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2020 Workday Charity Open Betting Guide (PGA)

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Bryson DeChambeau (7/1) claimed his sixth career PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. It was only a matter of time before his return to the winner’s circle, as he had six top-10s coming into the tournament. DeChambeau became the first player ever to win an event while leading the field in both strokes gained: off-the-tee, and strokes gained: putting. While averaging an impressive 350 yards off the tee, DeChambeau also gained 7.831 strokes on the greens. He climbed to number seven in the official world golf ranking after that win.

The PGA Tour now heads to Dublin, Ohio, for the Workday Charity Open. Formerly known as the Memorial Tournament, it will once again take place at the challenging Muirfield Village Golf Club. A field of 156 golfers will tee it up this week. Justin Thomas (+1100), Patrick Cantlay (+1300), Jon Rahm (+1300), and Brooks Koepka (+1700) are the betting favorites going into the event. It is a much deeper field than last week in Detroit, as 10 of the top-20 golfers are set to tee it up.

Here are the last five winners of the tournament

  • 2019 Patrick Cantlay (-19)
  • 2018 Bryson DeChambeau (-15)
  • 2017 Jason Dufner (-13)
  • 2016 William McGirt (-15)
  • 2015 David Lingmerth (-15)

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Course Preview

The Workday Charity Open will be played at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. It’s important to note that this will be the first of two consecutive tournaments that will be played here. Muirfield Village is no easy test of golf. It usually plays as one of the toughest golf courses relative to par, because of the thick penal rough that can become a nightmare to get out of. It will play this week as a par 72, and measures at 7,456 yards long. Golfers will see small, bentgrass greens (with some Poa Annua), that usually roll very fast.

While keeping the ball in the fairway will be important this week, an emphasis on approach should be taken when determining your betting card. Many of the greens have severe undulations, and golfers must put their balls in the right spot to avoid any three-putts. The Jack Nicklaus design will be an all-around test of golf, and scrambling will be a key stat to look at. A lot of the scoring will come on the four Par 5s. There are six challenging Par 4s that measure between 450-550 yards, and three of the four Par 3s are very demanding.

Key Stats

  • Par-5 Scoring
  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Scrambling
  • Performance on Bentgrass Greens
  • Course History

Best Outright Bets

Justin Thomas  (+1100)
Thomas took a week off to prepare for this tournament after missing the cut at the Travelers Championship. There’s no doubt in my mind that Thomas has been working hard on his game after being visibly upset with his results at TPC River Highlands. He now goes to a course in Muirfield Village, where he has had success in the past. Thomas finished fourth here in 2017 and eighth here in 2018.

Not only did Thomas lead the entire PGA in par-5 scoring last season, but he was also second only to Henrik Stenson in strokes gained: approach. Muirfield Village is largely a second-shot golf course that demands close proximity to each hole. It’s a great setup for Thomas’ strengths, and he performs excellently on Bentgrass greens. In the last 36 rounds on Bentgrass, Thomas ranks second in strokes gained: tee-to-green.

Hideki Matsuyama (+1700)
The five-time PGA Tour winner is trying to find his first victory since the 2017 WGCs. He has shown his fondness for Muirfield village in the past, evidenced by his three top-15 finishes in the last five years. Matsuyama has low-key had some very high finishes in his 2020 season. A second at the Zozo Championship in October of 2019, a T5 at the Genesis Invitational in February 0f 2020, and a T6 at the WGCs that same month prove that he’s knocking on the door.

Matsuyama showed last week that his form appears is in great shape heading into this tournament. He shot low rounds of 65 and 68 en-route to a T21 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Matsuyama finished third in strokes gained: tee-to-green and was top-10 in strokes gained: approach, for the week. As is always the case for him, he will need to find a hot putter in Ohio, but Bentgrass is his best surface.

Best Top-10 Bets

Marc Leishman (+500)
The talented Aussie has already put up four top-20 finishes at this tournament, including two fifth-place showings (2019, 2015).  He currently leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach and has already won this year. An elite scrambler and an above-average putter, Leishman should once again be in the mix at Muirfield Village.

Jordan Spieth (+500)
Despite not being anywhere close to the once prolific golfer he was, Spieth seems on the right track. In 11 events this year, he has made 10 cuts and already has three top-10 finishes. He goes to a course where he finished seventh in 2019, and he’s been vocal about his love for this course. Spieth enjoys fast, undulating greens that pose a challenge to the eye. He also ranks third in strokes gained: total, on bentgrass greens where scoring is difficult relative to par (last 36 rounds).

Emiliano Grillo (+1100)
This is excellent value for an in-form golfer who has made four straight cuts at Memorial Village and has high finishes of ninth and 11th. The ball-striking and approach game is always elite for Grillo — it’s the putter that’s dragged him down mightily. However, he performs exceptionally well on fast, bentgrass greens. His accurate game off the tee and elite approach play should give him plenty of birdie looks.

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Nic Turner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.