CHARLOTTE -- It happens every year. We don’t want to believe our heroes have fallen, but let’s admit it: This is not the Jordan Spieth of seven years ago. Coming into the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship Jordan held odds in the high teens. Spieth’s form was exemplary finishing in the top 5 four times in his previous five starts. He was first in the field for Birdie or Better percentage and had gained with his putter in five straight events.
What a difference a year makes. Coming into this week at Quail Hollow, Jordan just missed the cut in his hometown, giving him four MCs in his past six starts! A perfect fit for a Wells Fargo win in his prime, Speith’s odds opening equal to Hideki Matsuyama has to give us pause. Another golfer whose struggles are well documented in 2024 is Viktor Hovland. The current FedEx Cup champion has one top-20 finish (19th at the Genesis) in six starts this year.
Hovland’s odds to win Wells Fargo opened at 22-1 and quickly ballooned up to 28-1. Over his past five starts, Hovland has lost strokes to the field (on average) tee to green, on approach and around the green. While Hovland vacations on the coaching carousel, I think we need to let go of the past, recent or five plus years ago. Look at the stars of 2024. Ludvig Ãberg has eight straight top-25 results and has risen to sixth in the world rankings.
For our other bets and our selections for the worst value options for the 2024 Zurich Classic, make sure you watch our weekly “Odds Drop” video:
Another rising star I have my eyes on this week in Charlotte is Sahith Theegala. Theegala started 2024 ranked 22nd in the OWGR. He is now 12th in the world. In five signature events, Theegala has finished runner-up twice and inside the top-six three times. Theegala’s odds opened over 30-1 and currently sit at 28-1. Putting is a huge key at Quail Hollow and a major part of Sahith’s success. His number is going to drop, grab Sahith Theegala today before that line gets below +2500!
On a side note, the favorite to win the PGA Championship is still Scottie Scheffler (+350). No word from the Scheffler side about the impending birth of their first child. Will Scottie still be able to make it to Valhalla? We know he’s home this week. On a signature week with plenty to supine on, this side plot is building some serious traction.
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Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith's winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.
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