The PGA Tour heads to Boston for the PGA Northern Trust this week. SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo takes a first look at the field along with the opening odds.
PGA fans and bettors were once again treated to an amazing finish this past weekend.
When Jim Herman won the Wyndham Championship at odds of 1,027/1 he enabled sportsbooks to clean up on outright wagering, crushing PGA bettors. How does that add up?
Since Herman was so far down the betting board at nearly every shop around the country, the books found themselves heavily rooting for the 42-year-old veteran golfer on Sunday afternoon, a player they had limited if any pre-tournament liability.
Herman (-21), earned his third career win on the PGA Tour, and secured a berth in the 2020 FedEx Cup playoffs. He was the 192nd player listed in the 2020 FedEx Cup standings heading into this week’s event, and was a true “moon-shot” shocking bettors at odds of +102700 at Circa Sports in Las Vegas. The win crushed the hopes of Metric Gaming from adding the outright score at the betting window. The London, England based team with arguably the best golf model in the world, supply PGA sharp plays every week to SI Gambling. One of their top picks nearly came through, as fans saw Billy Horschel (+3590) come up short with a runner-up finish. Horschel failed to convert his birdie attempt on the final two holes, but still cashed at solid plus-odds for the UK Sharps in top five, top 10, top 15 and top 20 wagering.
Herman's win catapulted him to 54th place in the FedEx Cup rankings and showed once again that age is just a number.
“You get old pretty quick out here with the young guys. They make you feel inadequate off the tee and especially long irons. You know, it's mentally frustrating,” Herman told PGATour.com. “To overcome it all and get here for a third time is pretty amazing.”
Herman was sensational in the final round on Sunday making up four shots back and then holding off 2014 FedExCup Champion Horschel as well as Kevin Kisner (-18), Webb Simpson (-18), Doc Redman (-18) and Si Woo Kim (-18) to name just a few.
With 10 events in the books since the COVID-19 shutdown, the PGA now heads to Boston for The Northern Trust. Only the top-125 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings are eligible to take part in this week’s event. While the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs attracts the sport’s best talent, the opportunity to find value on the betting boards will be immense. Let’s dive in and take a look at the opening odds.
Dates and Venue
Thursday, August 20-23. TPC Boston in Massachusetts
Northern Trust Betting Odds
All of the top 10 players in the World Golf Rankings will be in action this week: Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa all headline this week’s Northern Trust.
Former No. 1 player in the world Tiger Woods will be back on the links this weekend in Boston and arrives at odds of 45/1. Bryson DeChambeau (11/1) is the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook with five top 10s and one victory since the PGA restart. The No. 8 ranked player in the world has a proven track record at this week's course earning a Tour win at TPC Boston back in 2018.
Rounding out the opening top five according to the oddsmakers are Justin Thomas (13/1), Jon Rahm (15/1), Rory McIIroy (15/1) and Xander Schauffele (17/1). Just outside the top five is a player sure to offer value, Collin Morikawa at odds of 25/1. The current No.5 player in the world has won two of the last four events (Workday Charity Event and PGA Championship) he has taken part in. At first glance, he is a must use in DFS lineups as well as someone who will see my support at the betting counter ahead of Thursday.
Patrick Reed, who won the event in 2019 and 2016 checks in at odds of 28/1, as well as Dustin Johnson (22/1) in 2017 and Jason Day (26/1) in 2015, spotlight an elite field of previous winners.
Be sure to check back here at Sports Illustrated later this week with the SI Gambling team’s predictions, best bets, values, longshots, and daily fantasy plays for the Northern Trust as well as where the sharps are investing their money.