For the longest time the PGA Tour has been the only game in town for the world’s best professional golfers. However, for months the LIV Golf Invitational Series planned events to contest the establishment. And now that time is here. This week LIV Golf will begin its eight-event stretch at the Centurion Club in London as a rival to the Tour for players and prize money.
The Saudi-backed golf league has been criticized by many but the bottom line is that golfers want to play, win and make as much money as they possibly can. And some big names have committed to playing the first event, which spans three days and 54 holes starting on Thursday.
With Dustin Johnson defecting to the new golf series he immediately became the favorite to win the inaugural event. The two-time major champion and former world No. 1 gives LIV Golf credibility, something it badly needed ahead of its first event. Other recognizable names from the PGA Tour have committed to playing, most notably Phil Mickelson, who took some time away from golf ahead of this tournament.
While Lefty is one of the bigger names in the 48-man field, he’s not included in the upper tier of favorites on the odds board. Along with DJ other trailblazers made the leap and they are all included among the betting favorites. Talor Gooch, Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na and Sergio Garcia, round out the top-five on the betting board. BookMaker.eu has a complete list of betting odds for the LIV London event when you’re ready to make a wager.
LIV Golf Invitational London Odds
Dustin Johnson +475
Talor Gooch +850
Louis Oosthuizen +950
Kevin Na +1200
Sergio Garcia +1200
Bernd Wiesberger +1800
Sam Horsfield +1800
Matt Jones +2000
Justin Harding +2000
Laurie Canter +2500
Ian Poulter +2500
Lee Westwood +2800
Scott Vincent +2800
Phil Mickelson +3000
Oliver Bekker +3000
Charl Schwartzel +3000
Pablo Larrazabal +3300
Branden Grace +3500
Hennie du Plessis +3500
Adrian Otaegui +3500
Martin Kaymer +4000
Peter Uihlein +4000
Graeme McDowell +4000
Richard Bland +4500
Hudson Swafford +4500
Sadom Kaewkanjana +5000
Sihwan Kim +5000
Odds Analysis
While the field isn’t as loaded as organizers hoped, it’s still quite appealing with a number of PGA Tour and DP World Tour stars giving it a go. And other names like Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay say they’re interested to see what happens over the first few stops. Short of making a commitment it sounds like those two, and others, would be willing to take a chance depending on the presentation.
The format differs a bit from what we’re used to seeing giving players additional opportunities to make money. Basically there will be two competitions taking place at the same time; an individual event and a team event. For betting purposes the odds listed above are for the individual portion of the tournament. And the competition will cover 54 holes instead of the usual 72 with no cut line due to the field topped out at 48 players.
The top of the odds board looks like a PGA Tour event with DJ topping the list. And he’s the overwhelming pick to win the event. The $25 million purse is the largest in golf history and the main attraction for players with $20 million split among the 48 participants. The winner gets a cool $4 million. The other $5 million is earmarked for the team competition. Johnson is the best golfer in the field and one of three with odds shorter than 10/1.
The Field
The lineup is definitely top-heavy with Johnson the highest ranked player at No. 13 in the OWGR. Five golfers are currently among the top-55 while 13 are ranked at No. 210 and higher. The favorites don’t always win, but they succeed more often than players listed higher in the world rankings. Perhaps his decision to resign from the PGA Tour played a role in DJ’s recent slump. After a T12 at the Masters he missed the cut twice and was T59 over his last three starts. Still, he’s enjoyed a good amount of success on Tour and is the deserving favorite.
It was long assumed Mickelson would take part in the LIV Golf Series and while he wasn’t one of the first confirmed into the field, he eventually made his way into the lineup as one of the last six entrants. The six-time major champion and winner of 57 career professional tournaments, Lefty is another credible influence for the fledgling project. While he’s the most successful player in the field over his career, that doesn’t mean he’s projected to win.
LIV London Prediction
The number of PGA Tour players is hard to ignore, but one player that stands out from the DP World Tour (former European Tour) is Bernd Wiesberger. A two-time Rolex Series winner he won a few years ago at the Scottish Open proving his likeness for the UK. A strong ball-striker with a track record of success in Europe, Wiesberger offers plenty of value in the outright market.
