Oftentimes in golf betting, a popular strategy is going with players who have a great history at a particular course/event.
That is not the case this week at the BetMGM online sportsbook, ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open, as the two most popular players – Min Woo Lee and Ludvig Aberg – haven’t played a competitive round at Torrey Pines.
As of Tuesday, Lee is pulling in the most handle (18.87%) on the most tickets (10.05%). Meanwhile, Aberg is drawing the second-most handle (10.01%) on the second-most tickets (7.35%).
Players will play the North and South courses at Torrey Pines in the first two rounds and then the South course after the 36-hole cut. Playing over 7,700 yards, the South course, which hosted the 2021 U.S. Open, rewards players with length and have solid short games.
The scores will also likely not be as low as the first three weeks of the PGA Tour season. In fact, the winning score for the past four years has been between 13- and 15-under.
Lee, who is +2500 to win, is coming off a T-21 at The American Express last week, which was his second-worst finish worldwide in the last six months.
Aberg (+2000) hasn’t gotten off to a great start to the year – T-47 at The Sentry and T-30 at the Sony Open of Hawaii – but Torrey Pines is a much better fit for his game than the two Hawaii courses.
Sahith Theegala (+3300), who is the third-most-popular player – 5.85% of the tickets on 7.88% of the handle – does have experience at Torrey Pines, including a T-4 at the event a year ago.
Current Handle & Tickets
Handle
- Min Woo Lee – 18.87%
- Ludvig Aberg – 10.01%
- Max Homa – 8.4%
- Sahith Theegala – 7.88%
- Tony Finau – 6.12%
Tickets
- Min Woo Lee – 10.05%
- Ludvig Aberg – 7.35%
- Sahith Theegala – 5.85%
- Xander Schauffele – 5.22%
- Collin Morikawa – 5.22%
Homa (+1100) is the defending champion and has two top 20 finishes in addition to his win. He also loves playing in his home state of California.
While not in the top five for tickets/handle, Keegan Bradley is generating some action – 4.41% of tickets on 5.71% of the handle. He finished solo second last year, giving him three finishes in the top five for his career at the tournament.
