It was a rough weekend for betting on the PGA Tour’s Genesis Open. With the rain delays, necessitating suspensions, restarts and longer days of play, readjusting odds for later rounds became difficult.
Sunday, player’s finished up the third round, and then after a short break, went right into round four. That didn’t give oddsmakers a lot of time to put up a line for the final round. It also gave bettors no time to put any money down for a golfer they thought could win.
The only real play was making a wager before the first round, and hoping that golfer prevailed. J.B. Holmes began the week at 100/1, but not many were going to take a leap on someone who last won in 2015 at the Houston Open.
Of course Holmes was given an opening by the horrid putting of runner-up Justin Thomas. Thomas, who was the second pick of the week at 12/1, had a four-stroke lead to begin the final round, but missed fairways and three four-putts killed his chances.
“J.B. won,†Thomas said. “He played great. But it’s always a bummer to hand him the tournament. I feel like I should have won that thing.â€
Spaniard Peaking
While most of the attention has been on German Bernhard Langer, and his domination of the PGA Tour Champions, another European is quietly challenging him as the best golfer on tour.
Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Chubb Classic on Sunday, defeating Langer and Olin Browne in a playoff, on Sunday. He was 20/1 to win. Langer was the favorite at 4/1, while Browne would have been a huge payday at 150/1.
Jimenez won his seventh career title on tour, far less than the 38 that Langer has captured, but he has been impressive the last couple of years. The Spaniard won two majors last year, while Langer was shut out.
“I’m working hard and I practice and go to the gym, apart from smoking and drinking,” Jimenez said. “This is what I love to do. I love to play golf. To me, competing is my life. I go to any competition, I want to win. I’m working for that.”
The two are now playing as the top duo on the PGA Tour Champions, though Jimenez might be the better wager. Langer is entering most tournaments as the favorite, but if Jimenez keeps appearing on boards at 20/1, he is the better bet.
Early Lines
The PGA Tour has two tournaments this week with the WGC-Mexico Championship and the Puerto Rico Open.
The top players will be at the World Golf Championship event, and Dustin Johnson and Thomas are the favorites at 10/1. Rory McIlroy is at 12/1.
At the Puerto Rico Open, Daniel Berger is the 12/1 pick, followed by Peter Uihlein at 16/1.
This Week’s Picks
At the WGC, Bryson DeChambeau has attractive odds of 16/1. DeChambeau five wins in the last nine months and six straight top-15 finishes worldwide. He could make bettors very happy here.
At the Puerto Rico Open, 2013 champion Scott Brown is listed at 20/1. He has done well here and is playing well currently.