No. 27: Kevin Chappell

An in-form Tony Finau and a hungry Justin Thomas are the early favorites with bettors amongst an elite field in this week’s Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas hosted by Tiger Woods. While the PGA TOUR’s next full-field event comes in January, that doesn’t mean golf betting has to wait until then. The limited field of 20 is stacked with 16 of the top 21 in the Official World Golf Rankings, with the final four players all inside the top 33. Woods was originally scheduled to play but withdrew earlier in the week due to plantar fasciitis in his foot. When it comes to wagering on the winner, bettors seem to be looking at a combination of history at this event and current form. As of Tuesday at the BetMGM online sportsbook, Thomas (+1200) and Finau (+900) were two of the most popular players. Finau has the biggest handle (14.6%) on the second-most tickets (10.2%), while Thomas has the second-biggest handle (11%) on the most tickets (12%). Thomas finished T5 at the event a year ago, highlighted by a final-round 64, and also finished T5 in 2019 (the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19) to be a combined 27-under at Albany in his last two starts. He has played once since being part of the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team, finishing T40 at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina in October. Finau was the runner-up in 2018 despite giving up a seven-shot advantage after the opening round, and also finished in the top 10 in the last two iterations of the event. He’s won three PGA TOUR events in his last seven starts, including his most recent effort at the Cadence Bank Houston Open. Albany typically gives up tons of birdies, and these two players make plenty of them. Thomas finished third a year ago on TOUR in birdie average (4.58 per round), while Finau was 11th (4.22). Current Handle & Tickets Handle Tony Finau – 14.6% Justin Thomas – 11% Tom Kim – 9.8% Xander Schauffele – 9.6% Cameron Young – 8.6% Tickets Justin Thomas – 12% Tony Finau – 10.2% Scottie Scheffler – 8.8% Jon Rahm – 7.7% Xander Schauffele – 7.2% Jon Rahm is the betting favorite at +500, but he’s only pulling in 7.7% of the tickets and 6.7% of the handle. This is despite the fact he won the event in 2018 and was runner up in 2019. Xander Schauffele (+1100) is another popular pick. He finished T-12 a year ago and T-10 in 2019. Lastly, Tom Kim (+1800) and Cameron Young (+2000), who are making their tournament debuts, are also in the top five in terms of handle. * 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

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Daniel Berger got into the mix quickly with an eagle and finished it off with one even better, holing a 30-foot putt on the par-5 18th for a 7-under 65 and a two-shot victory Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Daniel Berger, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Berger won for the second time since the PGA TOUR returned to golf from the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with a playoff victory at Colonial last June. This was another wild chase on a crisp, breezy day along the Pacific, and Jordan Spieth went from leading to lagging. He went from a two-shot lead to a three-shot deficit through six holes, going from the leading character to a support role. Spieth birdied the last two holes for a 70 to tie for third with Patrick Cantlay (68). Maverick McNealy, who played at Stanford and once lived in a house near the 15th green at Pebble Beach, made five birdies over his last eight holes for a 66 and was tied for the lead after his eagle putt on the 18th stopped inches away. Berger was in the group behind him, and fired a fairway metal into the heart of the 18th green, 30 feet away. He only needed two putts for birdie to win, and instead finished with a flair. “That was the best putt I’ve ever hit in my life,” Berger said. Berger finished at 18-under 270 for his fourth career PGA TOUR victory. Spieth finished in the top four for the second week in a row, a strong sign that his game is coming back after a drought that dates to his 2017 Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale. The real heartache belonged to Nate Lashley. Lashley, playing in the final group with Spieth, nearly holed his wedge on the 11th for a tap-in birdie that took him to 16 under and leading by one shot. He was tied with Berger with three holes to play when Lashley went long on the 16th hole. He pitched out to 12 feet, missed the par putt and then missed the next two putts from the 3-foot range. That gave him a triple bogey from which he could not recover. Berger was outside the top 100 in the world when golf returned last June as he tried to come back from injuries. Cantlay again was vexed by the Pebble Beach greens. He had five putts from inside the 15-foot range on the back nine, most looking as though they had a chance. Berger hit 4-iron from 229 yards to 20 feet and rolled in the eagle putt on the par-5 second hole to catch Spieth early, and he followed with an aggressive drive that left a flip wedge to 5 feet for birdie on No. 3. He had three eagle putts on the day, narrowly missing a 10-foot attempt on the sixth hole. Lashley quietly moved into contention with so much attention on Spieth. Cantlay was never too far away. McNealy showed up late with his 31 on the back nine. “I had the adrenaline pumping coming down the stretch there and feelings that I hadn’t really felt on the golf course in a little while, trying to close this out and give myself a chance,” said McNealy. Ultimately, it was Berger in position to win and he delivered an eagle he won’t soon forget.

Click here to read the full article…