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An exciting week in golf, the European Tour hosts this years Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club as the PGA Tour heads back to Kentucky for the Barbasol Championship. The Scottish Open has undoubtedly the stronger field, with 14 of the worlds top 15 ranked players, so a majority of our bets & coverage will be focused overseas at The Renaissance Club. Top contenders by listed odds are Jon Rahm (+1200), Scottie Scheffler (+1200) and Justin Thomas (+1400).
Don’t get it twisted though. There is still money to be made in the United States this week. Last week was a “rest week” with a relatively weaker field at the John Deere Classic and we still picked JT Poston at 42-1 outright winner. WagerEdge doesn’t have rest weeks. Keene Trace Golf Club outside Lexington, Kentucky hosts the 2022 Barbasol Championship. Top contenders by listed odds are Mark Hubbard (+1600), Chris Gotterup (+1800) and Kevin Streelman (+2200). Let’s have some fun.
Genesis Scottish Open
Outright Winners
Favorite: Jon Rahm (+1200)
Rahm (+1200) – I’ve said before it is going to take a lot of convincing for me to believe Rahm is no longer the best golfer on the planet. Despite the all-time season Scottie is having, and the rather lackluster season for Rahm’s standards, I’m still confident Rahm is the best and most well rounded golfer in the world. Leading the tour in driving and behind only, you guessed it, Scottie Scheffler, in greens in regulation this season, I expect him to be in contention on Sunday. Finished 7th here last year.
Next Up: Sam Burns (+2800) & Joaquin Niemann (+4000)
Burns (+2800): Burns has been on an absolute roll this season, and probably has no business being at 28-1. With a field this strong, Burns arguably has the best value on the board. You will see Burns again in our finishing positions section, but an outright victory is certainly in the realm of possibilities this week.
Niemann (+4000): I picked Niemann to win the U.S. Open a few backs citing that he performs well on big stages with strong fields. He went on to lose after missing a putt on 18 to send the tournament to a playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick. However, Niemann backed me up on his performances in strong field tournaments. With winds expected up to 40 mph this week, ball-striking is going to be a huge factor. Few better ball-strikers on tour than Niemann.
Value Picks: Tommy Fleetwood (+4500) & Cameron Young (+5000)
Fleetwood (+4500): Another elite ball striker, Fleetwood had a 2nd place finish in this event back in 2020. Outside of two additional top 10 finishes, Fleetwood showed his ability to play some of golfs toughest tests at this years PGA Championship with a T5 finish. He’ll need to catch a rhythm to be at his best for St. Andrews next week, and I expect him to do just that.
Young (+5000): One of the few high performing rookies on tour this season who has showed an ability to compete on the biggest stages, Young has been a force all year long. 2nd on tour in SG: OFF-THE-TEE, and 9th in Birdie Average, Young has also showed his ability to hit clutch putts. If he can get the putter going, he’ll be in the hunt. More value in finishing positions for Young… not the last time you’ll see him.
The Long Shots: Justin Rose (+7000) & Erik Van Rooyen (+13000)
Rose (+7000): Rose win this event back in 2014, although it wasn’t at the same venue, it shows his comfort on Scotland grounds. He isn’t the Rose he was in 2014, but we saw him display an ability to go low in Canada, missing a par-putt on 18 to miss out on a 59. Top 20 for Rose is one of my favorite bets on the week, but we’ll talk more on that later.
Van Rooyen (+13000): T6 finish in 2020 here, but this is as “long shot” as it gets. Showed flashes of potential in 2021 finishing 22nd on the FedEx Cup Rankings. Combine some familiarity and past success on this course with a hot round and Van Rooyen may be able to find himself a chance on Sunday.
Finishing Positions
Top 5
Matt Fitzpatrick (+400) – Fitz has a T2nd place finish under his belt from last years Scottish Open. Coming off the U.S. Open victory, this is his first official start since winning his first major. 8 Top 10 finishes on tour this season.
Sam Burns (+600) – Burns has been consistent and dominant in his 2022 season. Also with 8 top 10’s like Fitz, but a couple more wins to go along with it. 3 victories this year. As mentioned above, an outright win is certainly in play, but Top 5 at this price is one of my favorite bets on the board this week.
Top 10
Will Zalatoris (+260) – The gamer himself. It’s not a major, which might be why Zalatoris has some inflated odds. Still on the hunt for his first victory, he makes his first appearance at the Scottish Open. With the high winds and ball-striking coming into play, I feel safe with Will at this price.
Cam Young (+500) – Another outright winner on our slip this week, there’s a ton of value here at Top 10. Still without a victory, Young has a handful of runner up finishes in his breakout rookie campaign. 5-1 is great value.
Top 20
Billy Horschel (+230) – Garnering quite the fan support for his LIV comments earlier this week, Horschel is looking to build off his victory a few weeks back at the Memorial. Nothing too fancy here, I just like the pick. 1 unit on Horschel for a bit more than double your money is worth the investment.
Justin Rose (+260) – I told you we would see Rose again. Definitely where he belongs in our outright winners section as a long-shot, but Top 20 is absolutely realistic.
Barbasol Championship
Best Bets:
Chris Gotterup Outright Winner (+1800) – A top 5 finish at TPC Deere Run last week, and a T7 finish in Puerto Rico earlier this year, Gotterup has been off to a decent start after turning pro in early 2022. He’s among the favorites for a reason this week.
Bo Hoag Outright Winner (+10000) – In a field this weak, you go big or you go home. Hoag showed flashes and looked like he was trending for a Top 5 finish before a 2-over par 73 on Sunday at JDC. Crazier things have happened.
Harry Higgs Top 5 (+2000) – I’ll be watching the Scottish Open all week, but if Higgs is in contention on the weekend, that is just something I can not miss. 20-1 for a Top 5 finish in this field is great value. Higgs hasn’t had a ton of success in his career, but he did finish T14 at Augusta this year. Seems like a decent bet to me!
Chesson Hadley Top 10 (+400) – Hadley and I got off on the wrong foot after his horrific reaction on live TV to his first hole-in-one. He’s growing on me though, and with two Top 10 finishes, including a solo 5th place finish at the Travelers Championship, this is a great price for Hadley in a field this weak.
