The end of the year fun and frivolity continues on the golf course as 12 two-player teams vie for the title at the 30th QBE Shootout, contested at the Tiburon Golf Club Gold Course in Naples, Florida, and hosted by Greg Norman. The event consists of three rounds beginning on Friday with each round played in a different stroke-play format. The opening round will be a scramble, followed by alternate shot format on Saturday. Final round play will be better ball.
The duo of Sean O’Hair and Steve Stricker won last year’s event, however they have the fourth longest odds at +1050 to defend their title. Oddsmakers pegged the team of Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na as the betting favorite at +450 with Cameron Champ and Kevin Kisner close behind at +485. We haven’t seen a pair go back-to-back here since 2004, so the odds are good that a new team will be crowned champion on Sunday.
Odds to Win QBE Shootout at BookMaker.eu
Bryson DeChambeau / Kevin Na +450
Cameron Champ / Kevin Kisner +485
Billy Horschel / Brandt Snedeker +525
Charley Hoffman / Gary Woodland +725
Pat Perez / Kyle Stanley +750
Charles Howell III / Luke List +825
Emiliano Grillo / Graeme McDowell +885
Harold Varner III / Bubba Watson +885
Sean O’Hair / Steve Stricker +1050
Tony Finau / Lexi Thompson +1700
Luke Donald / Andrew Landry +3050
Patton Kizzire / Davis Love III +3225
Odds Analysis
Sean O’Hair / Steve Stricker +1050
The odds are long for the defending champions, but with a short field they have to be considered contenders. I guess with only 12 teams, everybody is a contender. It was the second win for both players, who each won previously with a different teammate. O’Hair and Kenny Perry won it in 2012 and Stricker teamed with Jerry Kelly to capture the 2009 title. Stricker also claimed a second place showing in 2016, so winning is nothing new to them. We haven’t had a repeat team champion since 2004, and with O’Hair struggling with recent form, the duo is down the list, but worth a gamble on a nice payout.
Tony Finau / Lexi Thompson +1700
For entertainment value this duo is worth keeping an eye on. Finau has been knocking on the door for awhile now and is waiting to breakthrough. He has two runner-up finishes in the early season, including last week at the Hero Challenge when he finished four shots back of Jon Rahm. Thompson is one of the more talented players on the LPGA Tour and battled her own personal demons to capture the title at the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship. She teamed with Finau here last year and tied for fourth, but both players appear to be in a better spot personally and professionally this time around. Thompson can smack the ball a long way and she won’t back away from playing with the boys.
Harold Varner III / Bubba Watson +885
We have an interesting line for this team and it would be a smart move to drop some coin on them to win this event. Watson hits the ball a long way and has the ability to shrink the course. He’s also one of two players in the field to win three times in 2018. His teammate Varner is making his shootout debut and has yet to win on the Tour, but he does have three top-15 finishes in five events already this season.
Course: Tiburon Golf Club Gold Course – 7,382-yards, Par-72
At close to 7,400 yards, the layout is a relatively long par 72, but by no means is it a difficult play for some of the best in the world. The course is lined by pine trees with a number of water hazards coming into play. It’s an aesthetically pleasing layout that can bite back in a big way with a number of bunkers lining fairways and greens. Distance off the tee is a key due to the course length, but accuracy is more important considering the number of hazards. The most important hole is the 17th. It’s a reachable par 5 and a team needing to pick up strokes has to do it here with a long par-4 waiting to close out the round.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel and NBC
Golf Betting Odds
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook.
