The golf betting community got a real taste of how weather can affect events throughout the United Kingdom during an interesting first round of the Genesis Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland. The wind picked up during the afternoon at The Renaissance Club, leading to much higher scores for half of the field as the morning wave posted a scoring average of 70.39, compared to 73.60 for the afternoon. This was frustrating for some players but also for many in the golf betting community. Of the 38 rounds under par Thursday, 32 came in the morning wave. Cameron Tringale took advantage of the scoring conditions early and fired a 9-under 61 to take a three-shot lead into the second round. But the beauty of golf betting is one doesn’t need to wait long for a new opportunity to right any wrongs, weather induced or not. Instead of waiting until the tournament ends on Sunday, there are a few betting opportunities at the BetMGM online sportsbook for Friday’s second round. One of those is 3-ball betting, i.e., which golfer within a threesome will have the lowest score for the round. As all three in any given wager face the same conditions, you can rest assured no unforeseen advantage can be gained by one player over the other. Here’s a look at 3-ball betting within the featured groups that you can also watch, and cheer on your choices, here. Matt Fitzpatrick (+165) / Collin Morikawa (+175) / Will Zalatoris (+190) – 3:05 a.m. ET Playing in the wilder winds Fitzpatrick (+1) lost ground in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is unusual for him, in the opening round. The U.S. Open champ is 22nd this year on the PGA TOUR for that metric. Interestingly his second-round scoring average is his worst this season at 70.21. The other three are all sub-70. The 25-year-old Morikawa (+1) gained two strokes against the field putting Thursday, which goes against his norm. He entered the week 86th on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. He’s 97th in second-round scoring, with a scoring average of 70.5. Zalatoris (+1) was 1-under over his last five holes Thursday, so he will look to carry that into the second round. He has excelled in second rounds this season; his 69.5 scoring average ranks 19th on TOUR. Justin Thomas (+130) / Hideki Matsuyama (+190) / Tommy Fleetwood (+220) – 3:15 a.m. ET Thomas (+3) lost just over two strokes to the field on the greens Thursday, which is unusual for the PGA Championship winner. For the year, Thomas has the best scoring average in second rounds on the PGA TOUR (67.67). Matsuyama (+3) struggled with his putting in round one, losing 1.4 strokes to the field. This is somewhat normal for him this year; he’s 126th in Strokes Gained: Putting. One thing to note with Fleetwood (+3) is he’s had some issues in second rounds this year. His 70.54 scoring average ranks 103rd. Jon Rahm (+125) / Scottie Scheffler (+165) / Viktor Hovland (+275) – 8:15 a.m. ET Rahm’s (-2) success Thursday was aided by his putter. He gained just over 3.5 strokes against the field. He ranks 60th this season in Strokes Gained: Putting, but his 69.31 second round scoring average ranks ninth. It was a tough day for Scheffler (+3) on Thursday as the No. 1 ranked player in the world did not take advantage of the better scoring conditions. His scoring average of 69 is fifth on TOUR in second rounds. Like Scheffler, Hovland (+4) didn’t take advantage of playing in the morning wave. He lost just under three strokes putting, which is unusual considering he’s ranked 28th this season in Strokes Gained: Putting. Cameron Smith (+160) / Jordan Spieth (+170) / Tyrrell Hatton (+200) – 8:25 a.m. ET Smith (-2) got off to a good start despite losing strokes to the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. This isn’t the norm for him; he’s second in that category this year on TOUR. Spieth (-2) ranked sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green. This doesn’t come as a major surprise, considering he’s ranked 23rd this year on TOUR. Second rounds have been kind to Hatton (-2) this year. He enters the week with a 69.42 second round scoring average, 14th on the PGA TOUR. He shot under par Thursday while losing strokes to the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, 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…
