Tiger Returns For Back-To-Back Starts
There’s always a little more buzz in the air when golf legend Tiger Woods is in the tournament.
Easily one of the greatest golfers of all time, Woods will tee it up in the next two PGA Tour events this month — the Wells Fargo Championship on May 3-6 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., and The Players Championship on May 10-13 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The 14-time major champion will then skip the remaining events this month in preparation for the U.S. Open on June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
The other PGA Tour stops this month are the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 17-20 at Trinity Forest in Dallas, the Fort Worth Invitational on May 24-27 at Colonial in Forth Worth, Texas, and the Memorial Tournament on May 31-June 3 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Woods, who hasn’t won an event in almost five years, is paired with Masters champion Patrick Reed (22-1) in the opening rounds at Wells Fargo.
The 79-time winner on the PGA Tour is listed at 28-1 to win the event and 5-1 to finish in the Top 5 (odds provided by Bovada).
Brian Harman is the defending champion of the 72-hole tournament. He is listed at 66-1 to defend his title. That means if you wager $100 on Harman and he wins again, your return will be $6,700 ($100 bet plus $6,600 profit).
The Green Mile — holes 16, 17 and 18 at Quail Hollow — makefor an exciting finishing stretch for the field. Harman may be the defending champion, but Rory McIlroy holds the tournament record (2015) at 21-under-par.
The 14-time Tour winner battled injuries for much of 2017 and did not play in this event last year. McIlroy has one win and a fifth in the Masters this season.
VGB’s pick — Rory McIlroy (+700)
The Players has often been considered the fifth major due to the prestige of the event and the difficult scoring conditions at TPC Sawgrass. The course is famous for the island green on the par-3 17th hole.
Si-woo Kim beat one of the best fields of the year with his three-shot victory in 2017. Just three American players finished in the top 10.
Justin Thomas, who currently leads the FedEx Cup standings, finished in a tie for third in 2016 with a final-round 65.
VGB’s pick — Justin Thomas
Billy Horschel beat Jason Day on the first playoff hole to capture the 2017 title. Jason Kokrak had the low round for the tournament with an eight-under 62 in the second round.
For much of its 74-year history, it was the only Tour stop named after a professional golfer. It remains one of only two such events, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Dustin Johnson has finished in a tie for 13th, 12th and 13th in his last three trips to Dallas for this tournament. The No. 1-ranked player in the world has five Top 10s in nine starts this year.
VGB’s pick — Dustin Johnson
Annika Sorenstam played in the 2003 tournament at Colonial and became the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years. She missed the cut by four strokes.
Kevin Kisner broke into the winner’s circle last year and tried on the traditional Scottish tartan plaid jacket with a one-shot victory over three players.
Eleven-time Tour winner Jordan Spieth was in the trio that finished second in 2017. He won in 2016 and was tied for second in 2015. This is like a home game for the 24-year-old Texan and obviously one of his favorite courses.
VGB’s pick — Jordan Spieth
Jason Dufner earned his fifth Tour title last season with a three-shot victory at Muirfield Village. Americans dominated the leaderboard with 11 players finishing in the top 13, including Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.
The tournament was founded 42 years ago by golf legend Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear was born, raised and learned the game of golf in the Columbus area. He’s won the event twice (1977, 1984).
Matt Kuchar has finished in a tie for fourth the last two years. He was right in the hunt in 2017 until a final-round 73.
VGB’s pick — Matt Kuchar
Betting on PGA Tour events is much more than just picking the winner. There are dozens of alternative bets to choose from on online gaming sites like Bovada, TopBet and Betonline.
Las Vegas sports books — like the Mirage and Aria — just post the current odds for the winner. But online sites offer prop bets like Top 5 finishers, Top 10 finishers, certain golfers against the field and first-round leader.
Another alternative bet is which golfer will finish with the lowest score among players from their native countries. Adam Hadwin is the favorite among all Canadians at Wells Fargo. The 30-year-old has finished in the Top 25 in six-of-nine events this year, including three Top 10s.
VGB’s pick — Adam Hadwin (+120)
