Diane Knox Balas
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September sees two LIV Golf Invitationals take place. And from last week’s event in Boston, it’s off to another of the great American sporting cities, Chicago.
Dustin Johnson finally got his first LIV victory in Boston and stands as the money leader for the season, raking in an enormous $9.9 million in winnings through his solo and team performances. Not too shabby. Second place, Branden Grace, has made himself $7.14 million.
The signing rumors have been rumbling on this week, with speculation swirling that Jon Rahm would be the next to leave the PGA Tour and join Greg Norman’s “rebel” league. However, Rahm, who’s vocally been a big supporter of the PGA Tour, shot down the accusation on Twitter on Wednesday.
There was one new LIV signing pre-Boston, and that was Arizona State junior David Puig. Puig played in the London and Bedminster events as an amateur, but has now turned professional and signed full-time with LIV. He joins Joaquin Neimann’s team “Torque GC”.
LIV Chicago Course – Rich Harvest Farms
The course this week is Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, about an hour from downtown Chicago. The course is a long one, measuring in at 7,700 yards from the tips. It also hosted the 2009 Solheim Cup, 2017 NCAA Championships and the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup (more on that later!)
From what I’ve seen, and heard, precision is required to navigate your way around the tree-lined fairways and tight doglegs. The fourth hole is named “Devil’s Elbow” and is known for being intimidatingly-tight off the tee.
Having said that, parts of the course are pretty wide open and distance off-the-tee will serve as an advantage.
Knox’s Knockout LIV Chicago Picks
Talor Gooch (+900)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Gooch is playing some excellent golf right now, and currently sits at No.3 in the LIV season-long points list. He’s also coming off a 4th place finish last week at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. His team, 4 Aces, has finished top on three consecutive occasions, and Gooch himself has finished no worse than 9th in the other four LIV starts. He’s always one of the favorites, but I’ll take him at these odds.
Matthew Wolff (+2900)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Matt Wolff seems to be thriving since he joined LIV Golf. He’s played well, finishing runner-up in Bedminster and recording a T8 in Portland. He was T13 in Boston, but the length of this course should play to his strength, as we saw at Trump Bedminster which was another long one. I feel it’s only a matter of time before we see a Wolff win on this tour.
Marc Leishman (+4500)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
I read that Rich Harvest Farms was referred to as the “Augusta of the Midwest” – well, by some. I immediately thought of this man when I heard that, Marc Leishman. Leish LOVES Augusta National and has recorded some great rounds at the Masters. This is only his second event on LIV, and a T26 finish at Boston wasn’t super encouraging, however he did shoot 64 in the second round. He’s a great positional player and, from the pack of guys with higher odds, I’d pick him.
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LIV Chicago prop bets
David Puig top-10 finish (+2200)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
Ok, this pick is a real top-10 long shot with those odds, but hear me out. Puig is a new LIV signing, first tournament as a professional and he’s played the course before in last year’s Arnold Palmer Cup. A little course knowledge, combined with the start of his new career, could go far. I think it’s worth a small wager.
Anirban Lahiri top-5 finish (+550)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Lahiri was one of my top picks for the LIV Boston event, and lost in a playoff to DJ – impressive debut! I’m sticking with him this week, as his solid ball-striking was key last week and during his 2022 PGA Tour season. Good odds for another top-5 for Lahiri.
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