2024 Olympics Golf Odds & Picks: Head-to-Head Matchups
This week, the world’s best golfers will compete in a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Le Golf National hosts the par 71 Albatros course, a shorter-length par 71 track that emphasizes accuracy over power. Water hazards appear on the back nine, specifically, on the final four holes. Thick rough and thin fairways are other challenges facing golfers this week, with large greens set to fast-paced velocity and ryegrass/fescue fairway surfaces that undulate and create errant lies.
This course has been the site of numerous DP World Tour events, so Europeans and other golfers from Europe’s biggest golf tour competing this week may have an advantage over their American counterparts. The 2018 Ryder Cup was also played here, dominated by Europe.
The outright winner is determined like it always is in PGA Tour events, with the gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded to the top three golfers with the lowest scores at the end of this four-round event. No cuts are enforced and if there are ties at the end of Sunday’s final round, a sudden-death playoff match will be held to determine each podium winner.
I’ve got a couple of 72-hole head-to-head matchups to wager before Round 1 tees off on Thursday at 3 a.m. ET. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and weekly analysis.
2024 Olympics Odds & Picks
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Shane Lowry vs. Tommy Fleetwood
We’re taking a contrarian approach with this bet between Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood has been dominant at this course on the DP World Tour and elsewhere in previous outings, which is why oddsmakers have him projected as a heavy favorite at -150 odds in this 72-hole head-to-head matchup.
However, Lowry is among the best golfers in strokes gained: approach on the PGA Tour this season. This course fits his style of play very well and he’s a much better iron player and putter than Fleetwood’s shown us in 2024. We’re backing current form over course history with this pick, so let’s enjoy a nice plus odds payout by the end of the tournament when Lowry winds up with a lower score than Fleetwood at Albatros.
Pick: Shane Lowry (+115)
Joaquin Niemann vs. Tom Kim
Joaquin Niemann and Tom Kim are a bit tighter in terms of oddsmaker value in their 72-hole tournament matchbet. Kim nearly won the Travelers Championship a few weeks ago but fell on the first playoff hole to Scottie Scheffler. Niemann, meanwhile, has been very good at LIV, while responding well to adversity at the British Open at Royal Troon.
Kim’s putter has been shaky but he does have strong ironplay, which is why this line is pretty close, with Kim valued at +105. However, based on Niemann’s birdie rate at LIV in 2024, ranked first, due to sitting 17th scrambling and fourth for greens in regulation at a scorching 72.2 percent, we’re backing Niemann as the slight favorite at -125 odds.
He’s ranked sixth in putting and can hunt flagsticks, so let’s stake a full unit on the Chilean golfer to wind up beating Kim in this 72-hole head-to-head matchup during the Olympics this week.
Pick: Joaquin Niemann (-125)
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