Diane Knox Balas
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The 2022-23 PGA Tour season sure started with a bang and another outright winner! Last week, I picked Max Homa to defend his title at the Fortinet Championship at 16/1, and he did it – in fairly dramatic style. Englishman Danny Willett had a one-shot lead, and somehow managed to 3-putt from inside 4 feet on the last hole, giving the title to Max after he holed out from off the green for birdie.
I hope you backed Homa, and I hope you backed rookie Taylor Montgomery for a top-10 at +550! He finished in 3rd, which was fantastic to see. All in all, a great Sunday payday for me.
This week looks very different. Right away, the PGA Tour takes a break from normal scheduling for the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. It’s Team USA versus Team International, made up of players from all countries outside Europe. Davis Love III captains the Americans, while Trevor Immelman takes the reign of the International team.
It’s worth noting that Captain Immelman lost some of his best players to LIV, and by signing with LIV Golf the guys were not allowed to participate in the Presidents Cup. Therefore, Cam Smith, Joaquin Neimann and Abraham Ancer are huge losses, as well as Marc Leishman who had great success alongside his playing partner of Smith.
The U.S. team are huge favorites entering the week, and it’s not surprising to see why. First of all, a similar-looking team demolished Europe at the Ryder Cup last year. Secondly, the star power of the players is unmatched, and they know the course well. Justin Thomas and Max Homa have won tournaments on the 18th green at Quail Hollow, the PGA Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship respectively.
The U.S. team has dominated in the Presidents Cup, winning 11 of 13 editions of the contest. 2003 ended in a tie, and the International team has only ever won once, in 1998 at Royal Melbourne in Australia.
Quail Hollow Club: What you need to know
Quail Hollow is a big-hitters paradise. It’s a par-71, measuring 7,571 yards. The course definitely rewards length, but September in Charlotte will mix up the conditions we usually see at the Wells Fargo Championship in May.
Keeping the ball in play off the tee will be much more important, as the bermuda rough will be thicker at this time of year. When Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship here in mid-August, the winning score was -8. The bermuda greens will play very firm and pure, too.
The “Green Mile” is known for being one of the most difficult closing stretches in golf, and this week those holes will play as the 13th, 14th and 15th to ensure they’re not skipped in the matches.
It’s going to be a tough test with an abundance of drama. Plus, the host team are behind the course set-up, and with a distinct “on-paper” advantage they could really make it tricky for their opponents.
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Presidents Cup Format: What you need to know
Unlike the three days of competition at the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup is played over four days, beginning Thursday and ending on Sunday. 30 matches will be contested, 18 of which are team matches and 12 are singles, all to be played on Sunday.
Thursday morning begins with Foursomes, or alternate shot, with the teams playing in pairs. There will be 5 Foursomes matches on Thursday.
Friday is Four-ball, where both members of the pair play their own ball and the lowest score counts. Again, there will be 5 Four-ball matches played on Friday.
On Saturday, four Foursomes matches will be played in the morning and four Four-ball matches in the afternoon. Then on Sunday, the contest reaches its peak with 12 singles matches played.
All matches are worth one point each, and if a match ends in a tie the point is halved. The first team to reach 15.5 points wins the cup.
Presidents Cup Team odds
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
It’s safe to say that Team USA are the overwhelming favorites to retain the cup. Team USA is a heavy -700 favorite to lift the trophy, while the international team is +750. The draw is priced at 20/1. There isn’t much value on the outright markets
But here’s some bets I like…
Knox’s Knockout Presidents Cup best bets
Day 1 correct score: Internationals 3-2 (+550)
Here’s one bet I do quite like – the Internationals to win the first day of matches 3-2 at +550. They’re going to have to start strong to have any chance of causing a mighty upset, so I suspect Immelman will play his best guys on Thursday.
Team to lead after Day 1: Internationals (+350)
On the back of my last bet, I’ll tack this one on too. As I said, I think the International team knows they have to start fast and can’t afford to lose ground right out of the gate.
Day 4 correct score – USA 8-4 (+4000)
I don’t think the Internationals stand much of a chance in the singles matches on Sunday; this is where Team USA’s competitive juices will really be flowing. With the depth of talent on the U.S. team, I think Sunday could be a whitewash. When I look at the International team and their strength in head-to-head singles, I like Matsuyama, Im, Scott and Conners to prevail, so I’m taking USA to win 8-4 at +4000.
Top points scorer on Team USA: Justin Thomas (+900)
JT loves Quail Hollow, loves team competition and loves to win. I feel he’s been waiting for this one, at the place where he won the ’17 PGA Championship, for a long time.
Top points scorer on Team International: Adam Scott (+650)
Adam Scott has been in tremendous form of late and the strength of his game has been his ball-striking, which will be so vital around Quail. I’m looking for this dominant play to continue.
Top debutant points scorer: Scottie Scheffler (+300)
It’s hard to comprehend that Scheffler was a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup last year, and since then has sky-rocketed all the way to World No.1. I’d take him to score more points than any other rookie in this Presidents Cup.
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