A reader confessed yesterday that she’s unfamiliar with the “Chevy Show,” a now-defunct syndicated thrill ride that somehow thrilled Midwestern kids of the 1980s with special-effects that look laughably primitive now.
The Chevy Show’s simple formula involved putting the audience behind the wheels of hot rods, monster trucks, bullet trains, and roller coasters. At the end, a regular old Chevrolet would weave breathlessly through city traffic at illusory high speeds, only to come to a very, very abrupt halt behind a diesel truck.
Golf seasons are kind of like that, at least not outside of the recent past’s COVID-19 opportunism, when the major championships aren’t rushing to tee-off before each other. A series of prestigious tournaments dot the calendar in late winter and early spring, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGT’s first match-play gala of the calendar year, and The Players Championship at Sawgrass. Things build to a crescendo as Masters Tournament week looms just ahead … and then everyone suddenly goes to sleep during the Valero Texas Open.
Low-key links competition prior to a major tournament is “par for the course” for either gender, but the PGA Tour’s analysts haven’t had a fair chance to scout players’ form going into the 2022 Masters at Augusta National. Controversy provided distractions, hurt feelings, and irregular rounds in the year’s opening months, and when the smoke finally begin to clear, the skies darkened for a chaotic, delayed slog at Sawgrass.
Not that The Players Championship winner isn’t drawing any bets to wear a Green Jacket in April. Scroll onward for WagerBop’s annual look-see at the odds, layouts, and WGR-studded fields of major golf tournaments.
2022 Masters Tournament: Gamblers “Mull-et” Over Cameron Smith
U.S. Masters Odds to Win (Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Jon Rahm : +950
Collin Morikawa : +1100
Justin Thomas : +1200
Jordan Spieth : +1200
Dustin Johnson : +1400
Cameron Smith : +1400
Rory McIlroy : +1400
Scottie Scheffler : +1600
Xander Schauffele : +1800
Brooks Koepka : +1800
Viktor Hovland : +1800
Patrick Cantlay : +2000
Bryson Dechambeau : +2900
Hideki Matsuyama : +2900
Sam Burns : +3300
Will Zalatoris : +3300
Tony Finau : +4100
Shane Lowry : +4100
Daniel Berger : +4100
Joaquin Niemann : +4100
Sung-Jae Im : +4100
Louis Oosthuizen : +4200
Adam Scott : +4500
Justin Rose : +5000
Tyrrell Hatton : +5000
Paul Casey : +5000
Tiger Woods : +5000
Tommy Fleetwood : +5000
Matthew Fitzpatrick : +5000
Patrick Reed : +5000
Talor Gooch : +6500
Corey Conners : +6500
Russell Henley : +6500
Bubba Watson : +6500
Marc Leishman : +6500
Sergio Garcia : +6500
Seamus Power : +6500
Abraham Ancer : +6500
Webb Simpson : +6500
Billy Horschel : +6500
Gary Woodland : +8000
Brian Harman : +8000
Sepp Straka : +8000
Jason Kokrak : +8000
Max Homa : +8000
Francesco Molinari : +10000
Lee Westwood : +10000
Si Woo Kim : +10000
Robert MacIntyre : +10000
Matthew Wolff : +10000
Harris English : +10000
Kevin Na : +10000
Kevin Kisner : +10000
Thomas Pieters : +10000
Tom Hoge : +10000
Lucas Herbert : +10000
FanDuel’s golf gamblers may notice a number of longer betting lines on Masters Tournament contenders than were available earlier in 2022. Jordan Spieth, after losing his golf ball and his temper on a windy go-around at The Players Championship, has lost betting action to fall to (+1200) odds to win at Augusta. Dustin Johnson‘s line to wear the next Green Jacket has lengthened to 14-to-1, and picks on the mercurial Bryson DeChambeau to win are now pricing at just (+2000). Even the well-respected PGA Tour upstart Xander Schauffele, a vintage model of the younger PGA pros who win early-season major championships, is drawing Masters Tournament bets at now-slightly longer odds.
Where is the Masters money going? Not in Tiger Woods’ market. Tiger, still recovering from 2021’s hellacious car accident, is still a 40-to-1 pick to win. Favorites-to-win Jon Rahm (+850) and Collin Morikawa (+1100) are drawing similar action as a month ago.
Cameron Smith, a popular PGA Tour pro from Australia, is inspiring a fresh wave of high-rolling Masters Tournament picks. Smith endured the extreme conditions (and delays) of Sawgrass to earn 2022’s The Players Championship crown. But there’s more to the Aussie’s odds to win the Masters Tournament than recent success alone. Smith has been outstanding at Augusta compared to his record in other major championships, finishing in the top-10 in consecutive years headed into this April’s tournament. In November 2020, Smith shot a historic 4 straight rounds in the 60s, but lost to Johnson by 5 shots.
2022 PGA Championship: Not Too Early to Look Ahead
PGA Championship Outright Winner Odds
Jon Rahm : +1000
Collin Morikawa : +1200
Justin Thomas : +1400
Viktor Hovland : +1400
Rory McIlroy : +1400
Dustin Johnson : +1600
Brooks Koepka : +1600
Scottie Scheffler : +1800
Patrick Cantlay : +2000
Jordan Spieth : +2000
Bryson DeChambeau : +2000
Xander Schauffele : +2200
Cameron Smith : +2700
Hideki Matsuyama : +3100
Daniel Berger : +3300
Louis Oosthuizen : +3700
Tony Finau : +3700
Will Zalatoris : +3700
Webb Simpson : +4000
Sam Burns : +4100
Joaquin Niemann : +4200
Shane Lowry : +4500
Tyrrell Hatton : +4500
Paul Casey : +5000
Matthew Fitzpatrick : +5000
Abraham Ancer : +5000
Tommy Fleetwood : +5000
Sungjae Im : +5000
Rickie Fowler : +6000
Justin Rose : +6000
Corey Conners : +6000
Adam Scott : +6500
Marc Leishman : +6500
Harris English : +6500
Jason Day : +6500
Sergio Garcia : +6500
Matthew Wolff : +7500
Si Woo Kim : +8000
Phil Mickelson : +8000
Patrick Reed : +8000
Gary Woodland : +8000
Keegan Bradley : +8000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout : +8000
Jason Kokrak : +9000
Thomas Pieters : +9000
Lee Westwood : +10000
Matt Wallace : +10000
Brian Harman : +10000
Garrick Higgo : +10000
Billy Horschel : +10000
Bubba Watson : +10000
Max Homa : +10000
Though the PGA Championship is now the 2nd major tournament of spring, and no longer golf’s final major of summer, you might see a few headlines promising “way too early” picks on this year’s event at Southern Hills.
That’s a misnomer. No pick made on a set of futures odds is “way too early,” at least not according to the immutable laws of sports betting. It’s only too early (or too late) to bet on specific golfers at the best price as the numbers shift over time. Picking winners early isn’t always the best tactic, but bets at the last minute have pitfalls too. So long as there are odds on the betting board, the best major-championship golf odds can change at any time, making it foolish not to take a peek forward before next season rolls around.
For example, Tiger Woods’ win over Sergio Garcia at the 1999 PGA Championship earned Woods the respect of Las Vegas bookmakers, who had previously considered the phenom inconsistent and subject to too many wild swings. As time went on, Woods became so popular that his “futures” odds to win the PGA Championship and other majors fell under heavy scrutiny and skepticism. But think of the riches earned by those who bought Tiger Woods bets a year prior to his iconic comeback victory in the Masters Tournament.
PGA Tour pundits expected Woods, plagued by scandals, injuries, and painkillers in the 2010s, to never return and compete at an elite level. Bookmakers sold long-odds prop bets on Tiger to merely finish an event or a season, to say nothing of the jackpot of reward vs risk on Woods’ odds to win again at Augusta. Yet by the time a healthy Tiger Woods was driving down Magnolia Lane on Wednesday, his “payoff” odds were average once again.
Rory McIlroy has gone an awfully long time without winning a major championship. Historically, most of golf’s top-ranked contenders who go longer than 5 years without threatening Grand Slam titles wind up turning into also-rans. But an army of loyal fans isn’t ready to give up on Wee Mac, helping to hold McIlroy’s odds to win the next PGA Championship at just (+1400) or 14-to-1 as of late February.
Collin Morikawa is trending up as a 2022 PGA Championship pick after helping to lead a terrific United States rout at the Ryder Cup, but the reigning British Open champ can’t surpass world #1 Jon Rahm in drawn bets to win majors this year. The new PGA Tour season has begun with Rahm in the form he showed last year. Rahm has not finished lower than T-22, and nearly defeated a respectable field at Torrey Pines in January.
2022 U.S. Open: Surveying the Lines for Brookline
Current Odds to Win United States Open
Jon Rahm : +1000
Rory McIlroy : +1200
Collin Morikawa : +1200
Dustin Johnson : +1600
Brooks Koepka : +1600
Viktor Hovland : +1600
Justin Thomas : +1800
Xander Schauffele : +1800
Bryson DeChambeau : +1800
Jordan Spieth : +2000
Patrick Cantlay : +2000
Scottie Scheffler : +2000
Cameron Smith : +2700
Tony Finau : +3300
Louis Oosthuizen : +3300
Hideki Matsuyama : +3300
Daniel Berger : +4000
Will Zalatoris : +4000
Tyrrell Hatton : +4100
Sam Burns : +4100
Joaquin Niemann : +4100
Shane Lowry : +4200
Justin Rose : +5000
Paul Casey : +5000
Tommy Fleetwood : +5000
Matthew Fitzpatrick : +5000
Webb Simpson : +5000
Sung-Jae Im : +5000
Corey Conners : +6000
Harris English : +6000
Abraham Ancer : +6000
Matthew Wolff : +6500
Branden Grace : +6500
Adam Scott : +6500
Marc Leishman : +6500
Jason Kokrak : +6500
Garrick Higgo : +6500
Sergio Garcia : +6500
Gary Woodland : +8000
Phil Mickelson : +8000
Jason Day : +8000
Patrick Reed : +8000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout : +8000
Charley Hoffman : +9000
Francesco Molinari : +10000
Lee Westwood : +10000
Si Woo Kim : +10000
Brian Harman : +10000
Russell Henley : +10000
Bubba Watson : +10000
Seamus Power : +10000
Max Homa : +10000
Jon Rahm’s odds to win 2022 tournaments aren’t uniformly as short as those often drawn by top-ranked players, yet there’s reason to believe the Spanish linksman can flourish in the U.S. Open at Brookline, at least compared to other top-10 players.
It’s no accident that Rahm’s lines to win summer’s biggest events are shrinking even as bettors doubt his driving accuracy on tight, wooded parkland courses. 2022’s U.S. Open venue Brookline doesn’t relinquish red scores to players who hit lofty, routine shots, or to those who defer to the same shot pattern off the tee on every Par 4 and Par 5.
Jack Nicklaus, who consistently utilized a high fade with his driver and long irons, once missed a cut at Brookline without making more than a handful of lousy swings. Rahm isn’t the most accurate player ever to be ranked #1, but the swashbuckler’s shot-making and determination could produce an adventurous 4-round score that beats the field, unlike Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlory, and others who rely on their heroic long games.
Open Championship: 2022’s Race for the Claret Jug
Betting Odds to Win 2022 Open Championship
Jon Rahm : +900
Collin Morikawa : +1200
Jordan Spieth : +1400
Rory McIlroy : +1400
Justin Thomas : +1600
Dustin Johnson : +1600
Brooks Koepka : +1600
Viktor Hovland : +1800
Bryson Dechambeau : +1800
Xander Schauffele : +2000
Tyrrell Hatton : +2200
Patrick Cantlay : +2200
Louis Oosthuizen : +2200
Scottie Scheffler : +2200
Cameron Smith : +2700
Shane Lowry : +2900
Patrick Reed : +2900
Paul Casey : +3300
Matthew Fitzpatrick : +3300
Daniel Berger : +3700
Tommy Fleetwood : +3700
Justin Rose : +4000
Joaquin Niemann : +4100
Robert MacIntyre : +4200
Lee Westwood : +5000
Tony Finau : +5000
Branden Grace : +5000
Tiger Woods : +5000
Marc Leishman : +5000
Sam Burns : +5000
Will Zalatoris : +5000
Sergio Garcia : +5000
Webb Simpson : +5000
Corey Conners : +6000
Adam Scott : +6000
Jason Day : +6500
Garrick Higgo : +6500
Abraham Ancer : +6500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout : +6500
Rickie Fowler : +6500
Matt Wallace : +8000
Ian Poulter : +8000
Harris English : +8000
Jason Kokrak : +8000
Alex Noren : +9000
Lucas Herbert : +9000
Francesco Molinari : +10000
Phil Mickelson : +10000
Padraig Harrington : +10000
Like stones in a raging river, a majority of static odds on major championship contenders serve only to highlight the several noteworthy players racing up and down the betting table.
Collin Morikawa, the reigning champion golfer of the year, is foremost among shifting odds. Morikawa was an inexplicably long 18-to-1 pick to repeat at the Open Championship merely a few months after winning 2021’s event at Royal St. George’s. As of less than 5 months prior to the 2022 tournament’s tee-off, Morikawa is a surging 12/1 pick.
It has helped that golf gamblers around the world watched Morikawa lead Team USA in September. Morikawa had arrived at the Ryder Cup after a disappointing 4 rounds at the Tour Championship in Atlanta. But the international event always pushes golfers into another gear. Morikawa’s approach shots and putting proved to be a perfect fit with partner Dustin Johnson in a Foursomes victory on Friday. Morikawa wound up clinching for Team USA with a Sunday win, more of a ceremonial honor in ’21 due to the lopsided tally.
There’s another name lurking in FanDuel’s British Open odds that’s familiar to almost all golf speculators. Lo and behold, it’s Tiger Woods.
Tiger’s near-fatal car wreck and advanced age conspired to reduce the icon’s odds to win 2022 tournaments to almost no risk. In early 2022, as Woods again climbs the long road to rehabilitation, gamblers are picking Tiger often enough to shrink his Open Championship betting odds, which are now shorter than those of Jason Day or Rickie Fowler. No matter how much name-brand recognition the best golfer of modern times happens to have, it’s “open” to debate whether Woods still has the power and stamina to win majors. But as Mark McCormack wrote prior to Jack Nicklaus’ win in 1970, let’s not dare forget the venue at which the next Open Championship will be played. Like the event Big Jack won that season, the upcoming British Open will be held at St. Andrews, either a beast or a friendly layout depending on the wind. Long, high hitters can flourish on a calm week, hitting Par-4 drives near the greens before chipping for eagle. If the wind picks up and rain is slashing, veterans able to brave the conditions, hold shots below the wind, and putt in a gale-force breeze take a distinct advantage over the PGA Tour’s sluggers.
There was a time when Tiger Woods would prefer favorable driving conditions during a British Open at St. Andrews. Tiger followed-up his record-setting 2000 U.S. Open victory with an easy dash to the Claret Jug on a mild weekend at the Old Course. If the firth’s wind doesn’t roar in 2022, however, aging players like Woods could be out-paced by Dustin Johnson and other younger golfers who can drive half of a dozen greens on the layout. Slick fescue and punishing winds helped Tom Watson nearly win a British Open at age 58, though there’s no doubt Tom couldn’t have contended in an easy parkland setting.
A pair of Open Championship picks are badly overpriced. Rory McIlroy has gone an awfully long time without winning a major championship. Historically, most of golf’s contenders who go longer than 5 years without threatening Grand Slam titles wind up turning into also-rans at major venues. But an army of loyal fans isn’t ready to give up on Wee Mac, giving him a 14/1 line to lift the jug at St. Andrews. Jordan Spieth is less than a 20/1 pick to win the 2022 Open Championship, but relatively short driving could limit the Texan’s birdie looks on a windy or a calm week.
Fresh-faced risk takers like Will Zalatoris and Viktor Hovland are drawing bets of 20-to-1 to 50-to-1 to win Grand Slam hardware next season. Gamblers prefer to look at veterans like Jon Rahm, a 9-to-1 pick to win, and Dustin Johnson, drawing 16/1 odds after finishing 8th last year.
Kurt has authored close to 1000 stories covering football, soccer, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, prize-fighting and the Olympic Games. Kurt posted a 61% win rate on 200+ college and NFL gridiron picks last season. He muses about High School football on social media as The Gridiron Geek.
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