Expert Picks: CIMB Classic

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is eager to break his lengthy major championship drought and hopes to also add another PLAYERS Championship and FedExCup title to his bulging resume – and oddsmakers like his chances. Despite not winning a major since 2014, McIlroy enters 2023 as the listed favorite in all four major championships at BetMGM Sportsbook, and also tops the list for the PLAYERS Championship and the season long FedExCup. In other words, oddsmakers believe 2023 shapes as a banner year for the highly decorated PGA TOUR star. In perhaps good signs for the European Ryder Cup team the Northern Irishman has Spanish superstar Jon Rahm breathing down in his neck in the same markets, as the two look to take over supremacy at the top of the golf world. While American Scottie Scheffler held the top ranking in 2022 for a total of 29 weeks, it was McIlroy’s finish to the year, including overcoming a six-shot deficit to Scheffler in the TOUR Championship to win his record third FedExCup, and a win at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina, that saw him retake the top spot in October. He now has been on top for 116 weeks during his career. But while McIlroy boasts 23 PGA TOUR wins, including two PGA Championships, an Open Championship and a U.S. Open Championship plus his three FedExCups and a PLAYERS Championship, the 33-year-old’s last win at a major was in the 2014 PGA Championship, a drought now over eight years and counting. McIlroy is listed at +900 to claim a second PLAYERS title (2019) with the tournament to be held at TPC Sawgrass on March 9-12 in what traditionally now kicks off the season of championships. He holds the same odds (+900) to win The Masters at Augusta National on April 6-9, the one major eluding him in his quest for a career Grand Slam. A final-round 64 last year catapulted McIlroy into a runner-up finish, his seventh top 10 at Augusta National in 14 attempts. McIlroy sits at +1000 in the remaining three majors of 2023. The PGA Championship will be held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York on May 18-21. The U.S. Open is set for June 15-18 at The Los Angeles Country Club North Course. And then, importantly, The Open Championship heads to Royal Liverpool at Hoylake in England on July 20-23, the venue for McIlroy’s 2014 triumph in the oldest major. McIlroy’s odds sit at +700 to win a fourth FedExCup, which would need McIlroy to become the first player ever to go back-to-back since its inception in 2007. He already is the only three-time winner. His fans can also entertain numerous specials when it comes to the majors. McIlroy is +250 to win any of the major championships, +1800 to win two or more of them this season, +5000 to be the first player since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win three or more in a year and +75000 to win all four. Those believing his drought will continue can get -300 odds on zero major wins. If fans fancy McIlroy winning either the Claret Jug at The Open or Green Jacket at the Masters the odds are +400. Other markets include: To lead after Rd 1 in a major: +275 Two or more top fives in majors: +110 Three or more top fives in majors: +140 As an addition you can bet on McIlroy to win a PGA TOUR or DP World Tour event prior to the Masters (-120), or to win three or more times combined across the two Tours (+125) this year. One can also wager on McIlroy to win the FedExCup/ DP World Tour season title double at +2000. McIlroy’s expected main rival in Rahm was the man who gave up top spot in the world to Scheffler at the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play in March of last year. Rahm slipped as far as sixth in the rankings before rebounding to fifth thanks in part to recent wins on the DP World Tour at the Open De Espana and the DP World Tour Championship. BetMGM has Rahm at +900 for the FedExCup title and +1100 for the PLAYERS and Masters titles. The 28-year-old is +1200 for the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. He has only previously won the U.S. Open, doing so at Torrey Pines in 2021. He does however have top five results in all other majors and a top 10 at the PLAYERS in the past. Rahm has three top fives in the FedExCup on his resume as well. The former Arizona State star is +275 to win any major and +2000 to win two or more this season. Both McIlroy (+5000) and Rahm (+6600) also head the markets for finishing in the top five in all four majors. You can get +1600 for McIlroy and +2000 for Rahm to finish in the top 10 in all four majors and +500 for McIlroy and +600 for Rahm to be inside the top 20 in all four majors. McIlroy is -175 and Rahm -150 to make the cut in all four majors while McIlroy sits +550 and Rahm +700 to be the player with the low aggregate to par in the majors (must make cut in all four). Fans who believe they can both win a major can get +1400 for that to occur. While McIlroy is +100 and Rahm +110 to win two or more PGA TOUR events in the 2023 calendar year.

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Three overlooked takeaways from the Players Championship

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Dustin Johnson was spotted with a TaylorMade M5 (10.5 degrees) driver while on site at the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii, on Monday. TaylorMade has not officially revealed any information on the M5 yet, but there are a few things that the photos reveal. Let’s see what we can uncover. The original M1 and the M1 2017 drivers both utilized T-tracks for CG (center of gravity) adjustability, with the cross section of the “T� near the face. The 2018 M3 driver, on the other hand, used a Y-track, with the top of the “Y� located toward the rear portion of the sole. It’s clear from the photo that the T-track has returned in the M5, except it’s flipped. The cross section of the “T� is on the rear portion of the driver’s sole. One can expect this means higher MOI (moment of inertia) capabilities for more overall forgiveness. Additionally, it seems there is a sole slot behind the face, but it appears to cover more space behind the face than the M3 driver’s hammerhead slot did. The previous hammerhead slot of the M3 worked to increase ball speeds across the face. Written near the slot behind the face are the words “Speed Injected.� Could this have something to do with the red screws we’ve seen in the face from TaylorMade’s Tweet? Also, from the photos, it seems TaylorMade is sticking with carbon panels in the sole and a carbon fiber crown like the M3. The photo of Johnson’s driver also shows an adjustable hosel, but it remains to be seen what the retail versions will offer. As soon as we hear official word from TaylorMade on the M5 driver, we’ll report back.

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