (7-PW), with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 shafts

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS MD5 (52, 60 degrees), with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 shafts

PUTTER: Odyssey Versa #6

BALL: Callaway Chrome Soft X

GRIP: Golf Pride MCC

Farmers Insurance Open odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the golf betting odds to win the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

Tiger Woods‘ hunt for a record 83rd career PGA Tour victory is the story of the week heading into the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Tiger makes his 2020 debut in San Diego, Calif., at a course where he already has eight professional victories, as he tries to surpass Sam Snead. Below, we assess the field and make our PGA Tour betting picks for the Farmers Insurance Open.

The key stats for the Farmers Insurance Open are:

  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
  • Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
  • Birdies or Better Gained
  • Good Drives Gained
  • Proximity from 150-175 Yards
  • Sand Saves Gained

My model at Fantasy National looks at the most recent 36 rounds for each golfer in the field on courses longer than 7,400 yards.

Farmers Insurance Open – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Matt Roberts – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET.

Rory McIlroy (+600)

McIlroy’s a heavy betting favorite in his first event of 2020. He won his second-last worldwide event of 2019, the WGC-HSBC Champions in early November. It followed up his 2019 Tour Championship win en route to being named the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

He finished T-5 at this event last year, and enters this week ranked first in the field in both SG: T2G and SG: BS to lead the stat model. Four of the last five winners here came from inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking. McIlroy ranks second.

Tiger Woods (+1100)

Tiger has owned this course, winning this event seven times along with the 2008 US Open. He’ll be looking to tie Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters Tournament wins in April, but first, he can break the tie with Snead. He was T-20 here last year and T-23 in 2018.

Gary Woodland (+2200)

Woodland is discounted among those at the top of the board. The 2019 US Open champ enters the week rank 15th by the OWGR. This venue is much longer than Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he won last year, but it is a US Open course and distance has never been an issue for him. He picked up a T-9 here last year, five months before his major win.

Farmers Insurance Open – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Matt Roberts – USA TODAY Sports)

Jason Day (+4000)

Day enters the week off of an injury, which forced him to pull out of the Presidents Cup. Before that, he missed the cut at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and he hasn’t won since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. Two of his 12 career victories have come at Torrey Pines, though, and he managed to finish in a tie for fifth last year. He leads the field in Sand Saves Gained.

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Marc Leishman (+5000)

Leish is a bargain in an event where they’re hard to find due to the influx of talent this week. He’s ranked 28th by the OWGR but is only 19th by BetMGM‘s odds. He’s ranked 10th in the field in SG: BS, and he tied for eighth in 2018.

Farmers Insurance Open – Longshots

(Photo Credit: Joe Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports)

Keith Mitchell (+20000)

If you absolutely hate betting favorites, shoot your shot with Mitchell. One of the longest hitters on Tour, he’s more than up to the task of taming Torrey Pines. He’s third in the field in SG: BS and BoB Gained.

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.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Sony Open odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii, with PGA Tour betting odds, picks, predictions and best bets.

This week’s Sony Open in Hawaii sees the PGA Tour’s first full-field event since the RSM Classic in late November. The 7,044-yard, par-70 Waialae Country Club hosts the tournament yet again in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The key stats for this week are:

  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Bogey Avoidance
  • Good Drives Gained
  • Eagles Gained
  • Strokes Gained: Par 4s

My model at Fantasy National is set to the most recent 36 rounds for each golfer in the field played on par-70 courses under 7,200 yards in length and featuring Bermuda grass greens.

Sony Open – Tier 1

(Photo Credit: Adam Hagy – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. ET.

Webb Simpson (+1200)

Simpson leads my stat model and is the best in the field in both SG: Approach and SG: Par 4s. He’s third in the field with an Official World Golf Ranking of No. 12, and he shares the second-best odds with Patrick Reed. The five-time PGA Tour champ didn’t play here last year, but he was T-4 in 2018 and T-13 each of the three previous three years.

Marc Leishman (+4500)

Leishman tied for third here a year ago, and he hasn’t finished worse than T-47 in any of his last five tries. He ranks seventh in the field by the OWGR measure, but he’s 13th by the odds at BetMGM. He’s a good value pick following last year’s top finish and a solo third at the Safeway Open in September early in his 2019-20 campaign.

Sony Open – Tier 2

(Photo Credit: Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports)

J.T. Poston (+5000)

Poston is coming off a T-11 finish in the 30-man field at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. He has missed just one cut in nine events since vaulting into the top 100 of the OWGR with his first career win at last season’s Wyndham Championship. He leads the field in Bogey Avoidance, and he ranks seventh in Good Drives Gained and fourth in SG: Par 4s.

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Rory Sabbatini (+8000)

Sabbatini is one of many in the field returning to competitive play for the first time since the RSM Classic. He’s coming off a 2019 calendar year in which he had six top 10s against just four missed cuts for his most successful season since his last PGA Tour win in 2011 at The Honda Classic. This is a similarly short venue, and he’s made the cut in four of his last five appearances with a T-6 result in 2015.

Sony Open – Longshots

(Photo Credit: John David Mercer – USA TODAY Sports)

Luke List (+15000)

List didn’t play this event last year following a missed cut in 2018, but he did finish T-13 in 2017. He enters the week ranked 145th in the world following three missed cuts to start his 2019-20 season, but he did have two runners-up last year. He also finished second at the 2018 Honda Classic amid a stronger field.

Mackenzie Hughes (+25000)

Hughes isn’t much of a course fit (49th in Eagles Gained and 57th in SG: Approach), but this number is far too high for a former PGA Tour champ. A $1 sprinkle at these odds returns a profit of $250.

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.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas cruise to first point at Presidents Cup

Tiger Woods was on fire in the first match and carried teammate Justin Thomas to a win and the first point of the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Playing captain Tiger Woods made the right decision to send himself out first for the four-ball matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup.

The nine-time Presidents Cup veteran birdied the first two holes on Thursday (Wednesday night in the U.S.) and chipped in for birdie on the fifth hole, leading himself and teammate Justin Thomas to a commanding 4 and 3 victory over the International squad’s Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann.

Woods and Thomas never trailed in the opening match to the biennial event, making the turn at 2 up and cruising on the back nine to victory. It was a crucial point for the Americans, who trailed as much as 3-1 for the majority of the first day of play.

As they ended the match, the Americans trailed in three matches and were tied in one.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Scores | Viewer’s guide | Photos

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2019 Presidents Cup odds, lines, picks and best bets: Which side wins at Royal Melbourne?

Previewing the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, with golf betting odds and picks for outright winner and the best props.

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The 2019 Presidents Cup takes place this week at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Twelve of the top golfers from the United States tee off against 12 of the best from outside of Europe. Below, we analyze the tournament odds and prop bets, with golf betting picks and tips.

The first round will start Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Looking to place a bet on this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Presidents Cup Teams

Captains Tiger Woods (USA) and Ernie Els (International) selected the following teams:

Team USA International Team
Dustin Johnson–Justin Thomas Hideki Matsuyama–Adam Scott
Matt Kuchar–Xander Schauffele Louis Oosthuizen–Marc Leishman
Webb Simpson–Patrick Cantlay Abraham Ancer–Haotong Li
Bryson DeChambeau–Tiger Woods C.T. Pan–Cameron Smith
Gary Woodland–Tony Finau Joaquin Niemann–Adam Hadwin
Patrick Reed–Rickie Fowler Sungjae Im–Byeong Hun An

The entire US team ranks in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking, while only three members of the International side are in the top 25.

Presidents Cup Tournament Winner

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

Team USA has won the past seven Presidents Cups and leads the all-time series against the International side at 10-1-1. Fortunately for the global squad, which is led by three Australians, its only Presidents Cup victory was at this venue in 1998.

The INTERNATIONALS are getting juicy +250 odds for the tournament victory. Team USA is a -250 favorite. Look for Adam Scott (No. 18), Marc Leishman (No. 28) and Cameron Smith (No. 52) to lead the Internationals to victory on home soil.

Presidents Cup Prop Bets

Internationals +3.5 Points (-125)

After losing 19-11 in 2017, look for the Internationals to keep it closer this time out. Their previous two losses in 2015 and ’13, were decided by one and three points, respectively.

Top Combined Points Scorer: Adam Scott (+1200)

Scott will have the crowd behind him as the top golfer from the host nation. He didn’t play in 1998 (when the Internationals got their lone win in the event, also in Melbourne), but he has won both the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship and has spoken highly of wanting to win at the famed Royal Melbourne as a potential career highlight.

Who will score the most points for the USA? Patrick Reed (+900)

Expect the best from Reed, who has excelled in the Ryder Cup format against Europe, and in the 2017 Presidents Cup. He’s coming off another controversy at last week’s Hero World Challenge in which he was penalized two strokes for improving his line of play in a waste bunker.

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.

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