Vacationers Championship: Betting odds, worth picks, perception

The eighth and last Signature Occasion of the 2024 season has arrived, as one of the best gamers on the PGA Tour head to the Northeast for the Vacationers Championship.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy, recent off his heartbreaking end on the U.S. Open, headline the 72-man area at TPC River Highlands. Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, and Viktor Hovland will tee it up in Connecticut this week, too.

In contrast to Pinehurst No. 2, this golf course yields loads of birdies whereas inserting a premium on iron play. It’s a second-shot golf course, and whoever can take advantage of par-breakers this week sometimes wins. You also needs to count on a last rating round 18 or 20-under-par, with a number of 62s and 63s shot over the course of the week. Heck, Jim Furyk shot a 58 on this structure in 2016, which nonetheless stands because the lowest rating ever on the PGA Tour.

Vacationers Championship Odds:

Listed here are the present odds for gamers to win this week, supplied by DraftKings.

• Scottie Scheffler +400
• Xander Schauffele +800
• Rory McIlroy +850
• Collin Morikawa +1200
• Ludvig Åberg +1600
• Viktor Hovland +2000
• Patrick Cantlay +2200
• Hideki Matsuyama +2500
• Sam Burns +3500
• Russell Henley +3500
• Justin Thomas +3500
• Brian Harman +3500
• Tony Finau +3500
• Tommy Fleetwood +3500
• Tom Kim +4500
• Sungjae Im +4500
• Si Woo Kim +4500
• Sepp Straka +4500
• Jordan Spieth +4500
• Max Homa +5000
• Matthew Fitzpatrick +5000
• Wyndham Clark +5000

Photograph by Ben Jared/PGA Tour by way of Getty Photos

Vacationers Championship Perception, Predictions:

Keegan Bradley, the New England native and diehard Boston sports activities fan, gained this occasion final 12 months at 23-under-par, thanks partially to a gap 8-under 62 on Thursday and a 7-under 63 on Friday. He led the sphere in strokes gained method and strokes gained placing, which explains why his last 72-hole rating set a brand new match document.

Xander Schauffele continues sizzling stretch

Good ball strikers and stable putters are likely to do effectively on this golf course. Xander Schauffele, who suits that billing, gained this occasion two years in the past, marking his sixth profession win on the PGA Tour. He has gained two extra tournaments since, together with this 12 months’s PGA Championship.

Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos

Schauffele additionally recorded his tenth top-10 end of the season at Pinehurst No. 2, regardless of not having his greatest stuff all through the week.

Figuring out that Schauffele has gained on this golf course earlier than and has performed one of the best golf of his profession all through 2024, we like Schauffele to document a top-five end at +180.

Massive Ton’ posts back-to-back top-10s

If not for an unlucky triple bogey on the thirteenth gap throughout the third spherical of the U.S. Open, Tony Finau may have vied for the title till the very finish. He wound up tying for third, ending at 4-under-par, two strokes behind Bryson DeChambeau.

Regardless of that, Finau’s recreation has rounded into type, as he has his 4 straight top-20 finishes during the last month.

Photograph by Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos

He’s a terrific ball-striker—Finau is third on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approaching the inexperienced. His putter has let him down at occasions, but it surely didn’t have an effect on him a lot at Pinehurst No. 2. He gained 0.43 strokes on the greens for the week, rating thirty ninth among the many area.

Contemplating the greens at TPC River Highlands come nowhere near those at Pinehurst No. 2, we like Finau to have one other above-average week with the putter and end within the prime 10 at +280.

Ludvig Åberg bounces again after powerful weekend

Like Finau, the thirteenth gap bought one of the best of Ludvig Åberg on Saturday afternoon. He made a triple bogey there, which all however ended his possibilities.

Nonetheless, Åberg will bounce again this week. He has rapidly grow to be the most effective ball-strikers on the planet, as seemingly each iron shot has a excessive ball flight and goes as straight as an arrow. That’s a superb mixture on any golf course, particularly a good one like TPC River Highlands.

Plus, Åberg performed on the Vacationers Championship final 12 months, tying for twenty fourth and ending at 13-under par. He even shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday, a powerful spherical provided that he had completed up his tenure at Texas Tech roughly one month earlier than. However understanding that Åberg has some expertise on this course, and given his very good expertise, we like him to additionally end within the prime 5 at +330.

It’s Russell Henley time

Maybe essentially the most underrated participant within the recreation proper now, Russell Henley arrives in Connecticut recent off a tie for seventh on the U.S. Open. He carded a 3-under 67 within the last spherical, serving to him document a back-door prime 10, however Henley has 4 different prime 10 finishes this season. He’s additionally the Sixteenth-ranked participant on the earth, due to his stable ball placing and wonderful placing.

Photograph by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Photos

Henley doesn’t miss the green usually and thus awards himself loads of alternatives to make birdie. His recreation ought to translate effectively to this course, the place he has had some success. Henley’s greatest end got here in 2018 when he tied for sixth. He has since tied for nineteenth in his previous two begins, in 2021 and 2023. However this 12 months, we like Henley to publish a end result higher than that. He’s +3500 to win, which we’re tremendously contemplating, however we like him to complete within the prime 5 at +650.

Longshot Contender and Winner

Frenchman Matthieu Pavon performed effectively sufficient to earn a spot within the final group of the U.S. Open and held his personal for many of the last spherical. He shot a 1-over 71 to complete solo fifth, as an early bogey stumbled his momentum. However Pavon placed on a ball-striking and placing clinic all week at Pinehurst No. 2, an indication that his recreation is trending in the precise route.

He is aware of what it takes to win, too, having gained on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open earlier this 12 months. As such, we like Pavon to publish one other top-10 at +800 in Connecticut. His recreation appears to come back in waves, and he’s driving excessive proper now.

Photograph by David Cannon/Getty Photos

As for a longshot winner, we like South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout to get the job carried out at +7500. Bezuidenhout couldn’t get any momentum going on the U.S. Open, ending in a tie for thirty second at 7-over for the week. However he performed constant golf and didn’t blow up on any day, carding three 71s and a 72 on the par-70 structure. Nonetheless, Bezuidenhout is a terrific putter, rating eleventh on the PGA Tour in strokes gained placing. He’s an above-average ball striker too.

The South African will not be a bomber, both, an attribute not wanted on this 6,852-yard structure, the shortest course on tour this season. As a substitute, he depends on his ball-striking and his quick recreation to get the job carried out.

Workers Picks:

Our SB Nation golf employees has made their choices for this week’s Vacationers Championship. For extra perception as to why, take a look at their picks and predictions right here:

Jack Milko: Corey Conners (+3500)

Jeanna Kelley: Collin Morikawa (+1200)

Savannah Richardson: Ludvig Åberg (+1400)

For all different sports activities betting content material, take a look at SB Nation’s DraftKings website.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. You’ll want to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.