This is going to be an extremely interesting week on the PGA Tour. It is rare to see new events on tour, but in this super season we have seen lots of things that are out of the ordinary.
With the RBC Canadian Open having to be cancelled due to COVID-19 the PGA Tour decided to add the Palmetto Championship at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina.
This is going to be an interesting event because it is just a four year old course and has not hosted any PGA events in the past.
The field is not exactly packed with big names because the US Open is next week, but with that being said there are some big names like Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka trying to fine tune their game before next week.
Congaree Golf Club
Congaree is located in Ridgeland, SC. It is a Tom Fazio design and will be playing 7,655 yards and a par 71. This is a very long course and I think the element of mystery is going to make for a fun event this week.
Nationality Props
Top Rest of World Player – Sungjae Im (+300)
This is going to be an interesting week to see who shows up to play. Obviously everybody comes with the intention of winning, but we may see some guys looking ahead to next week’s Open.
I like Im this week because he has had a rough patch missing the cut in 5 of his last 8 starts. Sungjae is very solid off the tee ranking 7th on tour in SG: off the tee. This course is going to require players to hit fairways in order to set up scoring chances. The greens are firm and fast, and players will have a tough time scoring if they are wayward off the tee.
Top American Player – Harold Varner III (+3000)
This is more of a longshot pick. I like Varner with 30/1 odds here. With a less star studded field this is the type of tournament Varner excels in. Just last month he finished T-2 at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.
DJ has been in a massive slump, and I think we may see him experimenting with some things this week to try to get into form for the US Open. Brooks on the other hand, I am questioning why he is even playing in this event. He has still had knee problems, but I do not see him completely focused on winning this event.
Top Finish Props
Neither Brooks Koepka or Dustin Johnson Finish Top 10 (+275)
This pick cannot really be backed up by stats. In fact all signs would say one of these men are guaranteed to finish in the top 10. The world number one and world number eight in a limited field.
This pick for me is more of a gut feeling. Both of these guys are focused on majors. I think if DJ was not in a slump he would not have even been in the field this week. Brooks on the other hand in my opinion is out there just to test his knee and make sure all systems are good to go.
I think one other advantage to this pick is we have seen Brooks struggle with his short game and on this course with ultra fast greens Brooks may be at a slight disadvantage. His lowest strokes gained category is by far around the green at .251 which is 40th on tour.
Top 20 Finish – Matthew Fitzpatrick (-150)
Fitzpatrick has never won on tour, but has started to rise the ranks. He has finished in the Top 20 in 7 out his 15 starts this season and I think this course sets up well for him. He is 19th in SG: putting this year.
I think on a course that just calls for steady play Fitzpatrick is the perfect guy to finish in the Top 20.
Parlay
Matchups – Ian Poulter (-115) over Alex Noren, Tyrell Hatton (+100) over Dustin Johnson
Total Odds: +273
Winner
My winner – Tyrell Hatton (+1200)
(All odds provided by PointsBet)
