Mongoose, cobra fight it out during golf tournament

It’s a big week on the PGA TOUR with the playing of their flagship event, The PLAYERS Championship. The best players in the world will be in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to take on TPC Sawgrass, which means some tightly bunched golf odds this week at the BetMGM online sportsbook. Some weeks it makes sense to take a shot on the best player in the field. The problem with that this week is 17 of the top 18 players in the world will be teeing it up. With so many big names to choose from, who is generating the earliest action? World No. 2 Collin Morikawa has golf odds to win of +1400. As of Tuesday morning, those are the second lowest in the field, trailing only world No. 1 Jon Rahm at +1200. Morikawa is pulling in 15.8% of the handle, by far the most in the field, and the second-most tickets (7.7%). Morikawa, who recently celebrated his 25th birthday, is making just his second appearance at the event. He finished in 41st place a year ago. That may seem uninspiring, but two things are going his way when it comes to generating good vibes at TPC Sawgrass. He shot a final-round 66 a year ago, which was tied for the best score on Sunday. And in 2020, when the tournament was canceled after one round due to COVID-19, he shot a four-under-par 68, which was tied for seventh. In less than three full seasons on the PGA TOUR, Morikawa has quickly become one of the game’s best players. He has five TOUR wins, including two majors, as well as a win at the DP World Tour finale last year. In addition, he enters the event in good form, having finished in the top 5 in his last three starts on home soil (The Genesis Invitational, Sentry Tournament of Champions, and The CJ Cup). TPC Sawgrass is a course that will reward players with the best all-around game. The winner likely won’t be the player who simply drives it the best or putts the best. It will be the player who hits the mark across the board, particularly in the approach game. Morikawa has one of the best well-rounded games on TOUR, leading the Strokes Gained: Total metric. Current Handle & Tickets Handle 1. Collin Morikawa – 15.8% 2. Brooks Koepka – 9.4% 3. Patrick Cantlay – 6.3% 4. Scottie Scheffler – 5.9% 5. Xander Schauffele – 5.4% Tickets 1. Brooks Koepka – 8.7% 2. Collin Morikawa – 7.7% 3. Patrick Cantlay – 4.7% 4. Jon Rahm – 3.9% 5. Xander Schauffele – 3.9% In terms of early movement, defending champion Justin Thomas saw his odds go from +1200 to +1400, and Rory McIlroy went from +1600 to +2000. Meanwhile, last week’s winner at The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Scottie Scheffler, went from +2200 to +2500. The last two years have seen the tournament decided by one shot, so it should be an exciting finish. And there should be some decent scores, as the last 12 editions of the tournament have had the winning total finish at double-digits under par. * 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.

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MCKINNEY, Texas — Jordan Spieth woke up Friday at 4:30 a.m. He felt tight on the range at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He bogeyed his first hole. Spieth found little to like early in the second round, starting his morning slowly on the back nine and playing holes 10 through 13 at TPC Craig Ranch at 1 over. “Losing a couple to the field there got me a little frustrated,” he said. “If you kind of tap the brakes a little when the scores are going to be low you feel like you have to play catchup.” Except that didn’t happen either. Spieth made just three birdies Friday. He lost his share of the lead and finished with a 2-under 70, three behind K.H. Lee. There was little wind when he and longtime friends Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris started play. Spieth hoped for a score around 5 under. That, the Dallas native and resident thought, would keep him at the top of the leaderboard for the weekend at the tournament where he made his first PGA TOUR start when he was 16 years old. But after a birdie on his fifth hole, Spieth stalled. He fought with his patience as he made par after par after par. The putter didn’t cooperate, either. The longest putt he holed was from 11 feet 2 inches on No. 1, his 10th hole. It was for par. “I just had plenty of looks,” Spieth said. “I didn’t make many putts at all today.” It was nothing like Thursday, when he made seven birdies and an exhilarating eagle on the par-5 18th. A substantial share of the 12,500 spectators on the course committed to following the group of three old rivals from the North Texas PGA section junior tour, many of them cheering robustly when Spieth made another putt or saved another stroke or tested the odds, as he did in spectacular fashion on No. 12. After a blocked drive finished in a patch of mud behind a clump of crabgrass, Spieth and his caddie discussed their many options. His ball sat about 245 yards from the hole at the reachable par-5, but tree limbs dangled to his right, forcing him to shape a shot just so to clear a creek that runs through the property. A prudent punch seemed the logical play. But Spieth never wavered. He slammed a soaring hybrid to 10 feet from the hole. The galleries howled, and Spieth seemed invincible. Even that pure joy of playing seemed elusive Friday, he said. “I think yesterday, even when I wasn’t playing a good hole, I was kind of laughing at the miss or chunked it and laughed,” he said. “Today I had a shorter fuse.” After two consecutive birdies Thursday to go to minus 7, Spieth drove short of the green on the par-4 14th. He hit his pitch too heavy and scrambled for par, but chuckled at the mistake. On the tee of the 15th, a long par-3 over water, Spieth thinned his iron and begged for it to find the ground. When it did, he leaned on his club and smiled. That Jordan Spieth never quite made it to the course the next day. The Spieth who did wasn’t nearly as loose, sharp or forgiving. “I’ll just get some better rest tonight and then, like I said tomorrow, will be kind of a fun test,” he said. “There is no reason for me not to trust everything I’m doing. At this point, I’ve got an opportunity to contend here, and if I can get myself a chance on Sunday, that is the best prep for this tournament and also next week.”

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Here are nine tidbits from the second day of pool play at the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Austin Country Club plays 7,108 yards (par 71). Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 selected golfers selected to win the bracket challenge. Friday, as usual, we’ll reveal the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO selections. Inside the Numbers As I learned on the telecast, Marc Leishman was the only player to lose in the second match last year and win his pool. After beginning pool play 0-2 this year, he won’t repeat that feat. As you’ve learned by watching this week, just about anything is possible in this format. Remember, players that are tied for first in their pools after tomorrow’s matches will have a playoff. There is no head-to-head tiebreaker. There are no tiebreakers. You want drama? We’ve got drama. Last year there were five pools that were settled by a playoff. People’s Choice: Dustin Johnson (1) When the most-selected pool winner and bracket champion loses the first two matches, that just reinforces the chaos theory. Johnson, who never trailed en route to victory here last year, never got it going this week and was beaten 4 and 3 on Thursday. His elimination leaves Tiger Woods as the only player to repeat at this event and he did it when the format was single elimination. Power Pool Finals Jordan Spieth (4) and Patrick Reed (19) read the script and will give gamers the box office pool finale we all hoped to see as they both moved to 2-0 in Group 4. It’s funny to note the Spieth was a large underdog entering the week as Reed was picked in 20 percent more of the brackets to win the pool. … Sergio Garcia (7) and Xander Schauffele (20) will also square off in a winner-take-all match in Group 7. After Schauffele’s rookie season, I’m not sure much is going to bother him, even a bit of #NappyFactor! … Justin Thomas (2) and Francesco Molinari (21) will also put their perfect records on the line to settle Group 2. Thomas has been bothered by wisdom teeth removal recovery but he birdied the last two holes to see off Patton Kizzire (48) 3 and 1. Luke List (60) stuck a new putter in his bag today but that didn’t help as Molinari was the one holing putts, winning 3 and 2. Steamroller: Biggest Win Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (9) bounced back after his loss yesterday to take his frustrations out on Kevin Chappell (33) 7 and 6. I counted only three birdies and two concessions in the 12 holes but Fleetwood isn’t eliminated, yet. He’ll need to win tomorrow and have Chappell knock off undefeated Ian Poulter (58) to get into a three-way-playoff. If Poulter wins, his result doesn’t matter. Bracket Disrupters: Biggest Upsets Jon Rahm (3) has been eliminated before the final pool match as he lost 1-up to Chez Reavie (43). The momentum from his halve on the final hole in Round 1 didn’t carry over. With a record of 0-1-1 (.5 pts), not even a victory (one point) can see him overtake Kiradech Aphibarnrat (28) who is a perfect 2-0. … There goes Charles Howell III (59) again! Last year he needed a three-man playoff to win his pool and did so as No. 61 seed. He’s 2-0 and a win Friday vs. 0-2 Satoshi Kodaira (40) means he’s through without any issue. He’s pool players Phil Mickelson (14) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (17) will be rooting for Kodaira to win but if the two highest seeds halve, it won’t matter, as they are both 1-1. Know Thy Enemy: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship These were the top-selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The Corales Course stretches to 7,670 yards (par 72). Friday, as usual, we’ll reveal the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO selections. Where is Everybody? There are 15 players T10 or better and only of them from the list above is in the mix! That shouldn’t be surprising as most birdie fests open the door to just about everyone in the field. The last two years this was an event on the Web.com Tour. The top 40 players annually were all double-digits under-par. The winning score was 24-under-par in 2016 and 20-under last year. Corey Conners, the only representative from the most-selected list above, birdied half of the holes to post 64 (-8) and sit one shot of the lead. Study Hall Round 1 in the Dominican Republic belonged to Brice Garnett as he went out in a windless morning wave and missed tying the course record of 62 by a shot. Garnett, who made as many as birdies as Conners but didn’t square a bogey, won twice in 2017 on the Web.com Tour. He posted winning scores of 21 under and 18 under so he knows what it takes to go low. His best finish on TOUR this year in 12 events was T17 in the season-opening event at the Safeway Open. … Emiliano Grillo (T73) began even-par and will need a low one tomorrow. Last year the cut was 5-under 139. … Kelly Kraft continues his very solid run of form as he opened with 68 and sits T16. … Jim Furyk also opened with 72 (E) but I’m nervous that almost 7,700 might be a bit much in the afternoon Friday. I’m erring on the side of caution. #BenchLife. … There were nine, bogey-free rounds and the scoring average was 71.326.

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