LIV Golf is back in action this week with the field of 48 gathering at The Gallery Golf Club for LIV Golf Tucson, the second of 14 scheduled events this year. The usual suspects are atop the outright odds board with Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson holding down the top spots. While those two consistently appear at the top, we’ve seen eight different individual champions since LIV Golf debuted. The most recent titlist was Charles Howell III, who won at Mayakoba a few weeks ago. Both Smith and DJ won a title last year and are looking to become the first two-time champ in the LIV Golf League. The host course will be new to most players in the field. The South Course at The Gallery hosted the 2007 and 2008 WGC Match Play event and hasn’t been used since. A few players in the field were around back then with Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey among them. They stand out because they successfully navigated the layout with Stenson winning in 2007 and Casey posting a winning record in his match play. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
LIV Golf Tucson Matchup Odds
Cameron Smith -115 vs. Joaquin Niemann -115
Cameron Smith -115 vs. Dustin Johnson -115
Joaquin Niemann -115 vs. Dustin Johnson -115
Paul Casey -125 vs. Abraham Ancer -105
Talor Gooch -115 vs. Mito Pereira -115
Patrick Reed -115 vs. Matthew Wolff -115
Charles Howell III -130 vs. Sergio Garcia -101
Carlos Ortiz +108 vs. Thomas Pieters -140
Brendan Steele -130 vs. Peter Uihlein -101
Branden Grace -130 vs. Sebastian Munoz -101
Brooks Koepka +104 vs. Jason Kokrak -135
Harold Varner III -115 vs. Anirban Lahiri -115
Henrik Stenson -101 vs. Louis Oosthuizen -130
Dean Burmester -140 vs. Ian Poulter +108
Marc Leishman -120 vs. Kevin Na -110
Bryson DeChambeau -135 vs. Pat Perez +104
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra -120 vs. Danny Lee -110
Richard Bland -120 vs. Lee Westwood -110
Graeme McDowell -125 vs. Charl Schwartzel -105
Phil Mickelson +117 vs. Scott Vincent -150
Need to Know
Stretched to 7,469 yards at par 71, the South Course at The Gallery is no picnic. It does play to big hitters given the length and wide fairways, but as always every stick in the bag will be required. There is no cut so one poor round won’t devastate players. However, only 54 holes leaves less time to make up strokes. Course designer John Fought also had a hand in the makeup of Pumpkin Ridge used last year, so players will have some idea of what to expect. Brendan Grace was a 2-shot winner over Carlos Ortiz in Portland. There aren’t a lot of hazards to contend with, but yardage, thick rough and mounded greens could make for some anxious moments. While it’s tempting to back a favorite in a smaller field, consider that players further down the odds board have won a majority of times.
LIV Golf Tucson Matchup Picks
Paul Casey -125 vs. Abraham Ancer
One of the players around long enough to compete in the WGC Match Play events at The Gallery, Casey is still young enough to have plenty of good golf left in him. He had a hard time last season with injuries, but we’ve seen Casey rebound with a top 5 at the Asian Tour’s Saudi International followed by a strong fourth at Mayakoba. And he’s certainly a fan of desert golf having played collegiately at ASU along with a winning match play record on this layout.
Henrik Stenson -101 vs. Louis Oosthuizen
Another one of a handful of players with experience at The Gallery, Stenson enters this matchup priced in my range. It’s hard to say if winning the WGC Match Play in 2008 will have any effect since that was like 15 years ago, but when betting matchups you take any advantage you can get. This definitely is a longshot pick since Stenson has struggled since winning at Bedminster last year, but you can’t overlook what the veteran has done during his glorious career.
Peter Uihlein -101 vs. Brendan Steele
I’m not sure anyone has finished better over the last four tournaments without getting a win than Uihlein. Three rounds of 68 or lower in Mayakoba weren’t enough to overcome Charles Howell but were enough to earn Uihlein his third runner-up finish in the last four regular season events. He recorded one of those second-places in the desert surroundings of Jeddah last year and it’s hard to ignore his form.
Cameron Smith -115 vs. Joaquin Niemann
He was unable to defend his title at THE PLAYERS Championship so Smith was seen relaxing and fishing with friends getting him in the right mindset for this week. Smith overcame a tough start at Mayakoba closing with a 67 to climb into sixth and I expect he’ll be a little jacked after watching his counterparts on the PGA side battle for his title at TPC Sawgrass.
Brooks Koepka +104 vs. Jason Kokrak
It’s hard to keep the good players down and Koepka is looking to rebound after finishing 31st at Mayakoba, his worst since joining LIV Golf. One thing going for him is his strong play in desert surroundings, which makes him primed for a rebound effort. His LIV win last year came in Jeddah and two other titles on the PGA side were desert-related. He also found his love for the game with last year’s win after injury struggles had him contemplating retirement. “It’s nice to be able to come back and win,” Koepka said.
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