Myrtle Beach Classic Picks: Favorites Plus Longshots

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Justin Lower watches his putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the Texas Open golf tournament, Friday, April 5, 2024, in San Antonio.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Jason Sobel @JasonSobelGolf May 07, 2024, 6:20 PM

While the PGA Tourโ€™s top players convene in Charlotte for this weekโ€™s Wells Fargo Championship, a PGA Tour signature event, the rest of โ€˜em are some 175 miles southeast for the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic.

This will serve as the third of four opposite-field events during the season, and the first two havenโ€™t exactly been brain-teasers when it came to figuring out the eventual winners.

Brice Garnett parlayed years of strong play at these types of events, especially on seaside resort courses, into a win at the Puerto Rico Open, while Billy Horschel was always a logical option from the third-shortest price at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

This weekโ€™s favorites include Erik van Rooyen, Davis Thompson, Ben Griffin and Beau Hossler โ€” and while Griffin is intriguing, it wouldnโ€™t be unwise to start your card just a little further down the list.

Myrtle Beach Classic Picks

Iโ€™ll begin with Justin Lower (+3500), who might not quite be knocking on the door lately but is at least wiping his feet on the mat. Years ago, I wrote about Lowerโ€™s tragic backstory, as his father and brother were both killed in a single-car accident while on their way to pick him up from the golf course as a teenager.

Iโ€™ve always believed that Lower will win at the highest level, and his story will resonate with the masses. This week feels as good a time as any for it to happen, as heโ€™s finished 28th or better in each of his last four starts, including a T-4 at the most recent opposite-field event.

Last week, I wrote up Taylor Pendrith as basically an auto-play at his number, which I felt was undervalued in the marketplace. Iโ€™ll say the same thing for Robert MacIntyre (+6000), whoโ€™s contended for majors and helped Europe to a Ryder Cup title but has struggled to find his footing in his first full season on the U.S.-based circuit. It wonโ€™t be long before his price is shorter than this in signature events, so it makes too much sense to play him at this number against an inferior field.

Iโ€™ve long believed that Greyson Sigg (+5000) is sort of a poor manโ€™s Kevin Kisner โ€“ not the most physically gifted player and a guy who gets lost in the depth of the University of Georgiaโ€™s talent pool, but a player who can certainly win at the highest level. He finished in the top-10 at Puntacana, then did so again the next week in New Orleans alongside Chesson Hadley. I wouldโ€™ve liked a bigger price for a guy whoโ€™s yet to seriously contend on the PGA Tour, but a pair of Korn Ferry wins leads me to believe he can close when he gets the opportunity.

Speaking of Chesson Hadley (+5500), the Raleigh, N.C., native represents one of my favorite plays this week. While he doesnโ€™t have a great recent record โ€“ that top-10 with Sigg was preceded by four straight MCs and followed by another last week โ€“ he has a propensity to go low and can seemingly do it from nowhere, which makes him worth a play in what should be familiar surroundings this week.

The same can be said for Ben Martin (+6600), a South Carolina local who should similarly feel at home. While Iโ€™m not as sold on Martin as I am on a few others who populate this list, his iron play has been very solid lately, gaining strokes on approaches in six straight before falling just a small notch below the field average last week.

Patton Kizzire (+8000) opened the year with a T-13 at the Sony Open, then proceeded to MC in his next half-dozen starts. Heโ€™s turned that around lately, though, with three straight top-30 results. Heโ€™s another on whom Iโ€™d like to have a bigger number, but Iโ€™ll be kicking myself if this one is staring us in the face and we let it slide past.

In last weekโ€™s preview, I touted Wesley Bryan (+15000), whoโ€™d finished runner-up in his previous start. While that fizzled out to the tune of a missed cut, Iโ€™ll go back to the South Carolina native again here, considering his lone PGA Tour victory also came in the friendly confines of his home state.

Last week, 16-year-old Kris Kim became one of the youngest players to make a PGA Tour cut in the past two decades; a few weeks ago, 15-year-old Miles Russell finished top-25 on the Korn Ferry circuit.ย 

Letโ€™s keep that trend going with the aptly-named Blades Brown (+75000), a Nashville-based teenager who currently ranks fourth on the AJGA points list. Itโ€™ll be too much to ask for a serious title contention this week, but if youโ€™re looking for a fun top-20/40 play for which to root, Brown could certainly be emboldened by the recent play of those other youngsters.

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About the Author

Jason Sobel

Read More @JasonSobelGolf

Jason Sobel is a Brand Ambassador for BetMGM. He joins after six years with Action Network. Prior to Action, Jason spent a total of 17 years in two stints at ESPN (1997-2011; 2015-18) and four years at Golf Channel (2011-15). He also currently works as a host for "Hitting the Green" on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio and contributes to the channel's on-site coverage during major championships. He's won four Sports Emmy awards, more than a dozen Golf Writers Association of America accolades and has earned an honorable mention in the Best of American Sportswriting series.

Jason Sobel is a Brand Ambassador for BetMGM. He joins after six years with Action Network. Prior to Action, Jason spent a total of 17 years in two stints at ESPN (1997-2011; 2015-18) and four years at Golf Channel (2011-15). He also currently works as a host for "Hitting the Green" on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio and contributes to the channel's on-site coverage during major championships. He's won four Sports Emmy awards, more than a dozen Golf Writers Association of America accolades and has earned an honorable mention in the Best of American Sportswriting series.