Tag: PGA Tour

QBE Shootout odds, predictions, picks and PGA Tour best bets

Analyzing the 2019 QBE Shootout and which teams of golfers are the best options for the event. Who will win at Tiburon Golf Club?

Twelve two-man teams will compete in the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., this weekend. The 54-hole event runs three days, from Friday through Sunday.

The first round is played under scramble rules, whereby both members of each team will play every shot with the better ball being taken each time. Round 2 consists of greensomes, where both players tee off on each hole and the alternate shot is played from the spot of the better ball.

The final round is played under standard four-ball rules with each golfer playing the hole on their own and the best score being taken.

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The 7,288-yard venue plays as a par 72. The teams compete for a $3.5 million purse, but it is not an official money event and no FedExCup points are awarded.

QBE Shootout – Odds, picks and best bets

Matthew Wolff. (Photo Credit: Rob Kinnan – USA TODAY Sports)

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

Viktor Hovland-Matthew Wolff (+600)

The two combine for just 42 years of age, making them younger than several of the individual golfers in this event. Hovland is expected to be a top contender for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, while Wolff came up just short of the award last year.

Hovland, 22, placed solo fourth at last season’s Wyndham Championship for the best result of his young career. He’s ranked 96th by the Official World Golf Ranking, while Wolff, who got his first career win at the 3M Open last summer, is 117th in the world. Their odds are lower as fan favorites, but the youngsters have the length and putting, and the motivation for the early-career win in an uninspired field.

Charles Howell III-Bubba Watson (+800)

Watson, ranked 44th by the OWGR, is coming off a last-place finish at last week’s Hero World Challenge. Howell, ranked 54th in the world, missed the cut at the RSM Classic as his last event. The two combined for four victories in 2018.

Howell finished tied for third here last year with partner Luke List. Watson was sixth with Harold Varner III.

Charley Hoffman-Kevin Kisner (+1200)

Hoffman also finished T-3 a year ago (with partner Gary Woodland), while Kisner finished last with playing partner Cameron Champ. Kisner tied for seventh at last week’s Hero World Challenge exhibition. The two have plenty of length off the tee, and Kisner, who’s the defending match-play champion, can get hot and carry the team with his putter.

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Rory McIlroy on Patrick Reed’s penalty: Some just want to ‘kick him when he’s down’

Rory McIlroy gave his opinion about the rules controversy surrounding Patrick Reed that occurred during the Hero World Challenge.

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Rory McIlroy believes Patrick Reed should be given the benefit of the doubt regarding the controversial two-shot penalty Reed incurred at the Hero World Challenge. But he thinks Reed has become an easy target for some critics.

“I think it’s hard because you try to give the player the benefit of the doubt,” McIlroy said during an extensive interview on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive on Monday. “He’s in there and he’s trying to figure out which way to play the shot. Obviously he’s moved some sand so it is a penalty. But I keep saying, I don’t think it would be a big deal if it wasn’t Patrick Reed. It’s almost like a lot of people within the game, it’s almost like a hobby to sort of kick him when he’s down.”

The live shot and slow-mo versions of Reed’s two practice swings at the Hero in the Bahamas have now been dissected millions of times. Upon reviewing the clips again Monday in the studio, McIlroy said, “I certainly don’t think there was intent there. … It’s very hard for me not to think he didn’t feel what he was doing. It’s a hard one. But again, I’d rather try to give someone the benefit of the doubt. And just say, look, it was a mistake, take your penalty and move on. And yeah, it’s going to make things difficult for him down in Australia this week.”

Under Rule 8, which addresses playing the course as the player finds it, a player is prohibited from improving conditions affecting a stroke.

Under Rule 8-1a, actions that are not allowed include the removal or pressing down of sand or loose soil. Reed did that twice, though the second movement is irrelevant.

The two-stroke penalty proved costly, turning Reed’s 72 into a 74 in the third round. He would go on to finish with a final-round 66 and in third place, two shots back of winner Henrik Stenson.

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Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne viewer’s guide

Check out where you can watch the 2019 Presidents Cup and the schedule of events for the week at Royal Melbourne.

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The 2019 Presidents Cup at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club officially begins Dec. 12 with the first round four-ball, but the festivities begin earlier in the week.

Beginning Dec. 8 and concluding Dec. 9, the Junior Presidents Cup will be held at Royal Melbourne. Practice rounds for both Presidents Cup teams will be held Dec. 9-10 with both teams holding additional practices on Dec. 11. The first round gets underway on Dec. 12.

The time in Melbourne, Australia, is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, which essentially puts live golf in prime time for viewers in North America. The event times are listed locally. Further down, the TV times are listed for Eastern Standard Time.

TEAM USA: Meet Tiger Woods’ squad
INTERNATIONALS: Meet Ernie Els’ International team

Presidents Cup schedule of events

Sunday, Dec. 8

7 a.m. local time: The morning four-ball matches of the Junior Presidents Cup followed by afternoon foursome matches.

After play: Junior Presidents Cup Captains’ Pairings in the Media Center.

Monday, Dec. 9

7 a.m.: Final round of the Junior Presidents Cup with 12 singles matches.

5 p.m.:  Junior Presidents Cup Closing Ceremonies at Crown Riverwalk.

Practice round for Presidents Cup participants.

Tuesday, Dec. 10

8 a.m.: International Team practice rounds begins.

9 a.m.: U.S. Team practice rounds begins.

Following practice rounds: Captain’s Press Conference in Media Center.

Wednesday, Dec. 11

9:30 a.m.: U.S. Team practices.

10:30 a.m.: International Team practices.

4 p.m.: Captain’s Pairings for Round 1 announced.

Thursday, Dec. 12

9:30 a.m. Thursday local time/5:30 p.m. Wednesday EST: First round, four-ball.

Immediately following Thursday play: Captains’ pairings for Friday matches announced.

Friday, Dec. 13

11 a.m. Friday local time/7 p.m. Thursday EST: Second round, foursomes.

Immediately following play: Captains’ pairings for Saturday morning matches.

Saturday, Dec. 14

7 a.m. Saturday local time/3 p.m. Friday EST: Third round, four-ball.

10 a.m.: Captains’ pairings for Saturday evening matches

Noon: Fourth round, foursomes.

Immediately following play: Captains’ pairings for Sunday’s singles matches announced.

Sunday, Dec. 15

10 a.m. Sunday local time/6 p.m. Saturday EST: Final round, singles matches.

Immediately following play: Closing ceremony celebration

TV, streaming information

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Wednesday

5:30 p.m. – midnight, Golf Channel

Thursday

7 p.m. – midnight, Golf Channel

Friday

3 p.m. – 2 a.m., Golf Channel
2:30 – 6 p.m., NBC (replay)

Saturday

6 p.m. – midnight, Golf Channel
1 – 6 p.m., NBC (replay)

Fast facts

Dates: Dec. 12-15.
Venue: Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Length: 7,055 yards. Par: 71.
Points needed to win: 15½.
Defending champion: United States.
Series: United States leads, 10-1-1.

Format: Nine matches of foursomes, nine matches of fourballs, 12 singles matches. Each is worth one point.

Last time: The Americans won for the seventh straight time, building such a big lead they only needed one point from 12 singles matches to secure the victory. They wound up with a 19-11 victory at Liberty National, where President Donald Trump attended the final round.

International team: Byeong Hun An, Abraham Ancer, Adam Hadwin, Sungjae Im, Marc Leishman, Haotong Li, Hideki Matsuyama, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, C.T. Pan, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith.

U.S. team: Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Tiger Woods.

Tale of the tape: The entire U.S. team is among the top 25 in the world. The International team has only three players in the top 25.

Key Statistic: Only five players from the last American team are at Royal Melbourne.

Notable: Royal Melbourne is where the International team won for the only time in the Presidents Cup in 1998.

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Henrik Stenson rides powerful finish to Hero World Challenge title

Henrik Stenson displayed the kind of steady golf on Saturday in the Bahamas that validates his position among the top players in the world.

Henrik Stenson displayed the kind of steady golf on Saturday in the Bahamas that validates his position as one of the top players in the world. The Swede effectively sealed his Hero World Challenge victory with the 15th hole when he nestled a 5-wood next to the hole for a tap-in eagle.

From there, no one could catch the 43-year-old Stenson on his way to his first win since the 2017 Wyndham Championship. It’s his sixth PGA Tour title.

Stenson was one of the oldest players in the 18-man Hero field, but strength and stamina were no issue at Albany Golf Club. He started the day one behind Gary Woodland, but overtook him with a final-round 66. At 18 under, Stenson managed to stay one shot ahead of Jon Rahm.

Hero World Challenge: Photo gallery

“I found some good momentum after the tournament in Dubai,” Stenson said of the European Tour finale two weeks ago, where he was T-44. “Spent a couple hours on the range after the round on the Sunday.”

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Two-stroke penalty ultimately too much for Patrick Reed to overcome at Hero

Patrick Reed contended on Saturday in the final round of the Hero World Challenge but came up short in his quest for victory in the Bahamas.

Patrick Reed, who made headlines on Friday after getting hit with a two-stroke penalty, contended on Saturday in the final round of the Hero World Challenge but came up short in his quest for victory in the Bahamas.

Reed opened 66-66 but ended up with a 74 in his third round after he was penalized for brushing sand away. Officials ruled that it constituted an attempt to improve his line of play on the 11th hole at Albany Golf Club.

Under Rule 8, which addresses playing the course as the player finds it, a player is prohibited from improving conditions affecting a stroke.

Reed made a late surge with birdies on 15, 16 and 17 and had seven birdies in all. But he had to rally for par on 18 to shoot his third 66 of the week and finished 16 under and in third place, two shots ahead of Tiger Woods.

The two-stroke penalty ultimately proved too much to overcome, as Reed finished two shots back of tournament winner Henrik Stenson, who finished 18 under after a par on the final hole.

Hero World Challenge: Photo gallery

“So after seeing the video, it’s a two-stroke penalty,” Reed said on Friday. “I accept it. It wasn’t because of any intent. I felt like I was far enough away, because of what we saw.”

Reed led by three strokes after the second round. He will head to Australia with the rest of the American contingent as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup.

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