Tour heads to California
By Sportsbook.ag
The PGA Tour heads back to the continental United States when the players travel to California for the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation this week. The tourney was formally named the Bob Hope Classic up until 2012 and has historically been an event with plenty of scoring.
Each of the past seven victors here have scored 24-under par or better with Patrick Reed’s 28-under being the best score last season. Typically, the field for this event is rather weak with many players not wanting to deal with the different format over the four days as they play with amateur partners through the first 54 holes and visit three different courses. This year there will be six players from the top-25 joining the field with Matt Kuchar at 11th being the highest-ranked golfer, while Phil Mickelson will make his first start since the Ryder Cup.
Let’s take a look at a few golfers who have a chance to string together birdies and get a win this weekend.
Golfers to Watch
Ryan Palmer (22/1): Palmer looks poised to have a big season after placing in the top-25 at each of the first two tournaments as he has put together five consecutive rounds of 69 or better. His 1.17 strokes gained putting (5th on tour) and ability to absolutely crush the ball (315.1 yards per drive, 3rd on tour) have allowed him to place in the top-6 at the tourney in three of the past four seasons, with this one not expected to be any different.
Patrick Reed (12/1): Reed is on the cusp of greatness as he has already grabbed four career PGA Tour victories at the age of 24. He knocked out a 63 at each course in this tournament last year, but should always be considered a risky pick due to his propensity to fall apart on any given day. However, the odds are pretty favorable for Reed as the chalk pick of this event.
Justin Thomas (60/1): After putting together a big season on the Web.Com tour last season, Thomas is starting to make his mark on the big stage. He has finished in the top-25 at two of the past three PGA Tour events, including a sixth-place showing last week at the Sony Open. It may be tough for the 21-year-old to keep this recent hot streak going, but bettors should certainly not overlook the youngster against a fairly weak field.
Jerry Kelly (85/1): Kelly has been hot over the past few weeks with rounds better than 70 in eight of his past nine times out, as he is coming off a 12-under, 6th-place finish at last week’s Sony Open. The 48-year-old has just three PGA Tour victories in his career with his last one coming in 2009, but could use his experience to gain an edge against much of the youth in this event.
Andres Gonzales (250/1): Gonzales has never been much of a force on the PGA Tour, but was able to get his second Web.Com win last year and shot a 15-under in a 3rd-place performance in his latest tourney, the OHL Classic. The payoff would be huge if you are willing to take a risk and drop a unit wager on the journeyman.
Humana Challenge Betting Odds
Patrick Reed 12/1
Matt Kuchar 16/1
Ryan Palmer 22/1
Phil Mickelson 24/1
Chris Kirk 27/1
Zach Johnson 27/1
Bill Haas 28/1
Harris English 28/1
Keegan Bradley 28/1
Webb Simpson 30/1
Billy Horschel 35/1
Brandt Snedeker 35/1
Brendon Todd 35/1
Ryan Moore 35/1
Charley Hoffman 40/1
Jason Dufner 40/1
Tim Clark 50/1
Luke Donald 55/1
Russell Knox 55/1
Charles Howell III 60/1
Graham Delaet 60/1
Justin Thomas 60/1
Scott Piercy 60/1
Jason Kokrak 65/1
Kevin Na 65/1
Brendon de Jonge 75/1
Jonas Blixt 75/1
Paul Casey 75/1
Kevin Streelman 80/1
Daniel Summerhays 85/1
Jerry Kelly 85/1
Martin Laird 85/1
Nick Watney 85/1
Scott Stallings 85/1
Shawn Stefani 85/1
Tony Finau 85/1
Pat Perez 95/1
Brian Stuard 100/1
Cameron Tringale 100/1
Francesco Molinari 100/1
Rory Sabbatini 100/1
Ryo Ishikawa 110/1
Jason Bohn 120/1
Robert Garrigus 120/1
Ben Crane 130/1
Chesson Hadley 130/1
William McGirt 130/1
Boo Weekley 150/1
James Hahn 150/1
Jeff Overton 150/1
Matt Jones 150/1
Bo Van Pelt 170/1
Brendan Steele 170/1
Bryce Molder 170/1
Chris Stroud 170/1
Daniel Berger 170/1
George McNeill 170/1
Mark Wilson 170/1
Nicholas Thompson 170/1
Scott Langley 170/1
Stuart Appleby 170/1
John Peterson 180/1
Richard Sterne 180/1
Stewart Cink 180/1
Zac Blair 180/1
Brian Davis 190/1
Steven Bowditch 190/1
Troy Merritt 190/1
Andrew Svoboda 200/1
David Toms 200/1
Billy Hurley III 210/1
Blayne Barber 210/1
Carl Pettersson 210/1
Hudson Swafford 210/1
Jhonattan Vegas 210/1
Max Homa 210/1
Erik Compton 220/1
Michael Putnam 220/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 240/1
Adam Hadwin 250/1
Alex Cejka 250/1
Alex Prugh 250/1
Andres Gonzales 250/1
Andrew Putnam 250/1
Brice Garnett 250/1
Cameron Percy 250/1
Carlos Ortiz 250/1
Chad Campbell 250/1
Chad Collins 250/1
Charlie Beljan 250/1
Chez Reavie 250/1
Colt Knost 250/1
D.J. Trahan 250/1
Danny Lee 250/1
David Lingmerth 250/1
Derek Fathauer 250/1
Fabian Gomez 250/1
Heath Slocum 250/1
J.J. Henry 250/1
Jarrod Lyle 250/1
Jason Gore 250/1
Jim Herman 250/1
Jim Renner 250/1
John Huh 250/1
John Merrick 250/1
John Rollins 250/1
Jonathan Randolph 250/1
Justin Hicks 250/1
Justin Leonard 250/1
Ken Duke 250/1
Kevin Kisner 250/1
Kyle Reifers 250/1
Lucas Glover 250/1
Luke Guthrie 250/1
Mark Hubbard 250/1
Martin Flores 250/1
Mike Weir 250/1
Nick Taylor 250/1
Oscar Fraustro 250/1
Patrick Rodgers 250/1
Retief Goosen 250/1
Ricky Barnes 250/1
Robert Allenby 250/1
Scott Brown 250/1
Scott Pinckney 250/1
Sean O' Hair 250/1
Spencer Levin 250/1
Steve Wheatcroft 250/1
Sung Joon Park 250/1
Tim Wilkinson 250/1
Tom Gillis 250/1
Tom Hoge 250/1
Woody Austin 250/1