pga tour 3 ball predictions

Masters Day One: Best Round 1 3-Ball Picks

The Masters Round one and Round two tee times are now out, and Tom Jacobs is here to break down the best bets for Thursday's 3-ball matchups.

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Xander Schauffele to Beat Tiger Woods and Viktor Hovland in Round One

Russell henley to beat fred couples and alex noren in round one, charl schwartzel to beat taylor moore and aldrich potgieter in round one.

The Masters tee times are now live for rounds one and two, which means we will know who is grouped together for the first two days, and what time they will be playing. Be sure to check out the Masters tee times in full, which we will post at the bottom of this article, as there are many intriguing pairings. The main interest when these pairings came out was seeing who the LIV Golfers had been paired with, and you can now see who is going to be playing with the 18 LIV Golfers at least for the first two days.

Read on now for our favorite bets on Masters Day One.

Before you read the picks below and prepare to place the bets on your favorite picks of the group, make sure you are first claiming these Masters betting promos, and boosting your sportsbook balance handsomely at Augusta. With over $3000 worth of first bet protection and an additional $350 worth of bonus payouts up for grabs, it is definitely worth signing up for these new welcome offers.

Xander Schauffele to Beat Woods and Hovland (+140) Bet $100 to collect $240 at Bet365

10:18 am (EST) Tee Time

Xander Schauffele is the player with the shortest outright odds in this group, and whilst playing with Tiger Woods comes with its own challenges, Xander is 2-0 against Woods when the pair have been grouped together on a Thursday.

Woods opened with a 71 here last year, which was a miracle given his long layoff, but I can't see him bettering that this week, which I think he'd have to do, to beat Xander, who I believe can shoot in the 60s on Thursday. Hovland has been playing good golf all year with little reward, and he's an obvious threat, but I believe Schauffele, who has finished 2nd and 3rd here already in the past, has the edge based on his Masters experience. Hovland has also never been paired with Tiger Woods in tournament play, which could well have a negative impact on him in round one. In five starts here, Schauffele has posted five sub-70 rounds, and if he makes it six tomorrow, I think he wins this three-ball, and I like this as our first Masters bet on day one.

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Russell Henley to Beat Noren and Couples (+137) Bet $100 to collect $237 at Bet365

8:36 am (EST) Tee Time

Time to start taking on the Seniors, and that starts with Russell Henley beating Fred Couples. Also in this matchup is Alex Noren, who has been nothing short of poor at Augusta in the past.

Since Henley missed the cut on his debut, he's a perfect five-for-five, and has never finished outside of the top 31. Henley has broken par in round one twice at Augusta, once opening with a 68 and another time opening with a 71. 

Henley's scoring average at Augusta is 72.45, which factors in a second-round 81 on debut back in 2013. 

Alex Noren on the other hand averages 75.13 around Augusta, and whilst Freddie Couples can of course post a low round, he's not posted a sub-70 round since 2013.

Couples has not made a cut here following his 38th place finish in 2018, and his scoring average in his past four starts is 76.25.

Henley can win this three-ball with a level-par round.

Schwartzel to Beat Taylor Moore and Aldrich Potgieter (+170) Bet $100 to Collect $270 at BetMGM Sportsbook

11:18 am (EST) Tee Time

2011 Masters Champion, Charl Schwartzel will be paired with two debutants for the first two rounds of the 2023 Masters. 

Taylor Moore is a recent winner on the PGA Tour and is understandably the favorite to win this three-ball, given that win at the Valspar, but I think experience shines through here.

Yes, Schwartzel has moved to LIV and that is considered a negative, but he is one of the few LIV players teeing it up here that has won on his new Tour, and a second-round 65 last week shows he's sharp enough. 

Aldrich Potgieter is a fellow South African and is an exciting amateur who likely has a big future ahead of him. He is a debutant though and an amateur and that puts him behind the eight ball here. 

Schwartzel has made his last three straight cuts at The Masters, finishing 25th, 26th, and 10th, and going back to 2017 he finished 3rd, so it's clear he still enjoys Augusta National.

If you are going to place a Masters bet on a LIV Tour player in Round One, Schwartzel is the man, as he takes on two newcomers. Patrick Reed is doing the same but he faces tougher competition in Adam Svensson and Sahith Theegala.

For a complete list of Masters odds, three-ball bets, and the best way to compare the top sportsbooks ahead of Thursday's opening round, check out the Masters 2023 odds comparison grid now.

Masters Round One Tee Times

All times below are in EST.

7:40 a.m. -- Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (Honorary Starters)

8 a.m. -- Mike Weir, Kevin Na

8:12 a.m. -- Vijay Singh, Scott Stallings, Matthew McClean (a)

8:24 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch

8:36 a.m. -- Fred Couples, Russell Henley, Alex Noren

8:48 a.m. -- Adrian Meronk, Kevin Kisner, Louis Oosthuizen

9:00 a.m. -- Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee, Harrison Crowe (a)

9:12 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia , Kazuki Higa, Keith Mitchell

9:24 a.m. -- Patrick Reed, Adam Svensson, Sahith Theegala

9:36 a.m. -- Shane Lowry , Mackenzie Hughes, Thomas Pieters

9:48 a.m. -- Bubba Watson , Seamus Power, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (a)

10:06 a.m. -- Abraham Ancer, Chris Kirk, Keegan Bradley

10:18 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland , Xander Schauffele

10:30 a.m. -- Adam Scott , Patrick Cantlay, Kurt Kitayama

10:42 a.m. -- Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young

10:54 a.m. -- Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im

11:06 a.m. -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Cameron Champ

11:18 a.m. -- Charl Schwartzel, Taylor Moore, Aldrich Potgieter (a)

11:30 a.m. -- J.T. Poston, Francesco Molinari, Bryson DeChambeau

11:42 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Mito Pereira, Ben Carr (a)

11:54 a.m. -- Danny Willett, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka

12:12 p.m. -- Sepp Straka, Harold Varner III, K.H. Lee

12:24 p.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim

12:36 p.m. -- Billy Horschel, Harris English, Ryan Fox

12:48 p.m. -- Zach Johnson, Jason Day, Gordon Sargent (a)

1 p.m. -- Brian Harman, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton

1:12 p.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Corey Conners, Justin Rose

1:24 p.m. -- Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris

1:36 p.m. -- Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Sam Bennett (a)

1:48 p.m. -- Tom Kim, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns

2 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau

In addition to hosting the Lost Fore Words golf podcast, Tom Jacobs has been writing betting articles on golf for the past decade. Tom also co-hosts the DP World Tour Picks & Bets show on the Mayo Media Network, and has his finger on the pulse on all the major Tours. A long-suffering Nottingham Forest fan, Tom also enjoys watching Soccer on the weekends!

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2024 rocket mortgage classic prop bet picks and pga tour predictions, share this article.

The PGA Tour is in Detroit this week for the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic , a relatively new event on the schedule. Detroit Golf Club is hosting the 6th tournament once again, giving players ample scoring opportunities at a course that always yields low scores.

Below, we search for the best value prop bets from BetMGM Sportsbook among the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions .

After finishing 2nd last week at the Travelers Championship, losing in a playoff to Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim is the betting favorite in Detroit at +1200. Cameron Young , who fired a 59 in Round 3 at the Travelers, has the 2nd-best odds at +1400, followed by Akshay Bhatia (+2000) and Min Woo Lee (+2000). Defending champion Rickie Fowler  is +4000 to win this event for the 2nd straight year.

Detroit Golf Club is a par 72 and 7,370 yards. It’s a course that long hitters typically excel at, giving them opportunities to cut corners and hit wedges into these receptive greens. The rough isn’t very penal, either, lessening the importance of hitting fairways. The winning score last year was 24-under and it has been between 18-under and 26-under in each of the tournament’s 5 years.

• Rocket Mortgage Classic : Best outright winner predictions

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Top-5 picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 10:44 a.m. ET.

Min Woo Lee (+350)

Lee hasn’t been in contention since he finished 2nd at the Cognizant Classic in May, but very quietly, he’s finished between 21st and 26th in each of his last 5 starts this season. He’s a bomber who should be able to take advantage of this layout, though we don’t have any past course history to go off of with this being his tournament debut.

Alex Noren (+500)

Noren may not have the length that winners of this event have had, but that hasn’t stopped him from finding success. He’s finished 9th and 4th in his last 2 starts here, and he’s now playing the best golf of his career. He has yet to win a PGA Tour event, but he’s come close before, and he could have another close call again this week.

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Cameron Young (+300)

At one point last week, Young was 15-under in a 22-hole stretch between Rounds 3 and 4. He faded down the stretch on Sunday with a 1-over back-9, but he’s riding some momentum after a good week in Connecticut. Another winless player seeking his 1st victory, this could be the week he breaks through at a very easy course where length off the tee helps.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Top-10 picks

Keith mitchell (+300).

Few players in the world are striking the ball better than Mitchell. From tee-to-green, he ranks 7th in strokes gained, and he’s 5th off the tee. He’s plenty long enough to take advantage of this favorable layout, ranking 16th in driving distance, but he desperately needs his putter to wake up.

Taylor Pendrith (+250)

Pendrith has 1 win this season and in his last 4 starts, including the Memorial and U.S. Open, he’s finished between 16th and 33rd. In fact, going back to the Corales Puntacana Championship in April, Pendrith has 7 top-25 finishes in his last 9 starts with just 1 missed cut.

Cam Davis (+500)

Davis, a past champion here, will get to use his length off the tee to his advantage again this week. Since winning in 2021, he’s finished 14th and 17th at this event, showing consistent success in Detroit over the last 3 years.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Top-20 picks

Nicolai hojgaard (+200).

Hojgaard made his debut in this event last year, finishing 21st. He’s been lacking high finishes as of late, but all he needs is a top 20 here, which he came close to hitting last year. The Dane ranks 20th in driving distance but his putter has been cold all year, ranking 121st in SG: putting.

Jake Knapp (+350)

Knapp has had a rollercoaster year with a win, 2 other top-5s and 5 missed cuts. You have to pick and choose when to bet on the up-and-coming American, and this is a good week to ride with him. He’s 22nd in driving distance and 100th in accuracy, but thankfully, missed fairways isn’t too penalizing at Detroit Golf Club.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Matchups

Suggested play is golfer in bold .

Cameron Young (+115) vs. Tom Kim (-145)

I’m fading Kim a bit in Detroit, with this being his 9th straight week teeing it up. Yes, he played remarkably well at the Travelers Championship, but that course fit his game much better, being on the shorter side distance-wise. I’ll take Young and his distance at plus-money.

Keith Mitchell (+105) vs. Stephan Jaeger (-135)

It might not be wise to bet against the long-hitting Jaeger, but looking at Mitchell’s ball-striking numbers, it’s hard not to like his chances this week in Detroit if the putter is even slightly above average.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Top Canadian

Taylor pendrith (+125).

There are 5 Canadians in the field but only Pendrith and Adam Svensson (+175) have odds shorter than +500. For the reasons outlined above, I like Pendrith to play well this week.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – First-round leader

Cameron young (+2800).

Young shot 59 on Saturday and has always been a player who can go exceptionally low at any moment. With an early tee time (7:40), he could set the pace on Thursday morning with a solid start.

Alex Noren (+4500)

Noren ranks 6th on tour in Round 1 scoring average and already has 2 top-10 finishes at this event.

Rocket Mortgage Classic – To make the cut

Bhatia, pendrith and jaeger: yes (+130).

Bhatia is building momentum after a top-5 at the Travelers Championship, Pendrith has been great in his last 4 starts and Jaeger is a winner already this year with impressive length off the tee.

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2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings, best bets at Detroit Golf Club

A full field of players will make the trip up to Detroit, Michigan, for the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic on the heels of the final signature event on the PGA Tour playing calendar. Heading to Detroit Golf Club for only the sixth time, the PGA Tour has crowned heart-warming victors in its half decade in the Motor City.

Last season, it was Rickie Fowler who made his long-awaited return to the winner's circle. Getting the better of Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff at 24 under, the fan favorite captured his sixth victory on the PGA Tour and first in just a little over four years.

Fowler seeks to defend his title this week and is joined in the field by the man who nearly won last week's Travelers Championship -- Tom Kim. The 22-year-old is continuing his busy summer schedule playing for the ninth consecutive week on the PGA Tour. Falling just short of Scottie Scheffler in Cromwell, Connecticut, Kim appears primed to capture his fourth PGA Tour win this week.

Alongside Kim in that final group Sunday was another 22-year-old in Akshay Bhatia. Like Kim, Bhatia sees no reason to rest and will play in his eighth straight tournament this week. A winner already this year in San Antonio, the lengthy left hander continues to make weekly strides with his game.

Will Zalatoris flashed some brilliance at TPC River Highlands, as did fellow Wake Forest alum Cameron Young, who carded just the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour with his 59 on Saturday. Young, who is still seeking his first win on the PGA Tour, hopes to keep the momentum rolling in Detroit alongside the likes of Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Stephan Jaeger and Keith Mitchell.

2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic schedule

Dates:  June 27-30

Location:  Detroit Golf Club — Detroit, Michigan

Par:  72 |  Yardage:  7,370

2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic field, odds

• Tom Kim (12-1): He hasn't taken a week off since the end of April, and why should he as Kim is starting to play some of the best golf of his season. After a somewhat forgettable beginning to his 2024 that included just one top 20, Kim has factored a few times over the last four weeks. He nearly tracked down Robert MacIntyre on the final day at the Canadian Open, was in the mix before a poor weekend at the U.S. Open and led for nearly all of the Travelers Championship only to lose in a playoff to Scheffler. He's striking the ball as well as ever and starting to make putts on a consistent basis.
• Cameron Young (14-1): Young's season has been boom-or-bust as he has five top-10 finishes including last week at the Travelers Championship. Arriving at TPC River Highlands having not cracked the top 30 in nearly two months, Young fired the round of the year on Saturday with his 11-under 59. He appeared destined to post something similar on Sunday when he opened with four straight birdies, but some back-nine mistakes were ultimately his undoing. Perhaps his weekend performance is the only runway he needs to contend again this week as he finished runner-up in his only showing in Detroit in 2022.
• Min Woo Lee (18-1): Lee's first full season on the PGA Tour has been defined by a lot of good -- but not great -- golf. The electric Australian, fresh off qualifying for the Olympics, has five straight top-26 finishes to his name including three in the three major championships. During that same span, however, Lee doesn't have a top-20 result to boast. He continues to drive the cover off the golf ball and is making a ton of putts, but he will need his iron play to take a step this week if he is to win for the first time on tour.
• Akshay Bhatia (20-1): Bhatia admitted he may have fallen into a lull after winning the Texas Open in early April, and his results were indicative of that. Without a top-40 finish in the month of May, the two-time winner rediscovered his footing in June with quality outings at the Memorial and U.S. Open before factoring at the Travelers Championship. During this stretch, Bhatia has been pushing the envelope off the tee while finding fairways consistently. He continues to wield the broomstick effectively, but similar to Lee, the iron play has room for improvement.
• Stephan Jaeger (25-1)
• Alex Noren (28-1)
• Maverick McNealy (28-1)
• Taylor Pendrith (30-1)
• Aaron Rai (30-1)
• Will Zalatoris (33-1): After a hot start to his Travelers Championship, Zalatoris regressed over the final three rounds and finished outside the top half of the 70-man field. In fact, the wiry right hander has not finished inside the top 40 since his top-10 finish at the Masters in early April. Zalatoris continues to grind on his game, but that early season form that produced runs at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational is nowhere to be seen.
• Keith Mitchell (33-1)

2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic expert picks

Who will win the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and which longshots will stun the golfing world?  Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets , all from the model that's nailed 13 golf majors and is up nearly $9,500 since June 2020.

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The players championship: head-to-head picks and 3-ball matchup predictions, share this article.

Looking to bet on the Players Championship?  SportsbookWire  has you covered with an abundance of golf betting coverage for the tournament. Below, we look at the 2021 Players Championship odds and make our  PGA Tour picks and predictions  for the top head-to-head and 3-ball tournament matchups.

A field of 154 is at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, as  Rory McIlroy attempts to defend his 2019 title. Last year’s event was canceled following the end of Round 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Players Championship annually hosts one of the strongest fields on the PGA Tour schedule as golf’s best compete for a share of the $15 million prize purse.

Odds provided by  BetMGM ; access  USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds  for a full list.  Lines last updated Wednesday at 10:21 a.m. ET.

Round 1 3-ball matchups

Louis oosthuizen vs. lee westwood (+175) vs. robert macintyre.

The soon-to-be 48-year-old Westwood is coming off a runner-up finish to Bryson DeChambeau last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in which he led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and was third in SG: Approach. Those traits are highly important at TPC Sawgrass.

Oosthuizen can be faded as the favorite in this 3-ball matchup following last Thursday morning’s withdrawal.

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Bryson DeChambeau vs. Collin Morikawa vs. Dustin Johnson (+150)

We’re getting plus-money here for the No. 1 player in the  Official World Golf Ranking  and second-ranked golfer in the  Golfweek/Sagarin  world rankings. It’s a good way to help  maximize value  on Johnson, who’s just +1200 to win this week as the tournament betting favorite.

DeChambeau’s distance won’t translate as well to the shorter TPC Sawgrass following his victory at Bay Hill.

72-hole head-to-head matchups

Daniel berger (-115) vs. hideki matsuyama.

Matsuyama held the 18-hole lead at the 2020 Players Championship when play was called. Berger won the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for his second victory in the last two years.

Back Berger and his superior form in 2021, even though Matsuyama is more experienced and has a more impressive resume at this venue. Matsuyama is losing 0.22 strokes per round putting through 43 measured rounds on the 2020-21 season.

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Jordan Spieth vs. Tommy Fleetwood (-115)

Spieth is always the popular play and has been quickly climbing back up the OWGR with three top-10 finishes in five events this year. He tied for fourth last week, but it was greatly helped out by a Saturday ace and hole out from a bunker.

Fleetwood maintains the higher seed in the OWGR and is coming off a T-10 finish last week. He has also gained an average of 1.78 strokes per round on the field at TPC Sawgrass while Spieth has averaged just 0.64 strokes gained per round here.

Place your legal, online 2021 Players Championship bets in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV at   BetMGM . Risk-free first bet! Terms and conditions apply.  Bet now !

Patrick Reed vs. Tyrrell Hatton (-110)

Both Reed and Hatton have victories in 2021, with Reed’s coming at the Farmers Insurance Open and Hatton’s at the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship` Reed missed the cut last week while Hatton tied for 21st.

Hatton struggled with the putter while shooting opening and closing rounds of 5-over par 77, but he had the second-best round of the day Friday and fired Saturday’s fourth-best round.

Get some action on the 2021 Players Championship by signing up and betting at  BetMGM .  If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at  SportsbookWire.com . Please  gamble responsibly .

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• SI SWIMSUIT

Rocket Mortgage Classic Power Rankings: Watch Out for a First-Time PGA Tour Winner

Jim stracka | jun 25, 2024.

Welcome to Power Rankings, a weekly feature on SI Golf from our partners at KeyCompete . This week the PGA Tour shifts to Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Here’s how our model sees the event event shaping up:

2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Preview

The Rocket Mortgage Classic is known for its commitment development, spearheaded by the tournament’s sponsor, Rocket Mortgage, and its classic venue, Detroit Golf Club. It’s an exquisite example of classic parkland design, courtesy of Donald Ross. The boasts two 18-hole courses – the North Course and the South Course — and the tournament is played on a composite course utilizing the majority of the North Course with a few holes from the South. Her are the 10 players our model likes this week.

KeyCompete’s 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Power Rankings

1.     Tom Kim (+1200) : Sharp iron play and solid putting make him a favorite. Fell to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at last week’s Travelers Championship but still enjoyinh a strong season.

2.     Cameron Young (+1400) : Powerful swing and aggressive style. Has seven runner-up finishes but no titles on the PGA Tour — this week could be the breakthrough. T9 last week, which featured a 59 in round 3, and T2 here in 2022.

3.     Min Woo Lee (+2000) : Ball striking and creativity around the greens are his M.O. Appears to be rounding into form..

4.     Akshay Bhatia (+2000) : Fearless and fun to watch, but his strong short game will be key. Winner of the Valero Texas Open in April.

5.     Aaron Rai (+3000) : Precision and steady demeanor make him a consistent performer. T9 here last year.

6.     Alex Noren (+2800) : Experience and steadiness should play well here.

7.     Taylor Pendrith (+3500) : Consistent, solid all-around game. Winner of this year’s Byron Nelson.

8.     Maverick McNealy (+3000) : Dark horse. Continues to slowly climb the ranks. His solid putting and course management make Detroit a good contender for his first PGA Tour win.

9.     Davis Thompson (+3000) : Another rising star prodigious length and strong iron play will be advantageous.

10. Keith Mitchell (+3000) : Powerful driving and aggressive style are good for Detroit, especially if he handles the par 5s.

2024 Travelers Championship Recap

Scottie Scheffler clipped Tom Kim in a playoff to continue his torrid 2024 season, which now includes six wins. Cameron Young also gave fans a show, carding a 59 in the third round which was good for the lowest round on tour since 2020.

  KeyCompete had a solid week on our matchup bets to bring our yearly record to 110-67.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

JIM STRACKA

Jim Stracka is currently serving as the President of StrackaLine and Golf Intelligence. StrackaLine provides greens and yardage guides for every course in the world. Golf Intelligence provides GPS, elevation, and scorecard data for other golf technology companies. Stracka has also held executive roles in various companies in the golf industry.

Rocket Mortgage Classic

Detroit Golf Club

Detroit, Michigan • USA

Jun 27 - 30, 2024

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Orlando Cepeda dies

Akshay Bhatia shares the lead in Detroit after his golf ball finds a fairway drain on the 17th

Akshay Bhatia hits out of the rough on the ninth hole during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, Friday, June 27, 2024. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP)

Cam Davis, left, and Rickie Fowler look over the eighth green during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, Friday, June 27, 2024. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP)

Cameron Young hits from the seventh tee during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, Friday, June 27, 2024. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP)

Camilo Villegas hits out of the rough onto the 18th green during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, Friday, June 27, 2024. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP)

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DETROIT (AP) — Akshay Bhatia walked down a fairway at Detroit Golf Club, looking for his ball after a long, straight tee shot, and found it in an improbable spot — underground, after it fell into a drain.

Bhatia said he and the PGA Tour rules official, who granted a free drop, had never seen anything like it.

“It was kind of one-in-a-million chance that ball goes in that small hole in that drain,” he said.

Bhatia went on to shoot a 5-under 67, good enough for a share of the 36-hole lead with Aaron Rai at 13-under 131 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday.

Bhatia’s drive on the par-5 17th hole managed to drop into one of five holes in a metal drain cap that were just big enough to accommodate a golf ball. He ended up making par in his second straight bogey-free round.

“It’s going to be pretty viral, I think,” he said.

Rai shot 65 to match Bhatia on a course that consistently yields low scores. The Englishman made seven birdies, including four in a five-hole stretch midway through the round, and capped his day with a 21-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

Taylor Montgomery (68), Troy Merritt (64), Erik van Rooyen (64) and Cameron Young (66) were two strokes behind the co-leaders.

Eric Cole (68), Cam Davis (66) and Joel Dahmen (64) were another shot back.

Neal Shipley, the low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open, gave himself a chance to contend in his first PGA Tour event as a pro. He was four shots back after a 68.

“With my experience with the majors, I don’t feel like there’s a big learning curve for me,” he said.

Amateur Luke Clanton (68) was 7 under, flashing the talent he showed last season at Florida State, where he set a school record with a 69.3 scoring average.

The 22-year-old Bhatia chose to skip college and turned pro at age 17.

“I’ve got a long time to go before I can say, you know, this is the right decision, but so far I’ve made progress every year I’ve been a pro,” he said.

He picked up his second PGA Tour victory at the Texas Open in April and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Travelers Championship, where he was in the final group that was disrupted by climate protesters storming the 18th green.

Rai, Montgomery and Young are each seeking their first PGA Tour victory. Merritt and van Rooyen have each won twice.

Tom Kim, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 16, followed up a first-round 73 with a 68 and missed the cut by a stroke at 3 under. After losing to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff last week in Connecticut, he may have run out of gas in the Motor City in his ninth straight tournament.

Miles Russell, a 15-year-old amateur from Florida, shot 70 on Friday and missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut at even-par 144.

The 5-foot-7, 120-pound Russell was a fan favorite, drawing relatively large galleries and hearing a lot of encouragement.

“You got it, kid!” one spectator shouted.

After signing his card and fielding questions from reporters, he hugged family members, posed for photos and signed autographs.

“It’s been surreal,” his mother, Keli Russell, said, holding back tears. “The support from everyone has just been incredible.”

Russell, the youngest player to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour , will return to the Motor City next month for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills, where Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie , will also be in the field.

“(Charlie Woods) was at actually at my charity event I put on, the Florida Sunshine Cup , I played with him there,” Russell said. “I haven’t played with him in a while and it’ll be good to see him.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scheffler beats Kim in playoff to win PGA Tour's Travelers

Scottie Scheffler takes down Tom Kim at the Travelers Championship in a playoff to win his sixth tournament of 2024. (1:05)

• ESPN News Services

CROMWELL, Conn. -- Scottie Scheffler had to wait out a climate protest on the 18th green and Tom Kim 's tying birdie on the last hole of regulation.

Those events only delayed what seems to be inevitable on the PGA Tour this season: the best golfer in the world walking off with the trophy.

Shrugging off a protest that interrupted the tournament on the 72nd hole while the leaders were lining up their putts, Scheffler won the Travelers Championship on the first hole of sudden death Sunday for his sixth win of the year, the most in one season on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods had six in 2009 and the most before July since Arnold Palmer won six (two each in February, April and May) in 1962.

"When something like that happens, you don't really know what's happening, so it can kind of rattle you a little bit," Scheffler said of the protest.

"That can be a stressful situation, and you would hate for the tournament to end on something weird happening because of a situation like that," he said. "Tom and I both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18."

Scheffler closed with a 5-under 65 and a 22-under 258 total at the TPC River Highlands, and Kim matched him with a final-round 66.

Tom Hoge and Sungjae Im tied for third, 2 shots back, with Patrick Cantlay , Tony Finau , Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia tied for fifth at 18 under. Bhatia was also in the final group that was disrupted by the protest.

It was Scheffler's fourth victory of the year in the tour's $20 million, limited-field signature events, earning him a payday of $3.6 million. He also won the Masters and the Players Championship.

And Scheffler still has two months to go.

"As much as I love him, I would have loved to take that away from him," said Kim, who shares a birthday and a friendship with Scheffler. "But I'm happy for him, and after I tapped out, after he tapped out, he said some really nice words and it meant a lot to me."

Scheffler had a 1-stroke lead heading to the 18th green on Sunday when six people stormed the course , waving smoke bombs that left a red and white powdery residue on the putting surface. Some wore white T-shirts with the words "NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET" in black lettering.

After a delay of about five minutes, when tournament officials used towels and blowers to remove the powder and any other marks that might affect play, Scheffler left a 26-foot putt from the fringe on the edge of the cup and tapped in for par.

Kim then made a 10-foot birdie putt for a 66 to match Scheffler.

"Obviously it is a disruption and you don't want it to happen, but for me it just kind of slowed things down," Kim said. "It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17½ holes all you're thinking about is golf, and suddenly when that happens your mind goes into a complete -- like, you're almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second."

The hole location on the 18th was moved for the playoff to avoid the parts of the green affected by the protesters.

Scheffler hit his approach in the playoff to 11 feet while Kim found a greenside bunker. Kim's blast from a plugged lie ran 36 feet past the hole, leaving Scheffler with an easy two-putt par for the victory. Afterward, his wife, Meredith, met him on the green, carrying their 6-week-old son, Bennett.

"It's fun competing against your friends," Scheffler said. "But at the same time, it's difficult. Because part of me wants him to miss the putt and part of me wants him to make the putt. ... But he should remember that putt he made on 18, because it was pretty special. And he's a great player and a great champion."

Coming off a tie for 41st in the U.S. Open -- by far his worst finish of the year -- Scheffler trailed Kim by 3 strokes after the first round, by 2 after the second and by 1 heading to the tee Sunday.

Scheffler took a 1-shot lead over Kim with three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15 -- he had putts for eagle on two of them. While Hoge signed for a 62 to finish at 20 under, and Im joined him there, Scheffler and Kim matched pars over the next two holes to set up the surprising finish.

Scheffler and Kim share a June 21 birthday -- Scheffler is 6 years older -- and they celebrated with renowned New Haven pizza before the tournament. The Dallas-area residents played together in the final group Sunday, chatting and joking around.

But only one of them could hold the trophy at the end.

And just like it has been so often, it was Scheffler, who became the first player to have his birthday during a tour event and go on to win since Xander Schauffele at the 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions.

Kim said being in a pack of leaders with his birthday buddy allowed him to focus on his own game.

"You don't need to worry about him, because he's going to play well," Kim said. "Obviously he's a phenomenal player, world No. 1, all those titles. But at the same time for me he's just Scottie Scheffler, he's just a good friend.

"To come down with someone that I play a lot of golf with, who beats me a lot at home -- and, unfortunately, he beat me in the playoff too. But it definitely made it a lot more enjoyable out there."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

PGA TOUR Golf Bets: Travelers Championship 3-Ball Picks and Parlay

Who's ready to golf?

Betting on winners and who will finish in the Top 5, 10 and 20 markets gets all the attention around golf tournaments, but betting on head-to-head matchups can be an equally lucrative and entertaining experience for golf bettors. For our model's best picks in those markets, check out our full Travelers Championship Predictions , now exclusively part of Dimers Pro .

RELATED:  Our Best Bets for the 2024 Travelers Championship

We have an in-house tool designed for pitting golfers against one another and simulating the results. We can see who will finish higher in their head-to-head matchup, either after Round 1 or over the course of the entire tournament.

With a handy "Fair Odds" to "Percentages" toggle, you can always check to see if there's value in any given matchup. We're going with 3-ball matchups rather than head-to-head, but we can use our tool just the same!

Betting Golf with Dimers Pro

For a limited time, you can score three months of Dimers Pro on us after signing up and placing your first wager at BetMGM! 

Dimers Pro gives you access to everything Dimers has to offer right now and in the future, including our full list of today’s best bets and our cutting-edge Parlay Picker .

We've partnered with BetMGM Sportsbook to give all users 3 months of complementary Dimers Pro access when you sign up at the sportsbook.

Learn more about this exclusive, limited time offer here .

2024 Travelers Championship Golf Betting Preview

Our best bets  are   here to help with outright winner plays, as well as recommended Top-5, Top-10 and Top-20 picks. We're heading to TPC River Highlands, the shortest course on tour, for the final $20M signature event purse of the year.

Make sure you visit Dimers all golf season long , where we'll be feeding you our trusted PGA best bets on a weekly basis and see our full predictions for 124th U.S. Open .

These PGA predictions   are sourced from our powerful predictive analytics model  that has returned an 80-1 winner with Wyndham Clark at Pebble Beach in 2024, c ashed our +627 parlay at The Masters , and our +1075 3-ball parlay at the Memoria l .

Cash our +1075 Memorial 3-ball parlay! ✅ Scheffler ✅ Morikawa ✅ Hovland A good day to be a DimersBOT 🤖 https://t.co/lFdhnEIM0q — Dimers.com (@DimersCom) June 9, 2024

+1172 3-Ball Travelers Championship Parlay on DraftKings

To make this parlay, we'll be using the 3-ball  matchups available at DraftKings as they have our preferred options available. We'll enter golfers into our H2H Predictor in groups of 2, select the Tournament-long option, and see which golfer gets the advantage for the weekend. The golfer with the best chance to beat the other two gets our pick.

MORE: Dimers' In-House Golf Rankings

Leg 1:  Ludvig Aberg to beat Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley (+140)

We'll start off with young up and coming stud Ludvig Aberg to win his respective group against Patrick Cantlay, a popular pick this week, and Russell Henley, a DimersBOT favorite.

Aberg has been great this year - 5th in FedExCup points, six Top 10 finishes (three at T5 or better) and contention in two of this year's majors. He gets a top four win probability from our model this weekend, with Henley and Cantlay getting 8th and 12th respectively in our projections. If you factor in the tie and thus a push, we're at over 60% against each golfer for Aberg to get it done.

We've got another bet featuring the young Swede in our Best Bets for the Travelers Championship , as well.

Leg 2:  Viktor Hovland to beat Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood (+165)

Our next leg has the closest individual matchup within our parlay as we look to Viktor Hovland to win this trio. He's comfortably projected to beat Finau who sits outside our Top 20 projected golfers and while his matchup with Fleetwod is closer, Toomy still comes in under 50% if you add the tie probability.

It's been a mixed bag this year for Hovland, but his two best finishes came in the past three events, including a -3 at the PGA Championship. Fleetwood hasn't had a Top 10 finish since the Masters and Hovland has a top 5 win probability this weekend.

The PGA Power is Yours:   Build Your Head-to-Head Parlays

Leg 3:  Scottie Scheffler to beat Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa (+100)

Though this matchup has our strongest probability and the shortest odds, it could be the toughest as it features our top three projected golfers in the whole tournament.

Unsurprisingly, Scheffler leads the field by double digits yet again, and we actually get a little value in him to win the tournament , even at +400. 

He's looking to bounce back after a rough outing at the U.S. Open and that should put everyone on notice. He's got over a 12% advantage over Schauffele and 20% over Morikawa, and that's just to win, not even to beat them straight up.

The only time to go against Scheffler is if there's value in the other side of the matchup, which there isn't here.

Dimers' Expert Golf Picks and Predictions

As well as being your best source for PGA golf predictions, Dimers also has the latest golf news , golf predictions for every game, weekly golf rankings , and golf matchup H2H tool .

Can I bet on golf with Dimers?

No. There’s no golf bet slip on our site because we don’t take any golf bets ourselves. We’re the friend who gives you the best golf picks and predictions then tells you where and how to get the best golf sign up offers at the sportsbooks, so you can throw your golf bets down. That’s it!

When you click on one of our buttons or links in our golf content, you’re whisked away to DraftKings , BetMGM , FanDuel , or one of the many other sportsbooks we work with.

Once you get there, you can join up to score a welcome bonus (up to $200!), and then get those golf bets down for yourself, but you’re betting on the golf with them, not us. Since you are never betting anything directly with us, we don’t have access to your personal information or sensitive financial info like credit card numbers.

It also means that despite our best efforts to confirm that a sports betting site still has that awesome golf sign up offer available, the best ones often disappear just as quickly as they appeared. We always take these offers down once we know they’re no longer available. We take our responsibility to provide up to date golf information very seriously.

Finally, Responsible Gambling is extremely important to us, so please remember that golf betting should be seen as a form of entertainment - adding to your enjoyment while watching from the course of the couch - not a side hustle or second income stream.

Dimers and golf betting

• Dimers, and online sports betting, are not scams – golf betting has been legal since May 2018.
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Remember to please gamble responsibly . If you sense that you're taking your luck too far, know when to call it quits and don't be afraid to seek assistance. Keep in mind that gambling is all about having a fantastic experience! If you or someone you know is grappling with gambling issues, reach out to 1-800-GAMBLER for crisis counseling and support.

Dave Garofolo, a seasoned fantasy sports and betting enthusiast with a special affection for MLB and NFL, uses his deep knowledge to craft game previews for the NBA, MLB, and NFL. He also brings his expertise to the golf world with tournament previews and parlays for the PGA TOUR and major golf tournaments. Additionally, Dave offers valuable props for NBA, MLB, NHL, and NCAAM basketball, along with best bets for MLB, NHL, and NCAAM. 

When not delving into the world of sports, Dave is an avid advocate for New Haven pizza, enjoys reading comic books, gardening, and spending time with his cats. His broad interests and detailed sports insights ensure that his contributions are both engaging and informative.

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