Another week and another LIV Golf controversy.
With the third event taking place at Bedminster, now former Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson will be making his debut after being removed from his position.
It was deemed that he could not fulfill his responsibilities if he took part in the breakaway golf tour, and Stenson decided that this would be better for him and his family.
But with each tournament the fields are getting stronger and today it was announced that for 2023 the newly named LIV Golf League will be expanding, with even more prize money up for grabs and more tournaments across the world.
📅 2023 League
🏌️♂️ 48 Players
👥 12 Established Team Franchises
🏆 14 Event Schedule#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/Diqt4GZAJH— LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) July 27, 2022
But this tournament looks set to be a competitive one. Dustin Johnson once again heads the market after a good performance in the last event, but like that event, we are going to be looking for players down the list that have something a bit more to prove.
One of those is Bryson DeChambeau. He is getting healthier and healthier with every week and if the crowd gets a little rowdy in New York, he could well thrive as we saw at the Players Championship a few years ago. He has faced a lot of criticism throughout his career, but he believes in his methods.
He also has a great record at Tom Fazio designed courses. He has the ability to overpower any course, and this one is no different. If he can be a little better on and around the greens — something that will come with more and more golf — this could be the week that he really arrives back in the golf world. 10/1 is on the short side, but it is a small field and while it is getting stronger, there are still 10-15 players that have close to no chance here.
The Teams…#4ACES#CLEEKSGC#CRUSHERSGC#FIREBALLSGC#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/TRzY0Kgy2c
— LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) July 26, 2022
If he is a bit on the short side for you though, Peter Uihlein at 60/1 may be more like it. He was one of the best amateur players in the world before turning pro, and while he has maybe not won as much as he should have in that time, he is a classy player. He has a good all round game and has the tools to compete here. He has won at the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry level, and can win here.
Over on the PGA Tour it is the Rocket Mortgage Classic as we continue to close in on the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Patrick Cantlay, reigning FedEx Cup champion, is favourite and it is very easy to make the case for him. He has finished no worse than 14th in his past five starts and like last year, he seems to be peaking at the end of the season. He has never played here before but that is not too much of a concern with only three previous editions of the event. 11/1 is certainly short, but as we saw from Tony Finau last week, that should not scare us away.
Draining 'em in Detroit 🔥
Top 🔟 shots from @RocketClassic pic.twitter.com/bfT5qN5azE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 27, 2022
With so little course form to go on, there are not too many players that jump out in that sense, but Kevin Kisner has maybe the best. Eighth and third on his past two visits here, he certainly seems to like the course. He has been playing better in recent weeks and this could be the week he really gets back to his best. There is perhaps no player on tour that is more solid than Kisner at his best. He is great tee to green and when it is good, his putting is up there with the best of them. 40/1 is a generous price and he is very backable.
LIV is finally going up against the PGA Tour on a Sunday and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out. The field in Bedminster is almost definitely stronger than on the PGA Tour but people are still loyal to the tour they know and love. There are some good bets out there, and some good value even in the favourites. We should just be thankful for more golf on our screens.
