Picking winners of a golf tournament is hard. Doing it consistently is downright impossible. But finding value is something all bettors must practice in order to give themselves the best chance to make hay when the day comes that they ping a champion.
Below, we will cover the best bets for the Genesis Scottish Open based on current form, course fit, and -- of course -- the value of their golf betting odds over at FanDuel Sportsbook.
For the first time, this Open Championship prelude is a co-sanctioned event by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, and the field sure does reflect a major championship primer. Fourteen of the top 15 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field, with Rory McIlroy the only super elite sitting this one out.
When that strong of a field tees it up, we rarely see an outsider crash the party. Trust your guys this week and bet with conviction at the top of the market, where the vast majority of the win equity lies. We'll sprinkle a long shot at the right price, but this looks like a week for the big boys.
For more info on The Renaissance Club along with this week's key stats and Brandon Gdula's win simulations, check out his article.
At The Top
Scottie Scheffler (+1100) - Scheffler's ball-striking all year has been extraordinary, and while he's a worthy candidate next week at St. Andrews, too, he is at the top of our list for this event, as well. He was 12th here last year on a crowded leaderboard, and his second-round 63 was tied for the best round of the tournament. His recent run of form has been outstanding, with a T55 at THE PLAYERS and a missed cut (MC) at the PGA Championship being his only finishes worse than 18th since January.
Patrick Cantlay (+2400) - Last year's FedEx Cup Champion is rounding into form, and his finishes since the Masters read: 2nd, 1st (team event), MC, T3, T14, and T13. That missed cut came at an inopportune time at the PGA Championship, but he's otherwise been stellar and should find friendlier scoring conditions this week. He'll be unfamiliar with this course, foregoing the Scottish Open in prior seasons, but at more than double the odds of the favorite, Cantlay is someone I'll gladly hitch my wagon to.
Value Spots
Collin Morikawa (+2600) - The reigning DP World Tour Champion and Open Champion should be one of the highlights in the field, but with so many golfers firing on all cylinders, it's Morikawa who somehow tumbles down the betting board. While he lacks the consistency of some other elite players, he strikes it as well as anyone in the world and finds his way onto the leaderboard even without his best stuff. Morikawa was fifth at the U.S. Open when we last saw him, four strokes off the lead with a frustrating 77 on Saturday, the worst round of anybody who finished in the top 30. If Morikawa played just average on Saturday, we could be talking about a three-time major winner here. He's won so often at this level and on so many different setups that he is nearly an auto-bet whenever he's longer than 20/1.
Cameron Smith (+2800) - Smith has cooled a bit as we've approached summer, and a couple of weeks off after missing the cut at the U.S. Open could have been just what he needs. His wins at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and THE PLAYERS came after rests, and he took a few weeks off before The Masters and the PGA Championship and finished 3rd ad 13th. This trend doesn't bode well for his chances next week, where he's currently available at just 20/1. This week makes more sense from both the fit and odds standpoints.
Viktor Hovland (+3400) - It's been an up-and-down season for Viktor, starting the fall with wins at Mayakoba and the Hero World Challenge before a dud in Hawaii. He won again on the DP World Tour, missed the cut at Phoenix, but then ripped off three straight top 10s. He hasn't cracked the top 20 in six events since, but the pendulum is bound to swing back soon. As Brandon outlines in his article, strokes gained: around the green is not a factor here, and that just so happens to be the weakest part of Hovland's game. At 34/1 and already a three-time winner this season, Hovland offers value that is too good to pass up.
Long Shot
Anirban Lahiri (+28000) - Lahiri factors into a few events each year, and so far this season, he managed a runner-up at THE PLAYERS and T6 at the Wells Fargo Championship. He's a reliable driver who usually has one aspect of his game fail him each week. But we've seen him push for a spot on the podium when everything clicks, and at nearly 300/1, that type of upside is worth a small bet after allocating most of our bankroll to the big names.