Collin Morikawa has only played in the RBC Heritage twice – finishing T-64 in 2020 and T-7 a year ago – but even with those mixed results and limited course history, it’s no surprise he’s a popular play at the BetMGM online sportsbook this week.
Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island is a unique course on the PGA Tour.
It is a classic Pete Dye design and places a major emphasis on playing target golf, especially off the tee. Typically, players who try and overpower the course with long drives do not enjoy much success.
It rates in the bottom three on the PGA Tour in terms of average driving distance, which indicates the bigger hitters are oftentimes hitting less than driver and the players who lack distance off the tee do not need to make up for it in other areas.
This leads us to Morikawa, who currently has golf odds of +1400 and, as of Tuesday, is pulling in the most handle (12.1%) and second-most tickets (7.3%).
Cameron Smith, who has +1400 golf odds to win, is drawing the most tickets (7.6%).
Morikawa enters the week 88th in driving distance this season (299.7 yards) but is ninth in driving accuracy (68.33% fairways hit). He is also 10th in strokes gained off the tee. All three metrics match what is needed at Harbour Town this week.
In addition, he can generate positive vibes from his top 10 finish at the event last year and is coming into the week following a fifth-place finish at the Masters, which included a final round 67.
The 25-year-old is also due for a win.
In nine PGA Tour events in the 2021-22 season, he has seven top-10 finishes but has yet to earn a victory. He’s proven he can win in the past, so eventually, the trend has to change, and he will come out on top one of these weeks.
Current Handle & Tickets
Handle
- Collin Morikawa – 12.7%
- Cameron Smith – 7.2%
- Daniel Berger – 7%
- Justin Thomas – 6%
- Kevin Kisner – 4.9%
Tickets
- Cameron Smith – 7.6%
- Collin Morikawa – 7.3%
- Daniel Berger – 5.2%
- Justin Thomas– 4.7%
- Kevin Kisner – 4.4%
Thomas, who opened with +1100 odds, now has +1200 odds, the best in the field, while Berger has odds of +2800.
It is also worth noting Harold Varner III, who had a strong week at Augusta, has seen his odds go from +6600 to +5000.
While it is not the same as Augusta National and the Masters, the RBC Heritage is still an excellent event for golf betting.
