U.S. Open leaderboard: Big rounds for big names

Brooks Koepka escaped “dark places” with his win in the 2021 WM Phoenix Open, a 5-stroke final-round comeback that extended two notable trends at TPC Scottsdale. One year later, bettors are wagering against those trends. “Those dark places, a lot of tears, questioning yourself, and in dark places mentally,” Koepka said after his 1-stroke win last February, referencing an injury-riddled 19-month stretch in which he had more missed cuts (nine) than top-25 finishes (five). And when the four-time major champion arrived at The Greatest Show on Grass last year, he had zero PGA TOUR wins since July 2019 and hadn’t played a competitive round at the Stadium Course since finishing 42nd in 2017. “There was a period maybe for about two months where I just questioned whether I was ever going to be the same,” Koepka added. “Whether I was even going to be somewhat remotely the same golfer that I ever was.” Koepka became the tournament’s 14th winner in the last 16 years who didn’t finish in the top 10 the previous year and the fourth straight winner without a PGA TOUR win in the last 11 months. Now returning as the reigning champion, Koepka could buck the former trend. And the two most popular picks among the betting public could buck the latter trend. As of Tuesday, Feb. 8, Koepka has +3300 odds at BetMGM to join Hideki Matsuyama, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, and Ben Hogan as the only back-to-back winners in tournament history. But he’s the only golfer whose odds have declined since Sunday night (+3000) and is receiving less than half the amount of handle as Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. Rahm, eight months removed from his U.S. Open win, is the odds-on favorite (+750) and earning 11.3 percent of the handle. And Thomas (+1200), 10 months removed from winning THE PLAYERS, has 11.3 percent of the handle. Handle: Justin Thomas – 11.6% Jon Rahm – 11.3% Jordan Spieth – 6.7% Xander Schauffele – 6.1% Brooks Koepka – 5.5% Tickets: Jon Rahm – 6.2% Jordan Spieth – 6.1% Justin Thomas – 5.9% Brooks Koepka – 5.1% Xander Schauffele – 4.8% Neither Rahm nor Thomas finished in the top 10 last year – tied each other for 13th – but are two of only four golfers in the field with an average adjusted strokes-gained of at least +1.7 in at least 24 rounds at TPC Scottsdale. Only Matsuyama (+2.55) ranks better than Rahm (+2.19), while Thomas (+1.87) ranks fourth behind Bubba Watson (+1.9). Will Rahm or Thomas extend one trend and buck another? Or will Koepka set the stage for a rare PGA TOUR three-peat – of which there have been only eight on the PGA TOUR in the last 40 years – in 2023? You can view updated golf odds for the WM Phoenix Open winner, top American finisher, wire-to-wire winner, and more at the BetMGM sportsbook. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

Round 2 of the Valspar Championship takes place Friday from Palm Harbor, Florida. The challenging Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort has invited a deep field including reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson and former FedExCup champion Justin Thomas. Paul Casey is aiming to win the event for the third consecutive time. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Justin Thomas/Dustin Johnson/Joaquin Niemann (tee times) Max Homa/Viktor Hovland/Sungjae Im (tee times) Patrick Reed/Kiradech Aphibarnrat/Phil Mickelson (tee times) Paul Casey/Gary Woodland/Jason Kokrak (tee times) MUST READS Keegan Bradley leads by two shots at Valspar Championship Cut prediction: Valspar Championship Kevin Kisner ditches armlock experiment for a new putter Insider: Doug Ghim making most of second chance Beyond the Ropes: Doc Redman does things the hard way Emotional Michael Visacki Monday Qualifies for the Valspar Championship CALL OF THE DAY

Click here to read the full article…