The second of eight scheduled tournaments in the upstart circuit and the first in the U.S. takes place this week with the LIV Golf Invitational Portland. Despite the controversy surrounding the entity, the first tournament went off without a hitch with Charl Schwartzel taking home the $4 million winner’s check in London. And just like in that tournament Dustin Johnson opened as the betting favorite for the three-day, 54-hole event that starts Thursday from Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
DJ finished eighth in the 48-player field last month but still came out ahead with a massive signing bonus he was given. And it will be more difficult for him to prevail this week with a stronger field in place. Four-time major winner on the PGA Tour and former world No. 1 Brooks Koepka will debut in Portland as will former major champions Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau. Several young stars were added to the lineup as well, including Matthew Wolff, Abraham Ancer and world No. 2 amateur Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra.
The LIV Golf Series picked up steam with several big-names joining ahead of this tournament adding more credibility to the fledgling league. And it’s obviously a concern for the PGA, which blackballed former members who defected and recently announced bigger paydays at a number of future events. The Saudi-backed golf league has been and will be criticized by many but the bottom line is that golfers want to play, win and make as much money as they can. BookMaker.eu has a complete list of betting odds for the LIV Portland event when you’re ready to make a wager.
LIV Golf Invitational Portland Odds
Dustin Johnson +715
Louis Oosthuizen +1115
Abraham Ancer +1115
Brooks Koepka +1215
Talor Gooch +1215
Bryson Dechambeau +1650
Sergio Garcia +1650
Kevin Na +1850
Patrick Reed +2050
Sam Horsfield +2550
Charl Schwartzel +2550
Pat Perez +2550
Ian Poulter +2850
Bernd Wiesberger +3050
Hennie du Plessis +3350
Justin Harding +3350
Branden Grace +3050
Laurie Canter +3350
Adrian Otaegui +3350
Matt Jones +3550
Matthew Wolff +3050
Lee Westwood +4550
Peter Uihlein +4550
Carlos Ortiz +4550
Scott Vincent +5050
Graeme McDowell +5050
Martin Kaymer +5050
Richard Bland +5550
Phil Mickelson +6650
Shaun Norris +6650
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra +6650
Odds Analysis
It’s not a huge surprise to see Johnson at the top of the odds board again. But seeing him at 7/1 is a shock since the overall strength of the field improved with the additions of several former PGA stars. The faces of the LIV Golf Series weren’t much of a factor in London with DJ finishing six shots off the pace in eighth place and Phil Mickelson well off the pace in 34th at 10-over.
The field remains top heavy with nine golfers showing odds shorter than 25/1. And the odds of one of the 15 players at 100/1 or greater are slim to none with none having a big head start. That leaves a handful of players in the middle tier with all of them more than capable of winning. And most of them have titles in the past either on the PGA Tour or the European Tour.
The top of the leaderboard in London was dominated by South African players with Schwartzel taking home the big payday and paying off backers with odds of 30/1. Fellow countrymen Hennie Du Plessis and Branden Grace finished 2-3 with all of them being on the same team to claim an additional $3 million that was split four ways.
With high-profile players getting huge sums just to play you have to wonder about their motivation. DJ wasn’t at his best in London and it seems obvious that Mickelson was paid a reported $200 million for his name and not his game. Lefty opened with a 69 in London to place among the top-10 but faded quickly to finish in the bottom third.
The Field
The additions of Reed, Koepka and DeChambeau give the field a boost, but none of them were tearing it up on the PGA Tour. Another of the new players, Abraham Ancer, had a nice run and also has some experience at Pumpkin Ridge. Back in 2017 while on the Korn Ferry Tour, Ancer finished as runner-up at the WinCo Foods Portland Open.
As long as he’s not overwhelmed by the situation, top amateur Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra is worth keeping an eye on. He’s also in a good price range for a hefty payout. The second-ranked amateur in the world makes his pro debut in Portland after an All-American collegiate career at Oklahoma State. No stranger to playing clutch golf, Lopez-Chacarra posted three victories and an additional six top-6s in 14 starts last season.
LIV Golf Invitational Portland Prediction
As tantalizing as it is to back Lopez-Chacarra that first pro start always brings an added element. I’m sticking closer to the top of odds board with Ancer as the outright and Talor Gooch getting me a top-10 in the alternate markets.
