Pair of Rookies Are Most Popular Plays for 3M Open

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Davis Riley watches his drive on the 14th hole during the second round of the Memorial golf tournament Friday, June 3, 2022, in Dublin, Ohio.
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ryan Hannable @RyanHannable Jul 19, 2022, 12:39 PM

After a great week of golf betting at the Open Championship, the PGA Tour will head to Minnesota for the 3M Open.

The field consists of three of the top-25 players in the world golf rankings, and it’s no surprise these three – Tony Finau (+1400), Hideki Matsuyama (+1600) and Sungjae Im (+1600) – have the best PGA golf odds.

With that being said, as of Tuesday at the BetMGM online sportsbook, bettors are flocking to a pair of PGA Tour rookies. Davis Riley and Sahith Theegala are generating the most pre-tournament action. 

Riley is pulling in the most handle (12.6%) and the second-most tickets (7%), while Theegala is just behind him with 10.1% of the handle and just ahead of him with 7.9% of tickets. Both players are seeking their first PGA Tour win.

Regarding their golf odds to win, both players are +2500, tied for the fifth-best odds in the field.

TPC Twin Cities is a different course from the past two weeks in Scotland. It’s back to what most PGA Tour courses are like: tree-lined fairways, thick rough, and numerous water hazards. It will not be wide open and fast like the prior two weeks at The Reinassance Club and St. Andrews.

Theegala, who was a late add for the Open Championship and finished T-34, nearly won the Travelers Championship (T-2) a few weeks ago and followed it up with a T-16 finish at the John Deere Classic. The 24-year-old, who is currently 38th in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings, also has a T-3 finish this season at the WM Phoenix Open.

Riley’s closest call to winning came in a playoff loss to Sam Burns at the Valspar Championship, but he’s compiled nine top-25 finishes, which have him ranked 23rd in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings.

The 25-year-old will enter the week fully rested, having not played in the last three weeks.

With a relatively weak field compared to most other PGA Tour events, this could be the right time for one of these rookies to pick up their first career win.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

  1. Davis Riley – 12.6%
  2. Sahith Theegala – 10.1%
  3. Tony Finau – 6.7%
  4. Sungjae Im – 5.1%
  5. Cam Davis – 5.1%

Tickets

  1. Sahith Theegala – 7.9%
  2. Davis Riley – 7%
  3. Hideki Matsuyama – 6.3%
  4. Tony Finau – 6.2%
  5. Cam Davis – 4.5%

Finau is another popular play. He’s had some solid showings at the event, including finishing T-3 in 2020.

Davis (+2500) is also a player bettors like this week, likely because of his recent form. He enters the week with two straight top-10 finishes.

Cameron Champ (+5000) is the defending champion, drawing 2.7% of the tickets and 4.1% of the handle.

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About the Author

Ryan Hannable

Read More @RyanHannable

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, “The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.”

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, “The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.”