Bet Davis Riley every week.
That's been my credo on the Korn Ferry Tour and it came to fruition again last week as Riley picked up his second win in 11 events this season. Both victories saw Riley cash at 40-1 odds.
I mentioned when we started these Korn Ferry Tour previews that Riley is a top-two player on this circuit and I don't believe there's a golfer in the world who has been mispriced more in 2020.
He's been at least four times the price of his roommate, Will Zalatoris, all season but in my eyes, both of them possess fairly similar win equity.
With the Korn Ferry Tour graduations delayed due to the pandemic. The only real way to grab that PGA TOUR card for these guys this year is to get that third win and Riley is the first player to get victory No. 2 this season.
In other seasons, players would let their foot off the gas a little after their second win since titles basically guaranteed enough points or money to graduate, but not this year.
Riley has made it clear that No. 3 is the goal.
The Course
This week, our attention turns to the Price Cutter Charity Championship at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Mo.
It's been a regular in the Korn Ferry rotation for three decades, measuring at a little over 7,100 yards for a par 72.
The last 17 winners reached at least 21-under par, so this will be a birdie-fest unless some weather gets involved. It's basically comes down to sticking wedges and catching a hot putter for four days.
Recent winners include Harry Higgs, Mackenzie Hughes, Martin Trainer and Ben Silverman. Pat Perez, Stewart Cink and Chris DiMarco also earned wins back in the day when they were grinding their way to the PGA TOUR.
The Favorites
It's hard to say, but it's probably time to say goodbye to our friend Davis. He opened up behind only Will Zalatoris (+700) in the odds on DraftKings at +2000.
I'll throw a dart in there for fun, but from an official card perspective, it's not the best idea to be jumping in just as the books finally corrected his number.
The Mid-Tier
I'll start my real card here with my favorite play this week, Paul Haley at +6600.
This course should set up well for his wedge game and he's performed well in the last two birdie-fests, finishing as the runner-up in a playoff in Utah and taking third at the TPC San Antonio Canyons event.
[Bet Paul Haley at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]
I've been trying to find the right spot for Martin Piller over the past few weeks and I think this could be it. This set-up should fit his game, he has a third-place finish here and he's been making cuts all season on the KFT.
Piller faded over the final two rounds last week, but overall he's in great form, as evidenced by a top-five finish in Utah. I'll add Piller at +5000.
[Bet Martin Piller at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]
I'll also toss Justin Lower into the mix at +6600. Lower finished second last month in Florida and is coming off a 64 to close out last week's event in San Antonio.
Lower should be ready for a birdie-fest as he's fifth in Greens in Regulation this year and is a solid putter, so that should give him plenty of opportunities this week.
[Bet Justin Lower at bet365. NJ only.]
The Longshots
I'll start in this range with Eric Cole at +10000.
Cole isn't the best with the driver, but he's a great putter and makes a lot of birdies when he gets rolling. In a tournament with the emphasis on wedges and putting, he's a guy worth a look in the triple digits.
[Bet Eric Cole now at bet365. NJ only.]
I also like the number on Max McGreevy at +12500.
McGreevy was in contention last week and played well at Dye Valley in his first event back from the restart. He's not the longest off the tee, but he hits a lot of greens and is a good putter.
So if he can continue keeping the ball in play, he's capable of repeating his good form.
[Bet Max McGreevy now at bet365. NJ only.]
My last play will be on Wade Binfield at +16000.
Binfield hasn't had a high-end finish yet, but he's accurate, hits greens and putts well, ranking in the top-30 of each category. He was also 15th here last year, so he's shown the ability to play well here.
[Bet Wade Binfield now at bet365. NJ only.]
The Korn Ferry Card
- Martin Piller +5000 (.66 units)
- Justin Lower +6600 (.5 units)
- Paul Haley +6600 (.5 units)
- Eric Cole +10000 (.33 units)
- Max McGreevy +12500 (.26 units)
- Wade Binfield +16000 (.21 units)
Total Stake: 2.46 units
