No. 18: Si Woo Kim

BetMGM Sportsbook is looking out for Webb Simpson and Sahith Theegala fans by offering some interesting viewing companion markets for the tournament favorite and young star in Thursday’s opening round of the John Deere Classic. If a bettor fancies either player to make five or more birdies/eagles in their round; to shoot 67 or lower; to make an eagle; to go bogey free; or to birdie the first hole, then this could certainly be up their alley. Simpson, the highest world ranked player in the field, is favorite to win the tournament at +1400 coming off a T13 last week at The Travelers Championship. He also tops Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings. Theegala finished T2 at the Travelers and looked set to win his first PGA TOUR event at TPC River Highlands before an expensive final hole double bogey saw him give up the lead to Xander Schauffele. Now the 24-year-old looks to bounce back quickly. Simpson starts his tilt at 1:43p.m. eastern off the first tee with Theegala a group behind at 1:54p.m. This slots inside the viewing/listening windows for PGA TOUR LIVE, Golf Channel, and PGA TOUR Radio. Let’s break down the numbers to see if value can be found. TO MAKE 5 OR MORE BIRDIES/EAGLES: Webb Simpson Odds -135; Sahith Theegala Odds -125 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $7.41 ($17.41 returned) on Simpson or $8 on Theegala should they make five or more birdies/eagles. In the first round of the 2021 John Deere Classic 60 of 156 players had five or more birdies/eagles. So too did 75 players in round two. Round three saw 29 of 72 players meet the threshold and 22 did so in round four. Simpson has 10 rounds at TPC Deere Run (none since 2010), with four of those yielding five or more birdies/eagles. Since his last visit he has seven TOUR wins, including the 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 PLAYERS Championship. In his last 14 rounds this season, he has five or more par breakers just three times BUT two of those came in opening rounds, including a six-birdie effort on the opening day last week. Theegala is on debut at TPC Deere Run. He ranks T71st in birdies in his rookie season at 3.77 a round. Last week he passed the five or more mark in ALL FOUR rounds. He had seven par breakers in round one, then five, six and five again the next three days. TO SHOOT 67 OR LOWER: Webb Simpson Odds -120; Sahith Theegala Odds +100 * Note: TPC Deere Run is a par-71. At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $8.33 ($18.33 returned) on Simpson or $10 on Theegala should they shoot 67 or lower. In 2021’s first round 28 players shot 67 or better. A massive 52 did so in round two while 16 and 11 rounds of 67 or better came over the final two rounds. Simpson averages 69.0 in round one and has 15 rounds of 67 or better on TOUR this season, two of which came last week. Two of his 10 rounds at TPC Deere Run, over a decade ago, were 67 or better. Theegala’s round one scoring average is 69.63. Last week, all four of his rounds were 67 or better as he shot 67-65-64-67 at TPC River Highlands however the 67s represent three under at that par-70 layout. In terms of rounds of four under or better this season – Theegala sits at 23. TO BIRDIE THE FIRST HOLE: Webb Simpson Odds +225; Sahith Theegala Odds +240 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $22.50 ($32.50 returned) on Simpson or $24 on Theegala should they birdie the first hole. The first is a 417-yard par 4 dogleg left with a tee shot over a valley to a generous fairway surrounded by bunkers. The green is blind from most of the landing area and guarded by huge bunkers. In 2021’s first round 37 of 156 players birdied the first hole, 14 of those played it as their opening hole of the round. It ranked the sixth easiest for the week averaging 3.815. There were 113 birdies there in the tournament. Simpson has one birdie, eight pars and one bogey from 10 attempts at the hole. Theegala has yet to play the hole but he did show a propensity to start fast last week, making birdie on his opening hole three of four days. TO BE BOGEY FREE: Webb Simpson Odds +300; Sahith Theegala Odds +350 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $30 ($40 returned) on Simpson or $35 on Theegala should they be bogey free. In 2021’s first round 11 players were bogey free. There were 42 bogey free rounds in the tournament with 18 in round two and six each in rounds three and four. Simpson has never been bogey-free at TPC Deere Run but had just one bogey on two occasions. His most recent bogey free rounds were last week in rounds one and three. Theegala’s last bogey free round was also last week (round three) at TPC River Highlands. Prior to that you need to harken back to his second round at the Valero Texas Open on April 1. TO MAKE AN EAGLE: Webb Simpson Odds +600; Sahith Theegala Odds +600 At the above odds, if you outlaid $10 you would win $60 ($70 returned) on either Simpson or Theegala should they make an eagle. In 2021’s first round players posted 11 of 47 eagles for the tournament. Of those, 17 came at the 561-yard par-5 second, 12 at the 569-yard par-5 17th and five at the 596-yard par-5 10th. Further eagles came via hole-outs on the par-4 13th and 15th holes (one each) and via two hole-in-ones! One on the par-3 third and one on the par-3 12th. Simpson has zero TPC Deere Run eagles but he ranks T14 in eagles per hole this season at one every 108 holes and has eight total eagles (T35). His last eagle came on the eighth hole of his opening round in the U.S. Open, meaning he has played 100 holes since. Theegala ranks 40th in eagles per hole at one every 130.5 holes but his 12 total eagles ranks him T4 on TOUR. His most recent eagle was on the 13th hole in the third-round last week. He has played 23 holes since. * 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.

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Defending champ Paul Casey holed a 30-foot eagle putt on the 599-yard fifth hole and made short birdie putts on the other three par 5s on his way to a 5-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Austin Cook in the Valspar Championship.

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BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods has not won in five years. He’s let a few chances slip recently. But you can’t call his latest comeback anything but a success when you remember where he’s come from. It’s now almost seven months since Woods returned from his spinal fusion surgery in the Bahamas. Prior to that there was a significant worry he might never play on the TOUR again. There was even some concern he might not be fully functional physically, hampering his quality of life with his kids given it was a fourth back surgery in a short space of time. But despite this some are questioning the 79-time winners efforts on occasions this season. They want more. The level of expectation on him to win is abnormally high – but to be fair it is a standard set by Woods’ own dominance. It is hard not to remember the old days where he’d win around 30 percent of the tournaments he entered and contend in all of the others. And as such the critique on Woods is higher than anyone else. Whether it is delving into his putting stats of late or paying more scrutiny on his swing… we all want to know when he will win and why he hasn’t. He has played 10 events (plus the Hero World Challenge where he was T9) this season. In those he’s made eight cuts and was inside the top 12 four times including a runner up finish at the Valspar Championship and a T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He sits a credible 61st in the FedExCup. His stats show some impressive signs. Woods is fourth on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green. He’s fifth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and ninth in Strokes Gained: Total. His scoring average of 70.031 is 20th on TOUR and despite his fused back he averages 304.8 yards off the tee to be ranked 26th in driving distance. Driving accuracy (184th) and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (123rd) may be a concern but they have notoriously been that way, even at his best. And his putting has been up and down. But he’s 89th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. So what do those who are around him most think of his return to competitive golf. Are they impressed or not? We asked some of his peers and some of the journalists who have covered Woods for decades to grade his efforts. RICKIE FOWLER – 4 PGA TOUR wins including a PLAYERS Championship “I’m giving him a solid A. A‑plus would have needed a win. No one has more pressure, attention and people around him than he does, so I think he’s done a great job. He was away from competitive golf for so long, it’s not like you just come right back out and go win a golf tournament. But it’s Tiger, it wouldn’t have surprised me. It’s been fun to see him get back in the mix at some events, show his face. The run he made at THE PLAYERS, it’s great for the game. We all enjoy having him out. It’s only better for us, it’s only better for the sport, for the fans, media, TV. I think he’s done a great job because he’s getting older, he’s not starting his career. It would be great if he can extend his career as long as possible. He knows how to win, so I’m not worried about him by any means.â€� GEOFF OGILVY – 8 PGA TOUR wins including a U.S. Open and 3 WGC’s “It’s an A from where he was in October. Definitely an A. Anyone who expected him to even contend – that was a far-fetched fantasy really back then. After the Bahamas, it was cool, but we were still thinking … we’ve seen this 12 months ago. But after Tampa and Bay Hill he was legitimately in the Masters conversation. It hasn’t really gone up since then but it is still very impressive. His swing looks better with every week he plays and he’s smiling out there and looks like he’s enjoying himself. A win would take it to A+ but it is definitely an A.â€� JIMMY WALKER – 6 PGA TOUR wins including a PGA Championship “I give it an A+. I didn’t think he was going to golf ever again. For a while he couldn’t play more than 18 holes without crapping out. That he is even playing after all the back and knee surgeries is huge. I say A+ to the guy for being out here grinding. No one is under more scrutiny than him and he gets a lot of criticism because everyone wants Tiger to be Tiger again but I think a part of him has to be just happy he’s out here. It’s only a matter of time before something happens and he wins again.” BILL HAAS – 6 PGA TOUR wins and a FedExCup title “If I am a harsh critic I think it’s a B+ because I think he would disagree with an A. He wants to win. The only reason it is not an A is because the student would not agree with it. But at the same time I am really impressed. The amount of surgeries he has had, the amount of media attention … every swing he takes is under a microscope and he still is able to get top-10s, almost win Tampa and compete often. He’s having a way better year than I am having and I’ve played 18 events and he’s played 10 so with all that said he needs a good grade.” ANIRBAN LAHIRI – 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cup player. “I’d say it is an A given the previous numerous comebacks. This is a proper comeback. He’s looking healthy, people are not speculating if he is going to pull out this week, they are speculating if he’s going to win this week. That’s a huge difference right there. I think he is playing well, he looks more and more comfortable. Everybody thinks he is pretty close to being at his best again so it’s only waiting for a win to be an A+.” MARC LEISHMAN – 3 PGA TOUR wins, 2 Presidents Cups “I’ll say B+. Not an A because he hasn’t won yet but it is definitely better than average. He’s had chances to win and his body has held up really well. I don’t think he’d give himself and A but I don’t think it’s far away from him getting to that point. It’s been very impressive. Everyone is happy he is back. The crowds are happy, the players are happy, the TOUR is a better place when he is out there playing.â€� MIKE McALLISTER – PGATOUR.COM “Do you grade on the regular curve or the Tiger curve? If it’s regular, then it’s got to be an A. A couple of top-10s and some encouraging statistics from tee to green exceeds our skeptical expectations. But if it’s the Tiger curve … well, probably a B, maybe even a C, since he hasn’t won yet. I suspect that’s the only way he will judge whether his comeback is successful or not.â€� BOB HARIG – ESPN.com “I would call it a B+. Simply because there was no guarantee that he would be able to play a schedule at all and that he would have anywhere near the skills that he still has. The results are a bonus. None of us should have really been focused on the results all year but of course when he started to do well the expectations rose. When you step away from that, to have played 10 tournaments, to make eight cuts and have four top 12s. that’s pretty good.â€� SEAN MARTIN – PGATOUR.COM “B+. If you’d asked me just eight months ago, I would’ve been amazed just to see him play a normal schedule. But how quickly opinions can change when it comes to Tiger. After his impressive play in the Florida Swing, now we’re a bit surprised that he hasn’t won yet. Woods has the ability to win again but it looks like he still has some nerves down the stretch. Then again, who doesn’t? Those will lessen with time. Woods is ninth in Strokes Gained: Total, so by that metric he’s one of the best players on TOUR. Now he just needs to regain confidence in his ability to close it out. That takes time when you’ve barely played, let alone won, in five years.â€� STEVE DIMEGLIO – USA TODAY “B-. No one knew what to expect and I think he has exceeded those expectations. When you haven’t played golf in two years – which is eons of time in this sport – you just can’t come back easily. Yet he has been in contention to win four times this year. I’m at the point where I’d like to see him get angrier at himself for not performing better. At the Memorial it was right there for him but he couldn’t make putts. And it is the putting that drops him to a B-. That and the fact he didn’t play well at the Masters and U.S. Open. I’ve been out here 12 years and never seen him putt this bad. He is also doing things he never used to do. Granted he is older, he has a new back, but we never saw him putt this bad. He is one of the greatest putters who ever lived.â€� CAMERON MORFIT – PGATOUR.COM “I’ll give his comeback an A, considering how hobbled he was last year, when even casual golf with friends seemed far-fetched. He was a roll of the ball from forcing a playoff at the Valspar, which is pretty amazing, and he gave us a thrill at THE PLAYERS Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He’s often the best player in his threesome, and he’s shown flashes of his former self. When you consider how he’s been limited by his broken body, and how ready he’s looked to actually winning again, I don’t see how he gets anything less than top marks.â€� REX HOGGARD – GOLFCHANNEL.com “A-. He deserves that just for his ability to physically do the things he hasn’t been able to do the last few seasons. The minus is because he hasn’t won and that’s always the ultimate standard when we look at Tiger Woods. Overall he’s been much more productive than anyone, probably even Tiger, thought he was going to be. I think his expectations started lower than before but once he got the taste for it again I think they have risen.â€� But perhaps the only grade that matters is from Woods himself. He continues to try to balance realistic expectations with his will to win and his comeback season still has many more chapters to add. “I’m not going to give you a letter grade on it, but I will say that I am blessed, thankful and basically (it’s) a gift to be able to play again,â€� Woods said. “There was no guarantee I would ever play golf, forget the PGA TOUR. So to go from that to here – I didn’t foresee that happening, I really didn’t. “To be able to build a golf swing around something that’s never been done before, no one’s had clubhead speeds as what I’ve had on the TOUR this year with a lower back fusion. These are things that I didn’t know I could do and all of a sudden I’m doing it. I’m competing, I’m playing, and I’m having just a great time doing it.â€� Woods added it was after his performances in Florida that his expectations began to really raise back up again and was “when I knew I had something.â€� He really wants to compete, but not at the detriment of being smart. At 82nd in the world rankings Woods needs some big results to move into the top 50 to qualify for the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational – an event he’s won eight times at Firestone Country Club. He must do so here this week and in the Open Championship – his only slated starts before the cut off. “I have to really try and remind myself that what I’m coming back from the injury that I’ve had and the procedure that I’ve had. I don’t want to play too much, but I need to play enough,â€� Woods said. “I’ve got a game now that can play, so it’s a matter of pacing myself through here, the Open, maybe Bridgestone, and then you’ve got the PGA and the Playoffs are right there with the Ryder Cup on the back side, so that’s a lot of golf coming up in the future. “Hopefully I can pace myself, get into the events and make sure I stay strong enough and fresh enough to play quite a few tournaments.â€� If he is able to grab a win and be a significant factor in the FedExCup Playoffs you won’t be able to grade the comeback high enough.

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