Prop Bets to Consider at the TaylorMade Driving Relief Skins Game

While there might not be much value in backing the favorites at Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief Skins Game, there are several attractive prop bets to be made. The team of Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are big favorites over Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff to win the most money at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida.

Fowler and Wolff are starting to close the gap, however. At the Westgate SuperBook USA, the two began at +175, but have been bet down to +150.

Westgate SuperBook USA vice president of risk Jeff Sherman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they have seen more action on Fowler and Wolff.

“We’ve seen some underdog support so far,” Sherman said. “A lot of people think this formula lends itself to being somewhat equated.”

That certainly was true in the last televised golf exhibition in the United States. Phil Mickelson was a +180 underdog when he faced off against Tiger Woods in The Match back in 2018. Mickelson ended up defeating Woods in that made-for-TV event.

Even if gamblers don’t want to risk a bet on the outcome, there are plenty of prop bets for the TaylorMade Driving Relief Skins Game. We take a look at some of them below.

Prop Bets Favoring McIlroy/Johnson

The first prop that jumps out as a strong bet is who will win the first skin. McIlroy and Johnson definitely have the edge here, but have to do it on the first hole as the second is much tougher.

Everyone but Fowler are pretty equal in driving distance. Fowler makes up for it with driving accuracy, where he is well ahead of the other three. All four, however, should have a second shot of about 75 yards or less. That’s where McIlroy has a strong advantage. He is tied for 30^th in greens in regulation percentage from 75 yards or less. The other three range from No. 161 to No. 200.

This is probably a pretty good “yes” bet to make, despite the odds. The four par 5s at Seminole are 555 yards or less, and No. 14 is 510 yards long. Expect a lot of second shots to hit the greens, setting up eagle chances. Head professional Bob Ford said he believes there will be at least one eagle.

“All the par 5s are reachable for this lot,” Ford said. “There’s going to be a lot of action on them. I think the guys that win are going to be the guys that take advantage of the par 5s.

With McIlroy’s distance, he should have several eagle opportunities, but so should Johnson. Fowler and Wolff might have to work a little bit harder to get an eagle, but they both could secure at least one.

Prop Bets Favoring Fowler/Wolff

It might be surprising that Fowler and Wolff could have the most skins after the first nine rounds of play, which is why this bet could be promising. The two have embraced the underdog role, and because of this, their game plan is probably going to be try and get out to an early lead.

With two reachable par 5s, and a number of manageable par 4s, Fowler and Wolff could very well steal enough holes on the front nine to get out to an early lead. Whether they keep that lead or not is a far riskier proposition.