Bryson DeChambeau is appearing to be course-proof. Wherever he goes, he’s good. In the four tournaments after the PGA Tour’s three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, he’s finished no worse than tied for eighth. Last week, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he won.
DeChambeau is appearing to be betting-proof, too. Wherever he goes, you’re good. If you had bet him to finish in the top 10 each of the past four weeks, payday, payday, payday, payday. If you had bet the same amount for him to win each of the past four weeks, payday.
Last week, our Tim Reilly and Sean Zak bet DeChambeau to win. (And Josh Berhow and I picked him to finish in the top 10. #Me.) Reilly thinks that won’t be the last time. Wherever DeChambeau plays, Reilly believes he’ll get paid.
“Until Bryson cools off, I’m riding this hot streak,” he said. “If he’s in the field, I’m rolling the dice with Bryson. How can you bet against him right now?”
DeChambeau is taking this week off. When he returns, it will be at the Memorial in two weeks. Where DeChambeau won in 2018. As DeChambeau is breaking golf, gamblers may be breaking the bank.
This week, the PGA Tour is playing the Workday Charity Open, the first of two straight tournaments at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Who do Reilly and Zak like?
Brooks Koepka, at +1,700, for Reilly.
“Whether he admits it or not, all of this Bryson talk has to be bothering Brooks deep down,” Reilly wrote. “We know Brooks is always looking for motivation, and this might be just what he needs. Time for Brooks to remind the golf world about Brooks.”
Viktor Hovland, at +2,600, for Zak.
“Not many people are stringing together solid performances as consistently as Vik,” Zak wrote.
A quick refresher on our game. Fourteen members of our staff will make three $100 bets — to win, top 10 and a prop bet of choice — for each tournament from the Charles Schwab Challenge through the Masters in November. Each member starts with $4,000, and the odds will come from the DraftKings website. The first-place finisher will play a round of golf when it’s all said and done, and the last-place finisher is on the bag for the winner.
Our primary goal, of course, is to help you with your own weekly picks, whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook.
The picks (in order of money total)
Jessica Marksbury ($6,363)
To-win: Justin Rose, +2,600. Despite missing the cut at the Travelers, Rose has shown good re-start form, with a T3 at Colonial and a T14 at Hilton Head. After a week of rest, I think everything will come together for him at Muirifeld GC.
Top 10: Patrick Cantlay, +188. Cantlay won last year and was T11 at the Travelers. Seems logical that a top 10 is likely this week.
Prop: Matthew Wolff, top 20, +275. Pretty nice odds for the guy who finished second in Detroit! I’ll take ’em.
Josh Berhow ($5,000)
To-win: Matthew Wolff, +7,000. After a big week in Detroit, which was squashed only via a shaky start on Sunday and a bulldozing Bryson, I’m saying Wolff rebounds from that bad beat and comes out swinging. Plus, I like these odds.
Top 10: Rickie Fowler, +275. Rickie has played here the past 10 years for the Memorial and has been 14th or better the past three. He’s also been the runner-up twice. I also like his chances after he finally got a good start under his belt with a T12 in Detroit.
Prop: Bubba Watson to make the cut, no, +138. Call it a hunch. He’s missed his past two and wasn’t even close on an easy course last week.
Tim Reilly ($4,900)
To-win: Brooks Koepka, +1,700. Whether he admits it or not, all of this Bryson talk has to be bothering Brooks deep down. We know Brooks is always looking for motivation, and this might be just what he needs. Time for Brooks to remind the golf world about Brooks.
Top 10: Cameron Champ, +750. Champ returned to action last week with a strong T-12 showing. I’m looking for one of the Tour’s rising stars to rise up into the Top 10 this week.
Prop: To be decided by a playoff, yes, +400. I’m always rooting for more golf.
Sean Zak ($4,327.30)
To-win: Viktor Hovland, +2,600. Not many people are stringing together solid performances as consistently as Vik.
Top 10: Matthew Wolff, +600. Gimme the kid who’s playing well.
Prop: Best finishing position, Schauffele over Rahm, +110. Rahm really hasn’t played well after the shutdown.
Jonathan Wall ($4,325)
To-win: Brooks Koepka, +1,700: Brooks plays his best golf when he’s motivated. Bryson’s win is all the fuel he needs.
Top 10: Ryan Armour, +1,200: Ohio native has two top-25 finishes in his past two starts at Muirfield. Arrives off T4 in Detroit. Nice odds for someone trending upward.
Prop: Best finishing position, Cantlay over Thomas, +110. Difficult to overlook his recent form at Jack’s place (win-4th). I’ll take the defending champ at plus money.
Alan Bastable ($3,950)
To-win: Justin Rose, +2,600. Has had a weird year, missing three cuts in seven starts since January, but strong weekends in Fort Worth and Hilton Head suggest he’s trending up. Muirfield, a tough, ball-striker’s course, is a great fit for Rosey, and it has showed, with him notching three top-15s in his past three starts there, including a runner-up in 2015.
Top 10: Sunjgae Im, +800. Gonna ride this pony for one more week. Just sense Im is due for a big week.
Prop: Best finishing position, Rose over Brooks, +110. Pssst, Brooks has one top-10 finish since last year’s Tour Championship. He’s capable of rediscovering his form at any moment, but it won’t be at the Workday — more likely at Harding Park or Winged Foot. I like Rose by a handful of strokes in this head-to-head prop.
Josh Sens ($3,888)
To-win: Brooks Koepka, +1,700. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the big man hoist a trophy. I say he’s due.
Top 10: Scott Stallings, +1,100. The man has been rock steady since golf’s return. I like the long odds on him being in the hunt.
Prop: Leader after Round 1, Jordan Spieth, +6,600. The tee-to-green game remains a crap shoot, but at 66-1, I’ll take my chances
Zephyr Melton ($3,655)
To-win: Patrick Reed, +3,000. Bryson DeChambeau has taken the heat off the most hated man on Tour – for now. Maybe there will be some fresh controversy, and Reed will feed off the haters once again.
Top 10: Patrick Cantlay, +188. Cantlay the past two years at Muirfield Village — win, fourth. So yeah, he likes the course.
Prop: Winner to birdie the 72nd hole, yes, +600. Absolutely outrageous they aren’t listing the albatross prop bet this week.
Nick Piastowski ($3,293)
To-win: Justin Rose, +2,600. I like his recent play, and I like his track record at Muirfield.
Top 10: Byeong Hun An, +650. “I just seem to play well on his golf courses,” he said when asked on Twitter about Muirfield Village. Good enough for me.
Prop: Byeong Hun An, leader after Round 1, +8,000. Let’s make it a double.
Ashley Mayo ($3,150)
To-win: Justin Rose, +2,600. He’s played well here in the past, and he’ll play well here this week.
Top 10: Brooks Koepka, +200. The DeChambeau talk will fuel him.
Prop: Winner to play in final 1st tee grouping in Round 4, no, +163. Rose will rally.
Luke Kerr-Dineen ($3,050)
To-win: Xander Schauffele, +1,700. After a T-14 here last year and a T-3 in his first event back following the restart, 17-1 is good value for one of the most consistent players on tour, who has been flirting with his first win of the season for a while now.
Top 10: Brendan Steele, +1,200. No real rhyme or reason for me picking Steele here, truthfully, but he played well at the Travelers and I like those 12-1 odds more than my next choice, Marc Leishman, whose recent form doesn’t justify his 5-1 price tag.
Prop: Jordan Spieth, leader after Round 1, 6,600. Much like I wrote a few weeks ago, Spieth has been up and around the top of the leaderboard in two of his three events since golf resumed. First-round leader bets are always guesswork, but considering he was just one off the lead in the first round at last year’s Memorial, I’ll throw in a few at 66-1.
Andrew Tursky ($2,950)
To-win: Kevin Streelman, +7,000. These are great odds for a guy who finished 4th at The Memorial last year, and second to Dustin Johnson at the Travelers Championship just two weeks ago.
Top 10: Kevin Streelman, +600. So, if Streelman wins, that means he also finishes top-10, right? All aboard the Streels train!!
Prop: Best 18-hole round score of the tournament, Matthew Wolff, +6,600. He hits it long, and he putts well. He’s coming off a little final-round disappointment last week, but will bounce back. It’s about to be Birdiefest 2k20 for the young Wolff out there.
James Colgan ($2,800)
To-win: Brooks Koepka, +1,700: Koepka’s old foil is the talk of the town after a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and we all know how Brooks feels about being slighted.
Top 10: Patrick Cantlay, +188: Yes, he’s a favorite. Yes, this isn’t a great ROI play. No, I don’t feel badly. I need to put one in the W column, and I feel good about Cantlay being the one to do it this weekend.
Prop: Jordan Spieth, top 20, +225: It’s been a few weeks since Spieth has given me heart palpitations. I’m ready to get hurt again.
Dylan Dethier ($2,800)
To-win: Marc Leishman, +5,500. Guys, if you’re still reading this far in the column, I’m the one questioning your judgment. But book up Leish anyway!
Top 10: Jordan Spieth, +500. It’s time to stop following the head and start following the heart.
Prop: Straight forecast, 1. Viktor Hovland, 2. Justin Thomas, +28,500. That’s 285-1, folks. And yeah, that’s an exact 1-2 finish. I’m already on the bottom of this column – let’s just burn the whole thing to the ground.