Following a break of over a month it’s back to work with the field assembling at Rich Harvest Farms for the second installment of LIV Golf Chicago. Cameron Smith is the hottest player in LIV with two victories in the last three tournaments putting him as the betting favorite in the outright market. With only two events remaining to determine an individual season champ and the bounty that comes with it, Smith vaulted into the top spot with sizable lead over Talor Gooch following his recent success. Smith also won in Chicago last year beating Dustin Johnson and Peter Uihlein by three shots. The Aussie also set a LIV record with a seven-swing margin at Bedminster last time out. Bryson DeChambeau and DJ are next on the outright odds board and all favorites are included in tournament matchups. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
LIV Golf Chicago Matchup Odds
Cameron Smith -144 vs. Bryson DeChambeau +114
Patrick Reed -104 vs. Dustin Johnson -126
Talor Gooch +111 vs. Joaquin Niemann -141
Mito Pereira -151 vs. Harold Varner III +121
Branden Grace -117 vs. Abraham Ancer -113
Dean Burmester -137 vs. Sergio Garcia +107
Sebastian Munoz +101 vs. Cameron Tringale -131
Charles Howell III -114 vs. Jason Kokrak -116
Anirban Lahiri -140 vs. Carlos Ortiz +110
Louis Oosthuizen -116 vs. Brendan Steele -114
Marc Leishman -140 vs. Henrik Stenson +110
Matthew Wolff -128 vs. Phil Mickelson -102
Richard Bland +100 vs. Paul Casey -130
Thomas Pieters -145 vs. Kevin Na +115
Ian Poulter -122 vs. Bubba Watson -108
Peter Uihlein +118 vs. David Puig -148
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra -180 vs, Pat Perez +143
Bernd Wiesberger -138 vs. Graeme McDowell +108
Lee Westwood -200 vs. Martin Kaymer +158
Need to Know
I’ve noticed some discrepancies on the yardage at Rich Harvest Farms so I’ll default to last year’s number of over 7,700 yards, which is subject to change. Either way it’s a lengthy course that should benefit players who can hit the ball a long way. DJ and DeChambeau are among the top 4 in driving distance and are also among the favorites for the outright. It will take more than a driver to win at Rich Harvest Farms, though, with trees, bunkers and water littered throughout the property. The course is a stiff test for even the best players. The race for the individual title will come down to the final events with only the top three in the season-long standings getting a piece of the $30 million prize. Brooks Koepka, Branden Grace, Mito Pereira and DeChambeau sit just outside the top 3 making the last few tournaments even more important for them.
LIV Golf Chicago Matchup Picks
Peter Uihlein +118 vs. David Puig
Following a hot start Uihlein has cooled off considerably with oddsmakers undervaluing him at this price. I guess finishing outside the top 30 in three of his last four starts has that effect. I’d rather focus on what he did early in the year with five finishes among the top 11 in his first five outings, including a runner-up at the season-opening Mayakoba event. He also finished in a tie for second at 10-under when LIV visited the Chicago suburb last year. Uihlein tops LIV in average driving distance and big hitters can thrive on this track.
Louis Oosthuizen -116 vs. Brendan Steele
There isn’t much telling me to back Oosthuizen in this matchup. But my gut tells me he’s in for a good week; maybe not winning the whole enchilada good, but good enough to best Steele in this matchup. One thing in Oosthuizen’s favor is his ability to hit fairways ranking sixth in LIV. That’s a huge benefit on a long course with plenty of hazards. It paid off last year when Louis finished T6 carding a pair of 69s in what was as consistent a tournament as he’s had on LIV.
Dean Burmester -137 vs. Sergio Garcia
I typically try to avoid players with a price like Burmester has. However, with a small field my options are limited in the matchups. During the break Burmester spent time on the Asian Tour securing a pair of good finishes piggybacking two of his best starts in LIV. He finished eighth at Greenbrier followed by a top 5 at Bedminster giving him his best stretch of golf in some time.
Talor Gooch +111 vs. Joaquin Niemann
I’ll admit the price is what attracted me to Gooch in this matchup. He hasn’t been bad lately but he set the bar high winning back-to-back in April than claiming a third title in the span of five starts. He was 15-11 in his last two starts and has an outside chance of catching Smith for the overall points lead. More importantly he needs to maintain his current standing of second to get a share of the prize money.
Patrick Reed -104 vs. Dustin Johnson
Though he’s yet to win this season, Reed is third in the season-long points race. That’s a sign of just how consistent he’s been with three top 5s over his past four starts and five top 5s overall. He’s done just about everything but win, which is why I’m also backing him for the outright. Reed’s distance off the tee is good enough to hang with the big boys and his hot putter could make the difference in this matchup.
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