Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship

by

PALM HARBOR – The PGA Tour concludes its annual “Florida Swing” with this week’s Valspar Championship, which begins Thursday on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.

The field features two of the top 10 players in the world rankings, and our golf experts preview the event along with their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Palm Harbor, Fla., March 21-24
Course: Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course (Par 71, 7,340 yards)
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1.512M)
Defending Champion: Taylor Moore
FedEx Cup Leader: Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ValsparChamp

PROP PICKS
–Matt NeSmith to Beat Webb Simpson (-110 at DraftKings): NeSmith tied for third here two years ago and is coming off a solid T26 at The Players after missing three of his previous four cuts. Simpson has plummeted to 235th in the world rankings and hasn’t finished better than T30 in his past seven starts dating back to September.
–Cameron Young to Finish Top 20 (+120 at BetMGM): Young is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory, which could come this week against a softer field. He’s +500 to win the tournament, but we like the safety net and a still solid payout until Young proves he can close on Sunday. He followed three consecutive top-20s with a T36 at Bay Hill and a T54 at The Players.
–Doug Ghim to Beat Min Woo Lee Round 1 (-110 at DraftKings): Ghim has quietly put together five consecutive top-20 finishes, highlighted by a T16 at The Players. He also finished T27 here last year and has more course knowledge than Lee, who is playing many PGA Tour stops for the first time as a tour rookie. Lee is the bigger household name, but he hasn’t been in top form, posting a T54 at TPC Sawgrass and a T44 at Bay Hill after a T2 at the Cognizant Classic.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 16-16-1

BEST BETS
–Xander Schauffele (+800 at BetMGM) wasn’t able to close the deal on Sunday — again — at The Players. Can he rebound mentally to claim a win against a more modest field? He does have five top-10s in seven events this season. His is the book’s biggest liability this week, as Schauffele leads the field with 19.4 percent of the money backing him to win.
–Sam Burns (+1100) followed four consecutive top-10s with a T30 and a T45 the past two weeks. But the 2021 and 2022 Valspar champion also finished sixth at Innisbrook last year. Burns is third this week with 6.4 percent of the total bets backing him.
–Jordan Spieth (+1400) opened the year with a third at The Sentry and added a T6 in Phoenix but has a missed cut and a DQ among his past three starts. He won the Valspar in 2015 and tied for third last year.
–Justin Thomas (+1400) is coming off his second missed cut in three starts following a string of seven consecutive T12s or better. He’s BetMGM’s third biggest liability this week, having drawn 10.9 percent of the total money.
–Brian Harman (+2000) missed out on a playoff at The Players by a single shot following a T12 at Bay Hill. He has missed the cut in five of his past six appearances at the event. Harman is the book’s second biggest liability as he has been backed by the second most bets and the third most money at 9.2 percent in both markets.

NOTES
–World No. 7 Patrick Cantlay withdrew on Sunday, leaving No. 5 Xander Schauffele and No. 8 Brian Harman as the lone top-10 players in the field. No. 20 Tom Kim also withdrew over the weekend.
–The closing three holes on the Copperhead Course are known as the “Snake Pit,” featuring a pair of difficult par-4s sandwiching the 200-yard par-3.
–University of Florida teammates Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo are in the field. Biondi is coming off a T32 in Puerto Rico, while Castillo will be making his non-major PGA Tour debut.
–European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is among the sponsors invites, along with Ryan Palmer.
–Vijay Singh holds the tournament scoring record of 266 set in 2004, while Matt NeSmith (Round 2, 2022) and Padraig Harrington (Round 1, 2012) share the 18-hole record of 10-under 61.

–Field Level Media

The PLAYERS: Crowded at Top of Leaderboard After Round 1

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Xander Schauffele shared the lead at 7-under par as the morning wave of the first round of The Players Championship was wrapping up Thursday.

Embed from Getty Images

Both took advantage of soft greens and light winds to card opening 65s at TPC Sawgrass, although they did it in distinctly different fashions.

McIlroy recorded 10 birdies, the most he has recorded in 41 career rounds at TPC Sawgrass. The Northern Irishman reached 8 under through 15 holes before finding the water left with his drive on the par-4 seventh hole, going on to record a double bogey.

McIlroy made up one of the strokes with a birdie on his final hole of the day at the par-5 ninth. Along with the 10 birdies and the double, he had a lone bogey and just six pars on his scorecard while finding the water twice.

“Much, much improved on the approach play today, which was nice to see,” McIlroy told reporters, adding that he chose to “grind” on the range rather than taking Monday off following a final-round 76 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I needed to clean up the technique a little bit, needed to clean up some things. Honestly, just needed to put the time in.”

Schauffele’s bogey-less card was mundane by contrast with seven birdies and 11 pars. He was happy to be playing in the morning, with the wind starting to pick up as the afternoon wave teed off.

“I wouldn’t want to re-hit a few of those shots today, I can tell you that much,” Schauffele said. “I definitely need to clean it up.”

Canada’s Nick Taylor recorded six birdies in a bogey-free round to finish one stroke in back of McIlroy and Schauffele.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who entered the Top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time this week, eagled two of the four par-5s en route to a 5-under 67 in his first round at The Players. He added a pair of birdies against a lone bogey.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox hit the first hole-in-one of the week, recording just the 14th ace in the history of the event at the famed par-3 17th hole.

McIlroy downplayed what appeared to be a disagreement with playing partner Jordan Spieth about where McIlroy’s drive crossed into the water.

“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing,” McIlroy said when asked if Spieth’s actions were needless. “I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.

“If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

–Field Level Media

50th Edition of The PLAYERS

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The 50th edition of The Players Championship begins today at TPC Sawgrass. Often called “the fifth major,” the 144-player field is arguably the strongest of the year outside of the four majors, even minus those who left for LIV Golf. Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 14-17
Course: TPC Sawgrass (Par 72, 7,275 yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Scheffler
FedEx Cup Leader: Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ThePlayers

PROP PICKS
–Brian Harman to Beat Tony Finau (+100 at DraftKings): Harman is coming off a solid T12 at Bay Hill following a string of five starts with no finishes better than a T44. T44 is exactly where he finished in The Players last year before going on to win The Open. Finau finished T19 last year and should be well rested after skipping the Arnold Palmer Invitational. We still like Harman’s ball-striking around the challenging TPC Sawgrass — especially at these odds.

–Wyndham Clark Top 20 (+150 at BetMGM): The reigning U.S. Open champion is coming off a runner-up at Bay Hill and won at Pebble Beach earlier this year — both against strong signature event fields. Clark still isn’t getting the love from oddsmakers, but the world’s No. 5-ranked player is back in top form.

–Hole In One on Hole 17 (+250 at DraftKings): One of the most famous holes in golf, “the watery grave” always makes for some entertaining prop action. There have only been 13 aces at the 17th hole since The Players moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982. Three of those came last year and Shane Lowry carded one in 2022. Keep an eye on that front left pin placement — we’re banking on at least one player zipping a short iron back into the cup.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 13-16-1

BEST BETS
– Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) is coming off a five-shot victory at Bay Hill and also won The Players by five shots last year. His seven PGA Tour wins since 2021-22 are the most of anyone during that span. Scheffler opened the week at +650 but has seen his odds shorten while drawing the most total winning bets (15.4 percent) and money (23.7 percent), making him the book’s biggest liability this week. Scheffler has the same odds at DraftKings, where he has been backed by lopsided action at 28 and 35 percent, respectively.
– Rory McIlroy (+1600) missed the cut last year and has an average finish of 34th over his past four appearances. However, he did win in 2019 and was in contention last week until a 76 on Sunday. The world’s No. 2-ranked player opened at +1400 but has seen his odds lengthen slightly despite being second in the field with 6.9 percent of the bets and 8.0 percent of the money.
– Justin Thomas (+2300) finished T12 at Bay Hill after going 72-73 over the weekend. The 2021 Players champion has only one finish worse than T12 in his past nine worldwide starts. Thomas is BetMGM’s second-biggest liability this week, having drawn 6.8 and 7.4 percent of the action, respectively.
–Will Zalatoris (+2500) spent time atop the leaderboard last week before settling for a T4 after going 72-72 over the weekend. With a T2 in his previous start at the Genesis, it’s clear Zalatoris’ game is rounding back into shape, and he’s the book’s third-biggest liability this week. Zalatoris has longer odds at DraftKings, where he has drawn the second most money with 6 percent at +3000.
– Viktor Hovland (+2500) is a darkhorse as he works his way through some swing changes. The reigning FedEx Cup champion has admittedly been frustrated with a lone top-20 in four 2024 starts, and he returned home for a spell to focus on his game. However, the young Norwegian is always a threat and finished T3 last year. He’s fourth in the field with 4 percent of the money backing him to win at +2200 at DraftKings.
– Clark (+3400) is a career-best fifth in the world rankings following his runner-up last week. The defending U.S. Open champion also won at Pebble Beach last month. Clark has significantly longer +5000 odds at DraftKings, which has led to 3 percent of the total money backing him to win.
–Shane Lowry (+3400) has finished T4 and third the past two weeks.
–Tom Hoge (+7100) set the course record with a third-round 62 en route to finishing T3 last year.

NOTES
–This is the 50th playing of the event, which began in 1974, and the 42nd edition at TPC Sawgrass, which became the venue in 1982.
–Scheffler is the first defending champion to arrive at The Players ranked No. 1 in the world since McIlroy in 2020. McIlroy won in 2019 and the event was ultimately canceled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
–There are 22 players in the field making their event debuts this week, including Sweden’s 10th-ranked Ludvig Aberg and Nick Dunlap, who turned pro after winning the American Express in January.
–Tiger Woods, the 2001 and 2013 champion, is not in the field.
–Each of the past four winners of The Players entered the week ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
–The three hole-in-ones at the signature 17th hole last year marked the first time there were multiple aces on that hole.
–Former PGA Tour pro and current LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record of 24-under 264 set in 1994.

–Field Level Media

Scheffler to Defend at PLAYERS

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will begin his defense at The Players Championship paired alongside fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas for the first two rounds.

Embed from Getty Images

Coming off a dominating victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he beat the entire field by two strokes on Sunday, Scheffler is the first defending champion to arrive at TPC Sawgrass as the top-ranked player in the world since Rory McIlroy in 2020. The event was ultimately canceled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scheffler will begin his quest for a repeat in the afternoon wave on Thursday, teeing off in at 1:40 p.m. ET in one of the marquee pairings released Monday. The trio will tee off at 8:35 a.m. on Friday. Fowler won the Players in 2015 while Thomas claimed the trophy three years ago.

Thursday’s afternoon wave will include other marquee groups comprised of defending U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark playing with fellow former champions Collin Morkikawa and Brian Harman, while young American stars Tony Finau and Will Zalatoris will play with former Open champion Shane Lowry.

McIlroy is coming off a disappointing Sunday at Bay Hill, where he stumbled to a final-round 76. Rather than grab his opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, McIlroy saw the distance between him and Scheffler grow further with a tie for 21st.

The 2019 champion finished T33 at last year’s Players. He will tee off at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday in a featured group along with Jordan Spieth and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.

Also teeing off in the morning wave of the opening round will be the group of Patrick Cantlay, 2004 Players champion Adam Scott and rising Swedish star Ludvig Aberg.

They will all be looking to get off to a fast start to put pressure on Scheffler, the +500 pre-tournament favorite at DraftKings and +550 favorite at BetMGM.

“Everybody, I guess, now is kind of looking up at me at the top of the rankings and trying to take me down, so in order to stay up there, you got to put in a lot of work,” Scheffler said on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Scheffler, Lowry Lead at Bay Hill

by

ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Scottie Scheffler of the USA and Shane Lowry of Ireland survived a breezy afternoon to each shoot 2-under-par 70 and claim a share of the lead Saturday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational played at Bay Hill CC..

Embed from Getty Images

Wyndham Clark fired a 1-under 71 to sit third, with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (72), Will Zalatoris (71) and Russell Henley (72) in a three-way tie for fourth.

Scheffler, who won this event in 2022, struggled on the front, going out in 38, but birdied five of his first seven holes on the back nine to surge toward the front.

Zalatoris briefly held a five-shot lead with his four birdies from Nos. 3-8 on the front, but stumbled with a bogey at No. 14 and double-bogeys at Nos. 15 and 18.

Harris English, who enters Sunday in seventh place, and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tied for the day’s low round, shooting 68.

McIlroy, in a tie for eighth at 5-under, moved quickly up the board with a blazing, bogey-free 30 on the back nine that included six birdies.

-Field Level Media

PGA Tour: This Week

by

ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour tees up its fourth signature event of 2024 this week, while tournaments will also be played in Puerto Rico, China and Hong Kong. Be sure to visit www.pgatourbrunch.com

Embed from Getty Images

PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Cognizant Classic (Austin Eckroat)
THIS WEEK: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, Fla., March 7-10
Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Par 72, 7,466 yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)
Defending Champion: Kurt Kitayama
FedEx Cup Leader: Matthieu Pavon
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @APInv
NOTES: This is the second of three player-hosted invitationals along with Tiger Woods’ at the Genesis and Jack Nicklaus’ at the Memorial. It’s also the fourth of eight signature events, featuring a $20 million purse and 700 FedEx Cup points. Player-hosted signature events are the only ones to feature a 36-hole cut, with the low 50 and ties advancing to the weekend. … Tony Finau is the only eligible player among 70 who is not competing this week. … Kitayama seeks to become the first player to successfully defend at Bay Hill since Matt Every in 2015. … The API has three qualifying spots available for The Open Championship to those not already qualified. … European Ryder Cup players Nicolai Hojgaard and Shane Lowry are in the field on sponsors exemptions, and will be joined by 2018 Players champion Webb Simpson. … North Carolina junior David Ford will make his first start on tour after winning a vote of his peers at the 2023 Palmer Cup. … Payne Stewart holds the tournament scoring record of 264 set in 1987.
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+650 at BetMGM) has gone T4-1-T15 in his past three starts at Bay Hill. He hasn’t finished worse than T17 in his past five starts on tour, but Scheffler is seeking his first official tour win since The Players last March. … Rory McIlroy (+900) won the API in 2018 and was the runner-up last year. He has six top-10s at Bay Hill since 2015. … Viktor Hovland (+1400) makes his first start since a T19 at the Genesis. … Min Woo Lee’s (+4500) late charge for a T2 at PGA National helped earn a spot in the field. He enters the week a career-best 31st in the world rankings.

THIS WEEK: Puerto Rico Open, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, March 7-10
Course: Grand Reserve Golf Club (Par 72, 7,506 Yards)
Purse: $4M (Winner: $720,000)
Defending Champion: Nico Echavarria

Embed from Getty Images

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
X: @PGATour
NOTES: This is the 16th playing of the event, and the winner will earn a spot in next week’s Players Championship if not already qualified. … Echavarria is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend in Puerto Rico. He tied the tournament scoring record of 267 first set by Chesson Hadley in 2014. … Aaron Wise, who withdrew from the Masters last year to focus on his mental health, is making his first start since last year’s U.S. Open. … Daniel Berger has made three of four cuts since returning from an 18-month absence due to a back injury. … Puerto Rican Rafa Campos is making his 15th event start, with his best previous finish a third place in 2020.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 14-17

Eckroat Wins in Monday Finish

by

PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Austin Eckroat won the weather-delayed Cognizant Classic by three strokes Monday to capture his first career PGA Tour title in the tour’s first event of the season in Florida.

Embed from Getty Images

Eckroat was 15 under through seven holes Sunday when play was suspended due to darkness at PGA National’s Champion course. He added three birdies and a bogey on the back nine Monday morning to card a 4-under 67 for a winning score of 17-under 267.

South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen had been the leader in the clubhouse after finishing at 14 under on Sunday. He posted a final-round low of 63 and tied for second with Australia’s Min Woo Lee (final round 67).

Five players tied for fourth at 13 under, including rookie Jake Knapp (66), who was picked up his first career win at the Mexico Open at Vidanta last week. South Korea’s Kyoung-hoon Lee (66), Cameron Young (66), Ireland’s Shane Lowry (71) and England’s David Skinns (71) were also at 13 under.

–Field Level Media

Sorry Charlie!

by

HOBE SOUND – Charlie Woods was unsuccessful in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event.

Embed from Getty Images

The 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods carded a 12 at the par-4 seventh hole and finished 16-over 86 on Thursday at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. The pre-qualifying event was one of four for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic.

The younger Woods was 4-over par through his first six holes. He rebounded from a disastrous performance on the seventh to piece together six straight pars before recording a double-bogey on No. 14.

One of Woods’ playing partners was Olin Browne Jr., who is the son of the three-time PGA Tour winner by the same name. He carded a 2-over 72 on Thursday.

The top 25 finishers and ties will advance to the event’s Monday qualifier at the Tesoro Club’s Palmer Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. From there, four players will earn a spot in the field for the Cognizant Classic on Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Cantlay vs Schauffele

by

The Genesis Invitational | Final Round Preview

PACIFIC PALISADES – Patrick Cantlay holds his fifth career 54-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play events on TOUR (not including FedExCup Starting Strokes) and first since 2022 Shriners Children’s Open where he finished T2. He is 2-for-4 converting to a victory to date (2021 and 2022 BMW Championship).

Embed from Getty Images

Cantlay held a two-stroke lead after the third round of the 2021 TOUR Championship and went on to win by one stroke (entered the tournament with a two-stroke lead at 10-under due to FedExCup Starting Strokes). He held a five-stroke lead through 54 holes with partner Xander Schauffele at the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (went on to win by two strokes)

Today, Cantlay will battle vs. Schauffele rather than play with him as a partner. Schauffele shot a 6-under (65), his career-low score in 27 career rounds at The Riviera Country Club. A win today would be his eighth on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open.

Luke List (4th/-11) seeks his third TOUR victory in as many seasons (2022 Farmers Insurance Open, 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship).

Genesis Leaderboard | After Round 3

1 Patrick Cantlay 64 65 70 199 (-14)

T2 Xander Schauffele 70 66 65 201 (-12)

T2 Will Zalatoris 66 70 65 201 (-12)

4 Luke List 65 69 68 202 (-11)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: The American Express

by

LaQUINTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour’s five-event “West Coast Swing” begins Thursday at The American Express in La Quinta, Calif.

Embed from Getty Images

Contested across three courses, the AmEx has long been a staple of the tour schedule. The field includes 21 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, and our golf experts preview the event while providing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Location: La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 18-21
Host course: PGA West, Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,187 yards). Other courses: PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course; La Quinta Country Club
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1,512,000)
Reigning champion: Jon Rahm
FedEx Cup leader: Chris Kirk

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming: Thursday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
X (The platform formerly known as Twitter): @TheAmExGolf

PROP PICKS
– Jason Day to Beat Wyndham Clark (-110 at DraftKings): Clark has been tied to rumors of joining Rahm’s new LIV Golf team, and his mind might already be one foot out the door. After beating only one player at the Hero World Challenge, Clark finished T29 at the limited field The Sentry. Meanwhile Day followed a solo 11th in the Bahamas with a T10 at Kapalua and is a regular at the AmEx, where he finished T18 last year.

– Tom Kim to Finish Top 20 (+125 at BetMGM): After a T45 at The Sentry, Kim arrived early at the AmEx and was seeing playing a practice round at La Quinta on Sunday. He’s only two events removed from a win at The Shriners and The Sentry broke a streak of six consecutive top-20s. Kim also tied for sixth at the AmEx last year.

–Min Woo Lee Top Australian (+150 at DraftKings): Lee hasn’t teed it up since the first week of December, but he ended last season on a serious hot streak. That included two wins in his past five worldwide starts and a solo third at the Australian Open to close out his 2023. Now a full-time member of the PGA Tour, he is paired in this prop against Day (+200), Cam Davis (+300), Harrison Endycott (+1000) and Aaron Baddeley (+1200).

2024 Prop Picks Record: 3-3

BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) makes his fifth consecutive start in the event. He finished solo third in 2020 and T11 last year. He is the book’s biggest liability, leading the field in the most total winning bets (12.6 percent) and money (31.3 percent) since opening at +650. Scheffler also leads the field at DraftKings with 9 percent of the money backing him at the same odds.
–Patrick Cantlay (+1000) has three top-10s in five previous event starts, and he carded a final round 61 while finishing second three years ago.
–Xander Schauffele (+1100) is coming off a T10 at The Sentry, and he tied for third at the AmEx last year. His odds have lengthened slightly from opening at +1000 at BetMGM.
–Sungae Im (+2000) hasn’t been among the most popular plays at BetMGM thus far, but he is second to Scheffler at DraftKings (+2200) with 8 percent of the money backing him to win. Im’s best event finish was a T11 two years ago, and he kicked off 2024 with a T5 at Kapalua.
–Justin Thomas (+2500) tees it up for the first time in 2024 after not qualifying for The Sentry. He is BetMGM’s third biggest liability as Thomas has been backed by 7.8 percent of the tickets since opening at +2200.
–Kim (+2500) finished T6 last year. He began 2024 with a T45 at The Sentry after closing out last year with a win at the Shriners and a T15 at the DP World Tour Championship.
–J.T. Poston (+2800) opened at +3300, but his odds have been driven down as the book’s second biggest liability, having drawn 6.8 percent of the tickets and 8.4 percent of the money.
–Chris Kirk (+4000) is one of 15 players making their third consecutive start to begin 2024. He backed up his win at The Sentry with a T18 last week.

NOTES
–This is one of only two PGA Tour events that uses a pro-am format (AT&T Pebble Beach) and one of only four that utilizes multiple courses.
–Rahm will not defend his title after signing with LIV Golf last month.
–Former U.S. Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger will make his first PGA Tour start since the 2022 U.S. Open as he returns from a back injury. Ranked No. 25 in the world at the time, Berger enters this week at No. 664. The four-time PGA Tour winner is exempt through 2024 via his win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
–Bill Haas, champion in 2010 and 2015, is making his 20th consecutive event start, the longest active streak in the field.
–Since the tournament went to a 72-hole format in 2012, Patrick Reed’s 28-under-par 260 in 2014 is the scoring record.

–Field Level Media