PGA Tour action returns this weekend, and we have the CJ Cup preview ready to go with all the golf betting information you need to know before the first round gets underway on Thursday.
The limited field event begins on Thursday, October 20th, with four days of individual stroke play and concludes on Sunday, October 23rd.
With the capped field at 78 players, the tournament will have no traditional cut after the first two rounds.
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion, and the prize pool is $10.5 million dollars with 500 FedEx Cup points up for grabs.
The CJ CUP Field
The CJ Cup preview continues with a look into the players teeing it up this week. The field is by far the strongest field you will probably see this fall for a PGA tournament.
Six of the Top 10 players in the world along with 15 of the Top 20 are set to be in action this week. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tees it up for the first time since this season.
Presidents Cup Teammates
Joining Scheffler are a handful of his Presidents Cup teammates including Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Max Homa. A large contingent of the International Team players will also be in S.C. competing for the prize.
Entry into the tournament required a Top 60 finish in last year’s FedEx Cup standings, the top Asian Tour player, winner of the KPGA Championship and Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour, four of the top Korean players on the Asian Tour in addition to eight sponsorship exemptions.
Congaree Golf Club
Congaree Golf Club is a new course, designed in 2017 by golf course architect Tom Fazio and opened in 2018. The property runs through the South Carolina low country and uses many of the natural features.
Congaree hosted the Palmetto Championship last season, a one-off event on the PGA Tour played in June.
The course plays as a par-71 and reads 7,655 yards in length on the scorecard. Even though it is located in the low country, the property looks and feels like a link golf course with bunkers and waste areas around the fairways. Congaree will play firm and fast for many players taking on the property for the first time.
Expect scores much closer to even par this time around then playing the course in June after extreme rain the week prior.
Betting Favorites
The golf betting information gives us the favorites this week in our CJ Cup preview. Heading into
Thursday’s action, it is the defending champion Rory McIlroy (+650) as the pre-tournament favorite. McIlroy hasn’t played on Tour since capturing his third FedEx Cup title.
Acciona Open Espana
Spain’s Jon Rahm (+900) has the second-best PGA odds heading into the week. Rahm has a pair of victories this year, at the Mexico Open last spring and less than two weeks ago at the Acciona Open de Espana on the DP World Tour. Scottie Scheffler rounds out the top three with odds of +1200.
Top 5
Max Homa and Justin Thomas sport the same odds at +1600 as the remaining Top 5 favorites. Homa has seen his stock rise exponentially over the last two years, picking up four of his five career PGA Tour victories in that time, his most recent at the Fortinet Championship in Napa to begin the new Tour season.
Thomas continues to be one of the most consistent golfers in the world, highlighted by his second major title at the PGA Championship this past summer.
Who to Bet On?
While the course will test a player’s length off the tee, you don’t need to be a long hitter to score on this property if the conditions are right.
With the firm conditions, players will get a lot of rollout on their tee and approach shots, leading to some birdie opportunities.
The strength of field is strong, and typically in these tournaments, the cream rises to the top. Our pick this week to win is Justin Thomas (+1600) backed by his elite iron play and accurate driving.
Golf Pick: Justin Thomas (+1600)
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