Are you ready to have a little fun? I know I certainly am! It’s the Pebble Beach Pro-Am starting Thursday, and I don’t know about you; I am stoked to see guys like Josh Allen and Jake Owen tee it up with PGA Tour professionals. It’s unique for most. I had someone in Discord ask me why Condoleezza Rice was in the field. It’s not common knowledge that the former U.S. Secretary of State is an avid golfer and was one of the first female members at Augusta National. It’s great that we have an event like this. Now it’s my duty to continue to extract as much value from this event as possible. My outright betting article is live on the NBC Sports Edge page. Read and pick which golfers you’d like to bet on to win the tournament. Below I have selected a few golfers I like in the placement market.
Tom Hoge Top 20 +120 (Caesars) | Top 10 +240 0.5 units (Caesars)
I’m not entirely sure why I’m not betting on Tom Hoge to win after his brilliant performance here last season. Maybe I felt weird betting him at +2500 when the winning ticket I had on him last season was +6000. Perhaps it’s because I thought he was in a prime position to contend and win at the Sony Open, and he didn’t crack the top 20. I was told that as a golf bettor, we must have a short memory if we want to be profitable long term. This leads me to my two placement bets on him this week.
Should Hoge win, I will be a little disappointed in myself, but I’ll be happy with the funds he secured me in the top 10 and 20 markets. He doesn’t model out great for me, only registering as high as 36 in my primary model, but this course is built for his skillset. Hoge has great precision off the tee, and his ability to get nasty with his wedges is second to none. Having won here last season, he should have the confidence to play well and fight through any adversity.
Ben Griffin Top 40 -110 (DraftKings) | Top 20 0.5 units +250 (Caesars)
Many might not know about Ben Griffin, but I promise you, he’s not far from his first PGA Tour win. Griffin started his rookie season with nine consecutive made cuts. While that might not seem like a massive feat, for a rookie, it’s everything. Parlay your made cuts with top 20s and 10s, and you’re on your way to PGA Tour card safety.
Much like Hoge, this course sets up well for Griffin. He’s long enough off the tee to be dangerous, and he’s a master with his wedges. He’s coming off a poor putting week at Farmers, where he lost -0.9 strokes on the putting surface. That shouldn’t discourage bettors. Griffin is a great putter, so he should bounce back this week. If I’m betting on someone to win, I am definitely backing them top 40 if the price is right.
