PGA Tour Picks: Wyndham Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
In golf this year, six has been a lucky number. As in, how many letters in each major championship winner's first and last names. Sergio Garcia won his first Grand Slam tournament at the Masters. Brooks Koepka won his first major at the U.S. Open. Jordan Spieth got 75 percent of the way to the career Grand Slam by taking his first Claret Jug at the British Open.
And on Sunday, Justin Thomas, one of Spieth's good friends, won his first major at the PGA Championship. He's probably the PGA Tour Player of the Year now as he leads the Tour with four victories (this was his first on the U.S. mainland oddly enough) and also has a 59 to his credit in 2017, plus a record-tying 63 at the U.S. Open. He's only 24.
Thomas was largely off my radar after a first-round 2-over 73, but he shot 66 on Friday to get back into contention. He was two back of the lead entering Sunday, but Thomas' 40-foot chip-in on 13 broke him out of a five-way tie and gave him a two-shot cushion. He would shoot a 3-under 68 to finish at 8-under and win by two. Fittingly, Thomas is the son and grandson of PGA of America professionals.
As expected, Quail Hollow played much tougher than it did when it annually hosts the Wells Fargo Championship. My PGA Championship pick was Rory McIlroy, though, because he had such a good track record at Quail Hollow and also in the PGA Championship. I rather wish McIlroy had made public his rib injury is still bothering him or I would have looked elsewhere. Now there's talk he might miss the rest of the season to get 100 percent healthy. He is the reigning FedExCup champion. McIlroy would finish T22 at 1-over. I also missed on a Top 10 for Spieth, who was trying to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam. He was +2. Phil Mickelson had played well at Quail Hollow in the past but looked a mess in missing the cut. Frankly, I didn't get much right last week so let's move on.
This week the Tour stays in North Carolina as it heads to Greensboro for the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, a par 70 measuring 7,127 yards. It's more suited to accurate guys off the tee than bombers. It's a very weak field because the FedExCup playoffs start next week. Many guys in the safe zone for that are taking the week off. Only the Top 125 in FedExCup points qualify for the playoffs. So the bulk of the field is comprised of guys between Nos. 90-190. If you are wondering, No. 125 right now is Geoff Ogilvy. Cameron Tringale is No. 126. Some bigger names currently on the outside looking in are Graeme McDowell (131), Jim Furyk (156 - and he's not playing), Retief Goosen (161) and Boo Weekley (167).
The defending champion is Soo Woo Kim. The South Korean closed with a 3-under 67 for a five-stroke victory. He had a 21-under 259 total at Sedgefield, tying the event 72-hole record set by Carl Pettersson. Kim, who set a tournament record with a 60 in his second round, will not defend as he's dealing with a back injury that forced him to WD last week.
Golf Odds: Wyndham Championship Favorites
The highest-ranked player in the world entered is Henrik Stenson at No. 9, and he's the +1200 favorite at Bovada . Stenson has no worries about getting inside the Top 125. He has played here three times and missed the cut in each. He was T13 last week.
Kevin Kisner is +1400; he was your leader at the PGA Championship entering Sunday but struggled to a 74 and finished T7. He was 10th here in 2016 and eighth in 2014.
Bill Haas (+2200), Webb Simpson (+2200), Jason Dufner (+2500) and Ryan Moore (+2500) round out the favorites. Haas and Simpson are both North Carolina guys. Simpson won here in 2011 and has finished in the Top 6 twice since. He was 33rd last week. Haas has three Top 7s at this tournament since 2012. Moore won it in 2009 and was 10th as recently as 2015.
Golf Odds: Wyndham Championship Picks
Only three players have come to Greensboro at 140th or lower in the FedExCup standings and left with a playoff berth so keep that in mind. No player has made the Tour Championship when starting the Wyndham outside the cut line.
For a Top 10, I like Moore (+175), Simpson (+175) and Haas (+200). Go McDowell as top Irishman (+225) as he needs to play well, and take a flier on Luke Donald (+1200) as top European as this course suits him - even though he's having a terrible season. Head-to-head, go Bud Cauley (-125) over Keegan Bradley (-105), Moore (-115) over Dufner (-115), and Stenson (-120) over Kisner (-110), who seems due a bit of a letdown.
I honestly can't decide whether I like Simpson or Haas better this week to win - so I'll take both at +1100 on a Bovada prop vs. the field (-2800).
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