Sizing Up The Golf Betting Field For The PGA Tour Championship
Two weeks before golf’s next Major, the top 30 players tee off for this year’s FedEx Championship. This weekend’s Tour Championship will be held at East lake Golf Club in Atlanta. First round action starts on Friday, Sept. 4 with final round action on Labor Day. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion. Dustin Johnson is the No. 1 ranked player in the world. When it comes to betting this event at your favorite online sportsbook, there are a number of value options.
How To Size Up The Betting Field For The PGA Tour Championship?
Unlike the deep fields for other PGA Tour events, you only have 30 players to choose from. They just so happen to be the 30 best players on the tour, so the field is still deep. Using the betting odds posted at Bet Online, Johnson is the player to beat as a +160 favorite.
Jon Rahm has the next best odds on the board at +275. They drop to +600 for Justin Thomas as the third player on the board. Rounding out the Top 5 are Webb Simpson (+1200) and Bryson DeChambeau (+2200).
These odds paint the picture of showdown between Johnson and Rahm. You can actually bet these two players against the Field at -145. I would have to go with the +120 odds for the Field in this bet. There are too many really good golfers left on the list.
The most interesting bet this week would be the head-to-head matchup between these top two players. The odds favor Johnson at -125. The betting odds that Rahm finishes with the lower total score are +105.
You can also bet this matchup with a 1 ½-stroke spread. That listing reads:
- Dustin Johnson (-1 ½) +110
- Jon Rahm (+1 ½) -140
Taking Johnson minus a stroke and half offers the best return. However, this should remain a very tight competition between the two best golfers in the game.
I would take the better value in Rahm straight-up. This could be used as a hedge bet against some other golfer than these two winning the championship.
There are actually a number of great head-to-head matchups on the board to bet on. You can get DeChambeau at +155 against Simpson. There is also some great value taking Thomas at +175 against Johnson (-210).
It may not be wise betting against the best golfer in the world. Yet, all the pressure in the world is on Johnson as the top favorite. This event covers four rounds of golf where anything can happen.Another way to bet this tournament is through prop options. The one that caught my eye is margin of victory. The top choice is four or more strokes at +140.
When you have a field of the 30 best players, competition should remain tight. The odds for a one-stroke victory are +325. They move to +400 for two strokes and +500 for three strokes. Pushing the limit, you can get +550 odds this tournament is decided in a playoff. That might be the best way to maximize your return.
