By Vik Chokshi
FOX sports Gambling Lead
The Masters is around the corner, but one tournament on the PGA Tour will tee off this week before the golf world voyages to Augusta.
We head to TPC San Antonio this week to play the Valero Texas Open. The 7,494-yard par 72 course features Bermudagrass greens.
As for betting on the tournament, we’ve got you covered with everything you need, from the odds to best bets.
Let’s dive into the action.
FAVORITES
With Scottie Scheffler “off” this week, Rory McIlroy enters the event as the favorite. He currently sits at +900 to win it all. McIlroy has never won the tournament, coming in second place in 2013.
Ludvig Aberg holds the second-best odds to win the tournament this weekend at +1200. Aberg hasn’t had a top-two finish at the Valero Texas Open, but he had a top-10 finish at The Players Championship a few weeks ago.
Corey Conners, who won the tournament for the second time in his career last year, is tied for the sixth-best odds to win at +2500.
Now that we teed off with the basics, let’s approach the top favorites and my portfolio for this tournament.
ODDS & FIELD*
Rory McIlroy: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Ludvig Aberg: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Jordan Spieth: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Hideki Matsuyama: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Max Homa: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Corey Conners: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Matt Fitzpatrick: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Collin Morikawa: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Byeong Hun An: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Alex Noren: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
LONG-SHOT OUTRIGHT BETS TO MAKE
If you follow me on Twitter or read this column, you know I love betting on golf long shots (+2000 or longer). There’s just something thrilling about holding a lottery ticket deep into Sunday. It also presents you with multiple hedging opportunities if you want to eliminate some of your risks.
I know some big names are in this week’s event, but long shots are hot in 2024. Most of my bets this week are based on course history, so here are a couple of guys worth sprinkling pizza money on:
Billy Horschel +4500
Great course history, plus the power of Taylor Swift! How can you not bet on this man this week?
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