Following a two week stay in Hawai’i, the PGA Tour returns to the states for the first time in 2019 with the Desert Classic in La Quinta, Calif. There are 156 players scheduled to compete over three courses, but more doesn’t necessarily mean better. With higher-profile tournaments stacked on the schedule starting next week up until The Masters, the quality of the field has dropped slightly. The field will play each of the first three rounds on a different course in a pro-am format with the cut taking place after 54 holes. Sunday’s final round will be contested on the Stadium Course at PGA West.
We should still see some solid golf from defending champ Jon Rahm, who came off as the betting favorite at +680 at BookMaker.eu. World No. 1 Justin Rose is the second favorite at +880 with a significant drop in the odds after that. Patrick Cantlay is the only other player ranked in the OWGR top-20 and is the third favorite at +1600. Phil Mickelson will is scheduled to make just his seventh start in the past eight years with odds of +4000 to claim victory.
Golf Betting at BookMaker.eu
Odds to Win Desert Classic at BookMaker.eu
Jon Rahm +680
Justin Rose +880
Patrick Cantlay +1600
Charles Howell III +2000
Andrew Putnam +2500
Adam Hadwin +2800
Aaron Wise +3500
Abraham Ancer +4000
Chez Reavie +4000
Phil Mickelson +4000
Kevin Kisner +4000
Lucas Glover +4500
Luke List +4500
Patton Kizzire +4500
Brian Harman +4500
Scott Piercy +4500
Sungjae Im +5000
Zach Johnson +5000
Ryan Palmer +5000
C.T. Pan +5000
J.J. Spaun +5000
Hudson Swafford +5000
Daniel Berger +5500
Richy Werenski +5500
Peter Uihlein +5500
Danny Willett +6000
Charl Schwartzel +6000
Joaquin Niemann +6000
Beau Hossler +6000
Russell Knox +6000
Si Woo Kim +6600
Brendan Steele +6600
Chesson Hadley +6600
Corey Conners +6600
Harold Varner III +6600
Denny McCarthy +8000
Dylan Frittelli +8000
Jason Dufner +8000
Bill Haas +8000
Bud Cauley +8000
Charley Hoffman +8000
Anders Albertson +9000
Graeme McDowell +9000
Pat Perez +9000
Martin Laird +9000
Russell Henley +9000
Ryan Armour +10000
Harris English +10000
Jhonattan Vegas +10000
Jamie Lovemark +10000
Andrew Landry +10000
Anirban Lahiri +10000
Brian Gay +10000
Chris Kirk +10000
Odds Analysis
Jon Rahm +680
He’s the betting favorite, but it almost feels like he was forced to participate as the defending champion, which makes me think twice about throwing down on him. He defeated Andrew Landry in a playoff 12 months ago, carding a 22-under with a masterful opening round of 62 and he dealt a final-round 67 on the Stadium Course before subduing Landry on the fourth playoff hole. He could probably play all three layouts blindfolded and still make the cut given his experience. He played the Nicklaus Tournament while at Arizona State and compared the courses to ones he plays on a regular basis.
Charles Howell III +2000
Not really a darkhorse at +2000, but with odds long enough to make the payout worthwhile. Howell broke an 11-year victory drought by claiming the RSM Classic title in November and had a solid last two weeks in Hawai’i with two finishes among the top-15. He’s shot 70 or under in 11 of his last 12 rounds and he’s 11 for 13 in Palm Springs with six top-20 finishes, including the last three.
Phil Mickelson +4000
It’s good to see Lefty break out the sticks for the first time since his duel with Tiger over Thanksgiving weekend. But that’s the reason why I’m going to fade him in the desert. Mickelson qualified for the TOC but elected not to compete in order to gear up for the West Coast swing. With the next five tournaments in California or Arizona, Lefty is likely going to compete in all of them. However, it’s going to take a few rounds to chisel the rust off that aging body. We’ll take a closer look at Phil down the road.
Hudson Swafford +5000
My longshot pick of the week is Swafford, who has tantalizing odds at +5000 and hinted recently that he’s starting to feel healthy after a summer of nagging injuries. He’s proven that in his play by making the cut in 10 straight starts and he battled the leaders last week at the Sony Open, falling five shots off the pace for a share of third. And don’t forget his lone Tour win was right here two years ago.
Courses: Stadium Course at PGA West; Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West; La Quinta Country Club
The field will rotate between courses and play each layout once over the first three days with the cut taking place after 54 holes. There is one striking similarity between all three and that’s the distance. They are all short by Tour standards and have been easy to score in the past. Golfers that survive the cut will play the final round on the Stadium Course, which is considered the toughest of the three due to the hazards that aren’t present on the other courses. It plays around 7,100 yards at par-72 with five scoreable par 4s that are less than 410 yards. Also keep in mind that the pro-am format will lead to longer rounds and interruptions between shots. Golfers that are familiar with this style typically have a better understanding and perform better.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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