Look, predicting a pre-tournament Sportsbook in golf isn’t easy. While it’s true sports bettors can find fantastic value, it’s incredibly frustrating when one of your picks doesn’t even make the cut. That’s why I’m here to help.
Every week I’ll highlight three golfers who have a good chance to win the hardware for the upcoming weekend. This week it’s the Quicken Loans National.
For a full breakdown of the tournament, check out my betting preview.
Odds courtesy of Sportsbook
My favorite pick: Francesco Molinari +1800
Molinari has quietly been having a monster of a season, but the reason you likely haven’t heard much about him is he’s been finding most of his success across the pond. The veteran won the BMW Championship in England in late May – his fourth career victory on the European Tour – before finishing second in the Italian Open one week later. Molinari has yet to triumph in North America, but his time is coming and it could happen this weekend due to the relatively weak field at the National.
TPC Potomac fits Molinari’s game perfectly, and considering he recorded a T-25 at the extremely tough Shinnecock Hills, his form remains solid. For a player of Molinari’s stature, the +1800 pre-tournament price is the most appealing option on the oddsboard, in my opinion.
Solid value: Andrew Putnam +5000
Since posting a career-best runner-up outing at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, Putnam has been eager to get back out on the course. He’s also well-rested after failing to earn his way to the U.S. Open and sitting out of the Travelers. Putnam’s showing at TPC Southwind wasn’t a fluke, as the American has garnered three top-10s since the beginning of March (2nd at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, 8th at the Valero Texas Open and 5th at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship).
Putnam has made the cut in each of his last eight starts with five top-20s in that span. He won’t be targeted much by the majority of the betting public, but sharp bettors would be wise to consider Putnam in Maryland.
My favorite sleeper pick: Tom Hoge +12500
Hoge is far from a household name, but the 29-year-old certainly has plenty of people in PGA Tour circles talking right now. The Web.com Tour veteran has enjoyed an extremely successful season, Sportsbook the year 8-for-8 on cuts made with four top-25s, including a pair of top-15 showings to improve to 71st in the FedExCup standings.
Hoge is coming off a T-13 at the Memorial Tournament and has proven he has what it takes to contend at the highest level of professional golf. Expecting him to emerge triumphant at the National may be wishful thinking but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. He should be on the radar of DFS players looking for dark-horse value.
