We did it! Cameron Young came through for us at The Players Championship, marking our second outright victory of the season - and it's not even April.
For a while, it looked as though Ludvig Aberg was going to be our golden ticket, but, in the end, it was the American who cashed at +3500.
It's time to turn the page to the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa. The field is stacked even though The Players ended just a few days ago. Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, and defending champion Viktor Hovland headline the 135-man field.
Tournament winner odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Xander Schauffele | +1100 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +1400 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1800 |
| Justin Thomas | +1800 |
| Jacob Bridgeman | +2000 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2200 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2200 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
| Ryo Hisatsune | +3000 |
| Corey Conners | +3000 |
| J.J. Spaun | +3000 |
| Ben Griffin | +3500 |
| Nicolai Hojgaard | +3500 |
| Sahith Theegala | +3500 |
Here are five players to bet on for this week's PGA TOUR action.
Justin Thomas
🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+1800)
Thomas missed the first portion of the season recovering from back surgery and returned at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That didn't go great - he shot 79-79 to miss the cut - but Bay Hill is a very difficult course, and he was clearly rusty.
His performance at The Players was extremely encouraging. He gained 4.26 strokes on approach and another four with his putter to come in a tie for eighth. Most importantly, his measured clubhead speed was the same as the last two seasons (117 mph), indicating he's fully healthy.
Thomas has played the Valspar Championship eight times. He was the runner-up last year and has four additional finishes of T13 or better. He's never lost strokes tee-to-green at this venue, and he should be energized while the rest of the field may be fatigued after a busy few months to start the season.
Ryo Hisatsune
🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+3000)
These odds are a tad shorter than I'd like, but I still feel comfortable backing an emerging talent who's in form at a course where he's found success before.
Hisatsune cashed a +400 top-20 ticket for us last week at The Players, finishing in a tie for 13th. He was third in the field in strokes gained: tee to green and seventh in strokes gained: approach. He was a runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open and has two other top-10 showings under his belt.
The 23-year-old has played the Valspar Championship twice, placing T33 in his debut before finishing tied for fourth last year.
Sahith Theegala
🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+3500)
Theegala has three top-10 finishes this year and is in the midst of one of the best stretches of iron play of his career. He's gained four strokes on approach shots in back-to-back events and has gained at least two in five of his past six starts. His short game remains world-class, and he's putting the ball beautifully.
He's played Copperhead twice, placing T7 in his debut and T36 last year when a poor week of approach play ruined his chances. It feels like Theegala is on the verge of putting everything together for a victory.
Zach Bauchou
🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+20000)
I have two long shots to round out this week's five-pack, starting with Bauchou at +20000 (bet $1 to win $200).
The 30-year-old hasn't contended this season, but he placed T13 at The American Express, T23 at the Cognizant Classic, and T21 in Puerto Rico. He's hitting his irons well, and his solid short game should help him around a tough Copperhead course. He had 17 opportunities inside 10 feet last week at The Players Championship and 31 chances inside 20 feet, the same number as Ludvig Aberg and one more than winner Cameron Young.
If Bauchou can get the putter going in Tampa, he could surprise with a high finish that would make backing him at +20000 very worth it.
Patton Kizzire
🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+50000)
Rarely will you see me back a golfer at +50000 (bet $1 to win $500), but these odds on Kizzire don't make sense.
He's a three-time PGA TOUR winner and most recently won in September 2024, which still counts toward his Official World Golf Ranking. He has two top-25 finishes this season, most recently a T13 at the Cognizant Classic where he gained five strokes on approach.
Kizzire finished tied for 10th at the Valspar Championship two seasons ago and has only missed one cut in six appearances. If he can keep the ball in play off the tee and let his strong approach play carry him, he's got a much better chance to be in the mix Sunday than his extremely long odds indicate.
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