5 picks our expert loves this week

Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling-tips column, that includes picks from GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is an everyday visitor on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio community dedicated to sports activities and sport betting. You can comply with on Twitter at @LasVegasGolfer, and you may learn his picks beneath for the boys’s Olympic Golf competitors, which will get underway Thursday outdoors of Paris, France. Along with Kannon’s really useful performs, you’ll additionally see information from Chirp Golf, a cellular app that options each Free-To-Play and Daily Fantasy golf contests the place you’ll be able to win money and prizes with every spherical and match.

The FedExCup Playoffs are solely two weeks away, however the 2024 golf season has yet another major-type occasion up its sleeve to maintain us a lot engaged, and that’s the chase for Olympic gold this week in Paris, France.

Golf within the Olympics first existed over 100 years in the past nevertheless it was solely 2016 in Rio de Janeiro once we noticed it first reinserted again into the lineup. England’s Justin Rose took gold that yr. Henrik Stenson received the silver medal and Matt Kuchar bought the bronze.

At the 2020 Games in Tokyo (truly performed in 2021), Xander Schauffele received the gold medal and Rory Sabbatini took the silver. Part of a seven-player playoff, C.T. Pan received bronze.

Here we’re in 2024 at Le Golf National, a wonderful course lower than 20-miles outdoors of Paris that has been the host course of the DP World Tour occasion, the Open de France, since 1991. The golf course additionally hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018. Specifically, it’s the Albatros Course at Le Golf National. It is a shorter course at lower than 7,200 yards and performs to a par 71 with three par-5s and 11 par-4s. The fairways are slim and undulated, the tough is thick and the bentgrass greens are bigger than common and likewise characteristic a whole lot of undulation.

With the quantity of water hazards, sand bunkers, undulation and with the European setting, the course seems fairly a bit like a mixture between a Florida observe and a Euro hyperlinks design. I did use one Florida course and one European hyperlinks design in my comp programs this week, that being Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer Invitational) and Royal Troon (2024 Open Championship). This course doesn’t have the size of Bay Hill however the emphasis on Driving Accuracy and Bogey Avoidance together with the thick tough and enormous greens all matches up. With Royal Troon, we are able to additionally notice the similarities for Driving Accuracy and the undulated fairways. Bogey Avoidance stays true as does the necessity for profitable Scrambling.

In addition to Driving Accuracy, Scrambling and Bogey Avoidance, I additionally checked out Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass), Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Total (Shorter Courses), Hole Proximity from 100-175 yards, and par-4s measuring 350-450 yards. In addition to Bay Hill and Royal Troon, I additionally thought of TPC Deere Run (John Deere Classic), East Lake Golf Club (Tour Championship) and TPC Scottsdale (WM Phoenix Open) as comparable programs.

Before we dive into this week’s choices, I ought to level out that there isn’t any 36-hole lower at this occasion. The subject is made up of 60 gamers taking part in all 4 rounds. First place, second and third will win gold, silver and bronze, respectively. If any of the medal locations are tied after 72 holes, there shall be a playoff.

I’ve performed the next 5 gamers for an outright win — or gold medal — however there’s a marketplace for a podium end, which means betting on a participant to medal. There are additionally the normal ending place markets; top-5, top-10, top-20, and many others.

Collin Morikawa (11-1)

I really feel like this golf match is a bit bit totally different from a regular Tour occasion, a Signature Event, or a serious championship. It is totally different when representing your nation. It is totally different taking part in for a gold medal versus a inexperienced jacket. Having received six tournaments this season, together with the Masters, will Scottie Scheffler be hell-bent on successful gold? Already having received gold and having received two majors this season, will Xander Schauffele be chomping on the bit for extra? Certainly they each very nicely could possibly be however I really feel like there is perhaps hungrier gamers on the market in this subject, hungrier particularly for Olympic glory, and considered one of which is Morikawam, who additionally occurs to be an amazing match for this golf course. Morikawa has flirted with victory seven occasions this season however is but to money in. He’s been on the heels of each Scheffler and Schauffele a number of occasions. He has not completed worse than sixteenth in his final eight begins. He has completed 3-4-14-16 within the 4 main championships this season. This looks like his final shot at slaying the grand prize on a world stage and he has voiced his want and dedication to get again to successful “major” golf tournaments. Having come so shut so many occasions this yr, Morikawa will get yet another probability to make a mammoth splash and I consider he’s shopping for in. We spoke about slim fairways and the statistical wants at this golf course. Morikawa ranks high 5 in this subject during the last 24 rounds for Driving Accuracy, SG: Approach, Bogey Avoidance, Good Drives Gained and on the par-4s measuring 350-450 yards. He’s additionally thirteenth in Scrambling, ninth in SG: Putting (Bentgrass) and second for SG: Total on programs measuring lower than 7,200 yards. For me, he checks out statistically, mentally and comes right here in good kind. Now we wait to see if manifests.

Jon Rahm (12-1)

I’m nonetheless seeing some 11s on Rahm however I’ve additionally seen odds decrease than 9-1 pop up in response to the Spaniard’s win final Sunday at LIV UK. Anything 10-1 or higher is a pleasant quantity for my part. I performed Rahm in-game a few totally different occasions final week on the LIV occasion in England after which once more instantly after the win, to win once more right here in Paris. It has been a grind for Rahm this season. The transition to the LIV surroundings has not been straightforward. He’s completed high 10 in each occasion with no win till final Sunday. His efficiency within the majors had been very disappointing till lastly placing collectively a powerful displaying at Royal Troon. I favored what I noticed out of him on the Open Championship, ending seventh, after which he was dropped at tears by the win final week. I consider he has turned a nook and like Morikawa, Rahm now has yet another probability to beat “the rest of the world” on an enormous stage, proving that he’s nonetheless very a lot “Jon Rahm” and regardless of taking part in on a unique circuit, he hasn’t gone anyplace. Rahm completed tenth right here on the Open de France in 2017, fifth in 2018 and beat Tiger Woods in singles on the 2018 Ryder Cup. I like the truth that he has expertise and success at this golf course, I like his present kind and his state of mind. He additionally has an unbelievable historical past at TPC Scottsdale.

Shane Lowry (27-1)

The same theme right here with Lowry. A man that has come up simply quick this season and in current weeks. A full-of-pride countryman who would completely like to win a gold medal for Ireland. He did it at Royal Portrush in 2019, successful the Open Championship on his dwelling soil. He was the flag bearer for Ireland on the opening ceremonies final week and spoke brazenly about how a lot it meant to him. This man can style it and I anticipate his golf recreation to comply with go well with. Lowry has to really feel like he left one thing on the desk two weeks in the past at The Open after being the 36-hole chief and finally ending sixth after the climate helped sprint his hopes within the third spherical. He has expertise at this golf course, ending sixteenth right here in 2018. Over the final 24 rounds, he ranks high 10 in this subject for Bogey Avoidance, Good Drives Gained, par-4s from 350-400 and Hole Proximity from 125-150. Not solely is Lowry one of many world’s finest hyperlinks gamers, however the Florida swing has sometimes been the place he’s at his finest as nicely. He completed third at Bay Hill earlier this season. In addition to the outright win, perhaps this is one price a attempt for a podium end or a top-10 end play too.

Corey Conners (37-1)

I consider this is one other instance of nation satisfaction probably being in play. Canada shall be on the world stage this fall for the President’s Cup and Conners will virtually definitely be part of that crew – however a gold medal wouldn’t damage his possibilities both. For a man that has had plenty of top-10 finishes in main championships, successful gold can be unbelievable. As I alluded to earlier, I really feel this medal carries one thing totally different by way of an accomplishment, and perhaps it resonates much more with the worldwide gamers than it does with the Americans. Like Lowry, this is perhaps one other one so as to add a end place play to the outright win wager. Conners’ European hyperlinks recreation has been enhancing fairly a bit in a brief time period. He hasn’t missed a lower on the Open Championship in 4 straight years and simply completed twenty fifth at Royal Troon. He hasn’t missed a lower on the Scottish Open in three straight tries and completed nineteenth and tenth within the final two editions. Over the final 24 rounds, he ranks high six in this subject for SG: Approach, Driving Accuracy, par-4s from 400-450 yards and Hole Proximity from 125-150.

Thomas Detry (70-1)

Nobody in this Olympic subject has extra expertise on this golf course than Detry, who’s representing Belgium. As a former full-time member on the DP World Tour, Detry has performed 18 match rounds of golf right here on the Open de France. He’s made the lower in 4 out of 5 tries and has finishes of 25-16-8-35. He’s particularly good on the par-4s and in Hole Proximity from 125-175 yards. He ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting. I like the present kind as nicely. Beginning with the PGA Championship, the place he completed fourth, he hasn’t missed a lower in his final six begins, together with a 14th-place end on the U.S. Open. In his final begin on the Scottish Open, he shot 4 rounds within the 60s and completed twenty sixth. He’s completely a top quality participant that has sniffed the winner’s circle at large occasions. I really feel like 70-1 is a good worth and I’ve seen just a few ticks larger. This is one the place I too may add a top-20 end play.

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