PGA Betting Guide for the QBE Shootout
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 finally comes that they ping a champion.
Below, we will cover the best bets for the QBE Shootout based on current form, course fit, and -- of course -- the value of their odds over at Golf odds.
While many of the biggest names in golf are dueling in the Presidents Cup down in Australia, a contingent of the next tier of PGA Tour pros (and one LPGA Tour pro!) heads to Florida for the QBE Shootout. The 24-person field features 12 teams that square off at Tiburón Golf Club with a different format for each of its three days.
Friday features a scramble format, where both golfers hit their tee shot and then decide which ball they want to play, then both hit from that spot, and repeat until the hole is completd. Saturday is a modified alternate shot, with the only modification being that both golfers tee off before alternating through the rest of the hole. And Sunday brings traditional four-balls, where each golfer plays his or her own shot with the better score counting for the team.
The team dynamic brings a unique energy to the typically individual sport, as the stars Down Under will no doubt show in this week's primary event. Matching with just one other golfer allows the teams to build chemistry and rhythm, and a sharing a title can create a long term bond between players. It is no surprise that 3 of the 12 teams are repeat pairings, while another team making its debut features two rookies who were college teammates this time last year.
Let's take a look at the best values in the field to wager on this week.
Best Values
Viktor Hovland / Matthew Wolff (+550) - And what about those college teammates? Hovland and Wolff burst onto the scene last year, with Hovland earning top amateur at both the Masters and the U.S. Open before turning pro along with his fellow Oklahoma State Cowboy. By the end of the season, Hovland had ripped off five straight finishes of T16 or better before making the Korn Ferry Finals to earn his PGA Tour card. Wolff, meanwhile, got an electric win at the 3M Open to gain status and show that his winning ways on the college circuit could translate to the pros as well. With the two brightest futures in the QBE field teamed up, Hovland and Wolff are a worthy starting point at the top of the card.
Jason Kokrak / J.T. Poston (+650) - With the youngsters our preference over the betting-favorite combo of Billy Horschel / Brendon Todd (+470), we drop down to the next tier where we find one of the most consistent golfers of the 2018-19 season in Kokrak paired with a fairly recent winner in Poston. Kokrak was ice cold to start the fall before getting right with a T8 at the WGC-HSBC Champions in early November. He'll be well-rested since then and should have his confidence back. Poston, meanwhile, has fared better than many who earn their first career win after toiling away. He has four top-25s in his last seven events, including most recently a T14 at the RSM Classic. Both bring solid ballstriking profiles to their QBE debuts.
Graeme McDowell / Ian Poulter (+800) - An Irishman and an Englishman walk into a Shootout...stop me if you've heard this one before. This pair teamed up for a ninth-place finish at the QBE back in 2008, and while our first pick has the most runway in front of them, this pair has arguably the most experience and career success of any team. McDowell is one of just two major championship winners in the field (Bubba Watson being the other), and Poulter has exactly the right edge for match play. Poulter won this event back in 2010 partnered with Dustin Johnson, the man whom McDowell bested to win his defining U.S. Open earlier that year.
Brian Harman / Patton Kizzire (+1200) - The defending champions return to Tiburón as one of the longest duos in the field. No doubt Kizzire's recent troubles weigh down the team outlook. He has just one top-30 finish in the past seven months, but amidst all that darkness, the putter has been an occasional bright spot. With Harman doing the heavy lifting on the ballstriking side in the opening scramble, Kizzire can focus on sinking a few putts and building confidence for the rest of the week. Harman started the swing season hot before back to back duds at the Houston Open and the Mayakoba Golf Classic. A T14 finish at the RSM Classic can give us confidence in his form, leading this team at a tasty price.
