Golf’s biggest stars, contenders, and most intriguing up-and-comers are off to the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio for its next event. It has always been a good opening act for the PGA championships, and it shouldn’t stop now.
Read on and see which players are great to bet on!
Favorites: Jordan Spieth (+700) and Dustin Johnson (+850)
Thanks to back-to-back impressive outings, Jordan Spieth has unseated Dustin Johnson as the number one-ranked golfer in the world. Spieth reigned supreme in his last two appearances – Travelers Championship and British Open – to up his total major titles to four. He’s currently number one in points (2,579), scoring average (69.08), and top 10 finishes (eight), while also placing second in greens in regulation (70.58 percent).
Johnson, for the most part, had a quiet June and July despite all the hype, as he missed the cut twice and then had an underwhelming T54 at the Open Championships. But just as things were about to fizzle out, he again appeared like the elite golfer that he is. His performance at the RBC Canadian Open still isn’t the “full Dustin Johnson,” but the T8 finish was his best since the Wells Fargo Championship last May. The 33-year-old leads the PGA in driving distance (313.9 average) and is a close second to Spieth in points (only 220 points apart).
Sleepers: Branden Grace (+3,300) and Charley Hoffman (+6,000)
Ranked 30th in the official rankings and 88th in FedEx, Branden Grace is arguably one of the most attractive sleeper for the event – and probably in the next few ones as well. The South African has only missed the cut once this season, and will be fresh off his smooth showing at the British Open, where he nabbed a T6 finish. He has three other finishes that were inside the top 13.
Charley Hoffman is another worthy dark horse to look at. The 17-year pro has made the cut 11 straight times (third-most in the PGA), and also has seven top eight performances this year, including yesterday’s solo second at the Canadian Open. As a 40-year-old ageless wonder, he’s currently the oldest player in the list of most top 10 finishes this season (six, tied for third-most).
Long Shot: Zach Johnson
Like Hoffman, 41-year-old Zach Johnson is also among the most interesting elder statesmen in the PGA today. Though upside is obviously out of the window, he’s still pretty consistent and competitive, as evidenced by making the cut in six of his last seven tournaments, with the last two being a T5 and a T14.
