Golf betting tips and free bets: Three picks for the Sony Open including 150/1 shot and one for the Hero Cup
JUST to prove you can never get too much of a good thing, the PGA Tour stays in Hawaii for a second week - and eight of the last nine Sony Open winners also played in the Tournament of Champions.
That suggests the winner is likely to come from the 18-strong group of players who were in action last week, headed by this week’s defending champion, Hideki Matsuyama.
Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim, who was an eye-catching fifth on his Hawaii debut last week, are also among the players making the trip.
With 144 golfers in the field compared to 39 for the 2023 curtain-raiser, and most of the big firms offering eight places each way, there should be some value on offer.
The DP World Tour also steps up a notch with this week’s Ryder Cup-style Hero Cup, and that throws up some interesting betting propositions too…
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Sony Open
Hot shot: Brian Harman, 18-1.
This week’s fiddly par 70 will play to the strengths of the dogged leftie far more than the wide open spaces did last week - as illustrated by four top four finishes in this event.
The last of them came five years ago, with Harman experiencing a mini-slump. But the way he finished last season, with runner-up finishes at Mayakoba and in the RSM Classic, suggests he will go one better soon.
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Harman also blew off the rust with a share of 16th last week, a decent performance on a track better suited to the bombers.
Mid price: K.H.Lee, 33-1.
The improving Korean golfer is a regular pick in this category, and he often rewards each way interest - while saving his best stuff for the Byron Nelson, which he has won twice in a row.
A third PGA Tour victory in different surroundings is bound to come soon, and he looked set for a fast start to 2023 with an encouraging share of seventh place last week.
He finished on the same score as Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, and Matt Fitzaptarick at 21 under par. If any of that trio had decided to join Lee in doubling up, they would be at much shorter odds.
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Long shot: S.H.Kim, 150-1
Be careful if you decide to have a small interest on the Korean outsider - there are four Kims in the field, ranging from market leader Tom to no-hoper Michael, a 300-1 shot.
Seonghyeon, or simply S.H., is a PGA Tour rookie, and the unflappable 24 year old could prove one of the best of the new crop of Korn Ferry Tour graduates.
He cooled off after a good start in the big time - climaxed by a share of fourth at the Shriners in October - but he is the sort of player who could pop up at big odds, especially in events where most of the big guns are taking a week off.
Hero Cup
Great Britain and Ireland have been installed as favourites to beat Continental Europe in this team event in Abu Dhabi, but I’m not sure they have the strength in depth to come out on top.
The likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton mean G.B. and Ireland are strong at the top of the order. But all twenty players will feature in all four sessions, which could expose a weak tail.
The overall points scorer market, offering four places each way, throws up the most attractive options.
Thomas Pieters, who won the 2022 Abu Dhabi Championship down the road at Yas Links, looks a good bet at 11-1, while Sepp Straka also appeals at 22-1.
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