The golf season really hits its stride this week with the second Signature Event on the PGA Tour, the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to go with season openers on LIV and the Challenge Tour. We also have the Korn Ferry Tour back on the regular schedule after a couple Wednesday finishes in the Bahamas.
Global Golf Betting Predictions
PGA Tour: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Best Bet: Tommy Fleetwood +4000 (BetMGM)
All eyes are on Pebble Beach this week for what is the strongest field we've seen at this course outside of a U.S. Open.
I'll go to Tommy Fleetwood here for a few reasons as my favorite play. First, Pebble Beach rewards precision and a strong short game, and Fleetwood has been thriving in those areas.
He's been playing excellent golf for six months with nine top-10 finishes in his last 15 starts worldwide. He also took down Rory McIlroy a couple weeks back in Dubai to win the DP World Tour opener.
At some point, he has to win on the PGA Tour. This number is pretty fair on a course that suits his game right now. If the weather turns for the worse this weekend, which the forecast suggests, it could favor the Englishman.
Other AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Bets:
- Justin Thomas +2500
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout +12000
- Patrick Rodgers +15000
- Mark Hubbard +30000
DP World Tour: Bahrain Championship
Best Bet: Callum Shinkwin +6000 (BetRivers)
After a couple weeks in Dubai with some bigger names, DP World Tour events will now start to more closely resemble the fields we'll see on a weekly basis this year.
I'll highlight Callum Shinkwin here this week. He was on my card last week and came in fourth, so I'll try my luck again this week.
We don't have much history here because Royal Golf Club in Bahrain hasn't been used on this tour since 2011.
Nonetheless, Shinkwin's ball-striking form is very strong after finishing in the top five from tee to green last week. His putter was a bit of an issue, and that's always his biggest question mark. But on a course that's a bit of an unknown, this is a decent number in a weakened field.
Other Bets:
- Frederic LaCroix +4500
- Brandon Stone +9000
- Max Kieffer +9000
- Sam Bairstow +17000
- Freddy Schott +25000
Korn Ferry Tour: The Panama Championship
Best Bet: Max McGreevy +5000 (FanDuel)
The Korn Ferry Tour is always a roll of the dice this early with limited form and history. I'll tend to stay away from the top of the board on this tour even more than normal.
McGreevy is the guy I targeted as my top play here. He finished sixth and 16th in the two Bahamas events and was third here in 2020 during his previous KFT stint.
He's not the longest guy out there, so his style fits better on the shorter KFT courses. This week tends to be one of the toughest on the tour. Three-under par won in a playoff last year, and no one has finished better than 10-under since 2017. At this level, his short game is better than most, and he has the ability to keep the ball in play and avoid the trouble that bombers tend to find themselves in.
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Other Bets:
- Tim Widing +7000
- Harry Higgs +7000
- Noah Goodwin +7000
- Austin Hitt +13000
- Walker Lee +16000
LIV Golf: Mayakoba
Best Bet: Joaquin Niemann +1400
All eyes will be on Jon Rahm this week, but my lone play will be on Joaquin Niemann at LIV Mayakoba.
It's a surprise Niemann hasn't won on LIV yet given his overall talent level. This should be a favorable spot because he's played as much golf as anyone on LIV during the offseason.
He's had a handful of starts on the DP World Tour since December and notched three top-five finishes, including a win in Australia.
He might have been a guy who enjoyed the big paycheck and let off the gas a bit last year, but he appears to be refocused and could be a factor in 2024.
Challenge Tour: SDC Open
Best Bet: Yurav Premlall +10000 (BetRivers)
This is one of my favorite spot bets on the golf calendar as the Challenge Tour (Europe's Korn Ferry Tour) begins in South Africa this week.
It tends to give us an edge for a couple reasons. First, the South Africans get a home game, which is always nice, but they also had an event last week on the Sunshine Tour to get their year underway. Meanwhile, everyone else is traveling without any competitive rounds since last year.
I'll target Yurav Premlall here at 100/1 as my favorite play. The 20-year-old had an inconsistent rookie year on the Sunshine Tour. However, he did notch four top 10s in his home country last year before finishing third last week. He plays a lot in South Africa, so I'll happily jump in once more after showing some form.
Other Bets:
- Neil Schietekat +2500
- Dylan Naidoo +5000
- Jovan Rebula +10000
- Ruan Conradie +20000
- LB Boshoff +35000
