A glitch in the schedule means that on Thursday, we will have a brand new and one-off tournament on the PGA Tour. With TPC Deere Run unable to take its hosting duties, the John Deere Classic has been postponed to 2021 and, in its place, we have the Workday Charity Open.
Our tip for the win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week was Rickie Fowler who started brightly and finished strongly but couldn’t quite compete across all four days. It was a solid return to form for Fowler but we need some winners from our predictions as we head to Muirfield Golf Village in Dublin, Ohio.
A strong field has assembled for this new event and it’s tight at the top of the Workday Charity Open outright betting market. Justin Thomas is the +1200 favorite with Bovada USA sportsbook, but JT is just a few points ahead of 14/1 shots Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm. With no previous tournament to look back on, we have to look at performances on this Muirfield Village course. Thomas’ record is mixed with two top 10 finishes and three missed cuts in his last five outings so he is down the Power Rankings this week.
Cantlay is rated a little higher, based largely on the fact that he won the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village last year. The Memorial follows the Workday Charity Open so Cantlay has a good opportunity to warm up for a successful defense.
As for Rahm, he has yet to threaten the top of the leaderboard since the restart but it’s worth noting that he is second on Tour in all-round rankings.
The field remains tight behind the three leaders with Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele all locked at similar betting odds, in the 16/1 to 18/1 range. Matsuyama heads those Power Rankings this week with a strong record at Muirfield Village which includes victory in the Memorial Tournament back in 2014.
Both Koepka and Schauffele are returning solid stats but Brooks may be the one to watch this week. The accusation that he can only lift his game for the Majors still stands but a solo seventh at Harbour Town in his last start suggests he could be in the frame on Sunday.
Other golfers fancied in the betting lines between 22/1 and 28/1 include Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Reed. Of those players, Rose is rated very highly and, while his 2010 Memorial Tournament win is something of a distant memory, he remains the second highest earner at Muirfield Village.
The outsiders are headed by a long list of players who can all be picked up at the same +4000 figure. Sungjae Im, Gary Woodland, Adam Hadwin, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman can all be found at those odds in places and all will feel they have a chance over the four days.
Further down, some interesting names include Matthew Wolff, Cameron Champ, Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler. Wolff looks particularly overpriced at 66/1 following his runner-up finish on Sunday when he just couldn’t hold off the booming drives of Bryson DeChambeau.
Major winners are also included in the outside bunch with Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen and Phil Mickelson all in attendance. It’s going to be another thrilling four days but what will it take to come out on top?
Our Preview’s Workday Charity Open Predictions & Picks Verdict with Course & Betting Trends
The Muirfield Village Course in Dublin, Ohio will be our home for the next two weeks. It’s a par 72 which comes in at a shade under 7,400 yards so the distance hitters can enjoy some benefits in places.
There are no previous editions of the Workday Charity Open to take into account but, as we focus on performances at Muirfield Village, we can look at those who have enjoyed success at next week’s Memorial Tournament. As previously mentioned, former champions Justin Rose, Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama are in the field and they are joined by Matt Kuchar and Jason Duffner. Others have solid records here and those have been recognized in the outright betting.
The advantage of distance hitting is enhanced in places by wider fairways and some slow greens which are expected to measure around 11 on the stimp. Aggressive play is likely to be rewarded but the rough, which is predicted to touch around four inches, can be punishing.
That elusive combination of distance and accuracy is needed and, while there are many worthy options, USAbetting is going to pin this preview’s hopes on Brooks Koepka. His laid-back approach to the smaller events isn’t ideal but he has the stats and some promising form coming into Thursday.
Some longer prices down the field make the elite American oddsmakers‘ top 10 finish betting lines interesting. That is maybe where the better profits lie but this preview is going to take that punt on Brooks for the outright win and look for three other picks to give us an overall profit with our Workday Charity Open predictions.
- Brooks Koepka to win @ best odds of +1400 (14/1) with Bovada, Intertops, Bookmaker or BetOnline.
- As for the top 10 finish picks, take Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Matthew Wolff with Bovada or Betonline when those odds become available.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.