Justin Thomas grabbed a 1-shot 36-hole lead at Sherwood Country Club in Southern California. Can he keep it going on moving day? Will Tiger Woods make up ground?
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If Justin Thomas proved anything this year, besides that he’s really good at golf, it was the importance of setting goals. After taking home the FedExCup to cap off a season in which he won five times – including his first major championship – Thomas revealed to the media that he had set numerous goals in his phone at the beginning of the year, and he had checked just about all of them off. Well, taking a page out of Thomas’ book for the upcoming season is Grayson Murray, although his goals venture a little bit outside of the ropes. Along with hilarious (and attainable) golf goals like “play 1 round a week hungover instead of 3” and “only throw 1 club in the water instead of 2” are social media
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa is commanding plenty of betting action for this week’s PGA TOUR stop in Mexico despite a lengthy win drought reaching back almost a year. When it comes to PGA TOUR betting, course fit is always one of the biggest factors to consider, and while this will be Morikawa’s first visit to the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, we can still surmise the 25-year-old fits the bill. Viktor Hovland, one of the best ball-strikers on TOUR, has won the event in back-to-back years, and while he looks to make it three in a row, it is Morikawa, a similar type player, who is one of the most popular in early betting at the BetMGM online sportsbook. As of Tuesday, Morikawa, with golf odds of +1800 to win, is pulling in the most handle (20.8%) on the third-most tickets (6.8%). Similar to last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, the course is one of the shorter ones on TOUR, and we can expect numerous birdies will be made. At 7,034 yards, El Camaleon Golf Course is one of the shortest players will face all year, and in the past, it has rewarded players who are most accurate off the tee and into the greens. Morikawa finished 29th in driving accuracy (65.27%) a year ago and was 30th in greens in regulation percentage (68.61%). Those numbers suggest the course is a good fit for him, and he enters the week coming off a T-28 at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina a few weeks ago. Morikawa is also due for a win. His last win worldwide came at the DP World Tour Championship in November 2021, and his last PGA TOUR win was the 2021 Open Championship (July). Another popular player ahead of the tournament is Tony Finau (+1800), even though he’s known for driving distance over accuracy. Finau has two career top-10 finishes at this event, including a T-8 in 2020. The recent U.S. Presidents Cup team member is drawing the second-most handle (14.6%) on 9.5% of the tickets, also the second-most. Hovland, who is going for the three-peat, has +1100 odds to win and is drawing the fourth-most tickets (6.6%) and fifth-most handle (5.5%). Current Handle & Tickets Handle Collin Morikawa – 20.8% Tony Finau – 14.6% Emiliano Grillo – 10.8% Scottie Scheffler – 10.8% Viktor Hovland – 5.5% Tickets Emiliano Grillo – 12.4% Tony Finau – 9.5% Collin Morikawa – 6.8% Viktor Hovland– 6.6% Scottie Scheffler – 6.3% Scottie Scheffler has the best odds to win at +900 and is another player bettors are targeting. This is his first event since losing his No. 1 World Golf Ranking to Rory McIlroy and he can regain it with a win or solo second. Emiliano Grillo’s action is one to watch as he is generating the most tickets and third-most handle. He missed the cut at the event a year ago but has four previous top 10 finishes in this event. Grillo also has two top five finishes already this season. * 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, KS, 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. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler spent all day fending off the cold wind at the Masters, slipping on a vest over his layers of clothing after every shot on every hole. One more round and his next wardrobe change might be a green jacket. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tiger Woods struggles with putter en route to worst-ever score at Augusta National | Inside the Field: RBC Heritage Scheffler looked oblivious to the harsh conditions Saturday, at one point stretching his lead to six shots. He held on during a wild and windy ride along the back nine at Augusta National, escaping with bogey from the trees on the 18th for a 1-under 71 and a three-shot lead over Cameron Smith. Smith had the low round at 68, the only player to break 70, and gave himself another shot at winning the Masters in his first start since his victory in THE PLAYERS Championship. He was a runner-up to Dustin Johnson two years ago. Sungjae Im (71), also a runner-up in 2020, was the only other player within five shots. Tiger Woods wanted to find a way to get into red numbers and wound up with his worst score ever at the Masters, a 78 that will be remembered for his first four-putt at Augusta National. He also had four three-putts and was 16 shots behind. “You’d think I’d have figured it out somewhere along the line, but it just didn’t happen,” he said. On such a cold day — the wind chill was in the upper 40s most of the day — perhaps this was a warmup for what Scheffler can expect on Sunday at Augusta National, typically the greatest theater of the majors, especially for those seeking their first major. The last player who failed to hold a lead of three shots or more going into the final round was 21-year-old Rory McIlroy in 2011. Scheffler looked as thought he might turn this into a runaway when he made his fourth birdie of the round on the par-5 eighth and expanded his lead to six shots. But then a shot from the front bunker on the par-3 12th went over the green. He bounced back with a birdie only to come up well short of the monstrous mound guarding the back right pin on the 14th for bogey, and three-putting the par-5 15th for another bogey. Even after his best shot of the round, an approach to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th, he ran into big problems on the 18th. He yanked his tee shot into a canopy of trees and twisted branches, leaving him no choice but to take a penalty drop on the pine straw. Bold as ever, he smashed his approach from 240 yards onto the green and just over the back, leaving him two putts to keep his distance. Scheffler was at 9-under 207. Sunday will be the first time since a final pairing at a major featured players from the top 10 in the world since the 2015 PGA Championship with Jason Day and Jordan Spieth. Scheffler and Smith might be the two hottest players in golf, too. Scheffler has won three of his last five tournaments, all against some of the strongest fields of the year, a run that has elevated the 25-year-old from Dallas to No. 1 in the world and the FedExCup. Smith began the year by taking down the former No. 1 player, Jon Rahm, with a record score to par at Kapalua. His latest feat was to win THE PLAYERS Championship last month. “It just means I can get it done, I guess, when I’m up against the best guys in the world. It’s a good feeling to have. It’s earned. It’s not given to you,” Smith said. “So I’m going to have to go out there tomorrow and play really good golf again, probably similar to today. Hopefully, everything just falls into place.” Woods finished as Scheffler was still comfortably ahead, and the five-time Masters champion feels as though he has seen this before. Players hit peak form all the time, and it’s especially sweet when that run is in the spring with the Masters on the calendar. Woods won back-to-back ahead of his Masters victory in 2001. Jordan Spieth won and had a pair of runner-up finishes when he won his green jacket in 2015. Fred Couples won twice and was runner-up twice ahead of his 1992 victory at Augusta. “We all wish we had that two, three-month window when we get hot, and hopefully majors fall somewhere along in that window. We take care of it in those windows,” Woods said. “Scottie seems to be in that window right now.” Charl Schwartzel, who won the Masters in 2011, was trying to keep stride with Smith until he three-putted from about 8 feet for bogey on the 16th and dropped another shot on the 17th, slipping to a 73. He was at 2-under 214 along with Shane Lowry (73). Justin Thomas (72) and Corey Conners (73) were the only other players under par.
