Last week was rough on all accounts here. We had a tie for the lead in Europe and a golfer in second on Korn Ferry Tour entering the final round, but neither broke 76 on Sunday.
Then we were a week early on Bobby Mac in Canada having backed him at Colonial and missed out on the Yuka Saso major win after betting her four times this season.
Consequently, we’re looking for a bounce back with eight more tournaments this week.
Find my Global Golf Betting Picks for the Memorial Tournament and seven other events below.
- the Memorial Tournament — PGA Tour
- LIV Houston — LIV Golf
- Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed — DP World Tour & Ladies European Tour
- Shoprite LPGA Classic — LPGA
- American Family Insurance Championship — PGA Tour Champions
- BMW Charity Pro-Am — Korn Ferry Tour
- BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship — Japan Golf Tour
- Challenge de Cadiz — Challenge Tour
Global Golf Betting Picks
the Memorial Tournament — PGA Tour
Best Bet: Justin Thomas +3000 (FanDuel)
There's a star-studded field for the signature event at Muirfield Village this week.
It's been a long time since I've backed JT, but that's where I'm going near the top of the board.
He struggled with his approach game last season by his lofty standards, but his irons are trending back in the right direction.
This has been a favorable spot for him when the game is dialed in, with three top 10s in his last six starts at Muirfield Village.
He's as long as ever, and with the approach game back in form, he seems like he's trending toward a high finish fairly soon. This seems like a bargain at a place where his game has fit in the past.
Other the Memorial Tournament Bets:
- Sepp Straka +6600
- Billy Horschel +7500
- Denny McCarthy +8000
- Davis Riley 220-1
- Lee Hodges 220-1
LIV Houston — LIV Golf
Best Bet: Patrick Reed +3000 (DraftKings)
LIV Golf makes its Texas debut this week at the Golf Club of Houston. This is a familiar stop from the PGA Tour after hosting the Houston Open from 2003 to 2019.
Personally, it's a course that haunts me. I bet the runner up for the final three years with Sung Kang, Beau Hossler and Scott Harrington from 2017-2019. I never really wanted to see this place again, but here we are.
A surprising number of LIV Golf competitors have won here, which may be why the tour added it to the rotation. Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Anthony Kim and Matt Jones all got victories at the Golf Club of Houston between 2009 and 2019.
I'll go with Patrick Reed here this week. He started slow, but the game has slowly started to come around. He's made the cut in both majors, including a tie for 12th at the Masters, and has a ninth and 14th over his last three LIV Golf starts.
This is a bit of a home game as well for a guy who resides in the Houston suburbs, so hopefully there is a comfort level this week.
His results were mixed here during his PGA Tour career, but he did have a 10th and 17th in during his four starts.
Other LIV Houston Bets:
- Marc Leishman +3300
- Thomas Pieters +5000
Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed — DP World Tour & Ladies European Tour
Best Bet: Adrian Otaegui +3000 (DraftKings)
It's a joint DP World Tour and LET field this week. I get why they do these events, but the women have shown to be a pretty big disadvantage in this format that's featured quite regularly in Australia and now at this event. There was one week where Linn Grant got white hot and blasted the field, but women getting into real contention has been more of the exception to this point.
Books are noticing this as well. Of the 32 golfers below +6000 on DraftKings, just two are women. Hopefully they figure out a balance in the future, but so far it hasn't happened.
I'll start my card with Adrian Otaegui this week. He cashed a win in China for us a month ago and is still playing pretty well, even though the results haven't been there. He was among the top ball-strikers in Germany last week but was awful on the greens and still tied for 30th. He's streaky with the putter, but he always gives himself plenty of chances since the driver finds the fairway as well as anyone on this tour.
It's usually an easier setup at this event, so I expect him to find more success on these greens if he can keep his ball-striking going in the right direction.
Other Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed Bets:
- Dan Bradbury +5000
- Henrik Norlander +5000
- David Law 125-1
- Tom Lewis 160-1
Shoprite LPGA Classic — LPGA
Best Bet: Jenny Shin +2800 (bet365)
We have a weaker field on the LPGA fresh off the U.S. Open at Lancaster Country Club.
I'll go with Jenny Shin here because I like the price for her combination of form and history on this course.
She's been inside the top 10 each of the past two seasons with a sixth and ninth on her resume. She was also third here back in 2017.
She hasn't won on the LPGA since 2016, but she did notch a victory in Australia earlier this year. She's also made 10 of 11 cuts this season with five top 25s. Overall, she's been gaining strokes everywhere but on the greens, where she's right at the LPGA average for the season.
However, she has excelled on the greens at Seaview as she was eighth and 13th in Strokes Gained: Putting here the past two seasons.
If she keeps gaining strokes from tee to green, she could contend with similar success on the greens as the past two years since many of the stars on the LPGA are away this week.
Other Shoprite LPGA Classic Bets:
- Anna Nordqvist +5000
- Yan Liu +8000
- Nanna Madsen 100-1
- Yu Jin Sung 125-1
- Morgane Metraux 250-1
American Family Insurance Championship — PGA Tour Champions
Best Bet: Richard Green +2800 (bet365)
It's the Steve Stricker home game in Wisconsin on the Champions Tour this week. Surprisingly, he hasn't been totally dominant here. He's the defending champ, but that was his first win in six starts at the event, although he does have three other top-three finishes.
At the top of the board, I'll go to Richard Green, who was second in the Senior PGA Championship two weeks ago. He hasn't won yet on this tour, but he's proven to be one of the more consistent players over the past two seasons since joining.
He's a strong driver who's above average everywhere else on this tour, which has allowed him to avoid any run of poor form so far.
This tour is in a bit of a transition with Stricker starting to dip just a touch while the other stars like Steven Alker and Padraig Harrington pick and choose their spots. Consequently, there have been some opportunities outside the top few guys this year.
Other American Family Insurance Championship Bets:
- Stuart Appleby +5000
- Steve Flesch +8000
- Heath Slocum 150-1
- David Bransdon 275-1
BMW Charity Pro-Am — Korn Ferry Tour
Best Bet: Matthew Riedel 100-1 (BetRivers)
It's a fun week on the KFT. We get our first look at the PGA Tour U grads after they completed their college careers. The top college golfers jumped on the scene last year by winning back-to-back events with Adrien Dumont de Chassart winning here and Ricky Castillo winning the next week.
I don't think this group rates as highly as last year, which also included Ludvig Åberg, but there's little doubt players will be ready to go at this level and try to make the quick jump to the PGA Tour.
I'll back Riedel out of the group fresh off his final season at Vanderbilt. Gordon Sargent draws the headlines among the Commodores, but Riedel had the best scoring average on the team at 69.72. He was as consistent as they come at that level and finished the spring with three top-three finishes. At this price, he's undoubtedly worth a look at this level.
Other BMW Charity Pro-Am Bets:
- Julian Suri +5500
- Mitchell Meissner +6600
- Braden Thornberry +7000
- Christopher Petefish 350-1
BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship — Japan Golf Tour
Best Bet: Taihei Sato +2500 (bet365)
There's also another BMW sponsored event this week — this time in Japan.
I'm not loving the boards for this tour lately and have struggled to find bets. This week, bet365 posted nine guys below +2000. Another overseas sportsbook, Sky Bet, only had six golfers at those prices for this same event. With just one option in the United States for this market, it's slim pickings.
Taihei Sato is the one golfer at the top who makes some sense for me. He was 11th here last year and has two top fives in five starts on this tour this season.
Other BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Bets:
- Kosuke Suzuki 140-1
- Shota Yoshimoto 150-1
Challenge de Cadiz — Challenge Tour
Best Bet: Louis Albertse +4000 (bet365)
We'll wrap up the week with the Challenge Tour in Spain. This one was a tough pill to swallow last year when we had three players in the six-man playoff for the title but couldn't get the win.
I'll go with the South African Louis Albertse here. He's had a strong season in his home country, and we're waiting to see if it will transfer to this stage.
Usually a player with a strong Sunshine Tour resume is capable of making the transition here, so I'll take the chance at this price that his game will be enough.
Other Challenge de Cadiz Bets:
- Pierre Pineau +5000
- Oliver Lindell +6600
- Peter Launer Baek 250-1
