There are a plethora of interesting and exciting things happening in the world of golf at the moment. But let’s start with who is the odds-on favorite at online sportsbooks around the world to win the Tour Championship.
The Fed Ex Cup & Staggered Scoring
And then there were thirty.
East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia will determine the 2019 Tour Champion and there are some strong candidates to consider as front-runners.
Justin Thomas is the far and away favorite at a short, +250 on the odds boards. Patrick Cantlay and Brooks Koepka are second and third at +450 and +500 respectively. Rory McIlroy is +800 and Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, and Xander Schauffele round out the Top-Ten favorites at +1400, +2200, +2500, and +2800.
The addition of staggered scoring is in headlines across all media mediums. How are players going to adjust to this? How will fans adjust? Is this absurd, or is it fair? These are all interesting questions.
So how does it work?
It’s pretty simple, almost like a reverse handicap. Justin Thomas is the points leader so he’ll start out at -10. After Thomas, the next four point-leaders begin at -8, -7, -6, -5. Then it gets even more interesting, sixth through tenth all start at four under par, 11th through 15th will be three-under, 16th through 20th start at two-under, 21st to 25th is -1 and the final five start even.
The consensus seems to be that the new system simplifies the process throughout the week, though not all are willing to embrace the stroke-based system.
Preview
I would select Koepka for a top tier in my Fantasy Golf ventures, but I wouldn’t lay all of my money on the No. 1 Ranked golfer to win it all in Atlanta. He has had some troubles with his driving accuracy this season and that could come into play at East Lake. That said, we should expect him to push deep into the tournament, but starting three strokes back and never having placed on the leader board at a Playoff event makes me doubt that he’ll get the win.
That said, starting three holes back isn’t much. That is something that can easily be overcome on a Sunday, let alone with four rounds to go. Xander Schouffele shouldn’t be overlooked either. He took home the cake in 2017
LPGA See’s Youngest Player Ever at CP Open
Michelle Liu is just 12 years old. Yet, she’ll be making her PGA debut this week. The CP Canadian Women’s Open will see the 12-year-old on the links.
This is Michelle Liu. She’s 12(!) and playing this week at the @cpwomensopen pic.twitter.com/eHsgExQwG9
— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) August 20, 2019
She is breaking the record set by another Canadian golfer, Brooke Henderson, who was just 14 years old when she played the Open back in 2012. Liu looks up to Henderson and admitted that she’ll probably be pretty nervous out there on the links.
12 Years of age and competing in an LPGA event … Wow! This young lady has a bright future ahead of her.
