Golf betting - Ernie Els Loves Hawaii
Online betting: Two-time winner Ernie Els is hot heading into the event
- WHAT: Sony Open in Hawaii
- WHEN: January 15-18, 2009
- WHERE: Waialae Country Club in Oahu, Hawaii
- KEY STATS: Els has never finished outside the top five at Waialae
- PICK: Els
After teeing off with the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Lahaina last week, the PGA Tour continues its Hawaii stint with the Sony Open in this week’s PGA betting event.
At the Mercedes Championship, Geoff Ogilvy wowed golf betting fans with a dominant victory, beating the field by six strokes and finishing 24-under. Trailing him near the top of last week’s PGA betting field were names like Davis Love III, Ernie Els and K.J. Choi. Is it something in the Hawaii air, or are these guys just all hot at the same time? The same golfers make up our list of PGA betting favorites in the Sony Open lines.
Golf betting players can’t ignore Ogilvy, who enters the tourney at +900. His putter was on fire last week and, while he wasn’t bombing the ball of the tee, he was accurate in his approaches, reaching 86 per cent of greens in regulation. The tight Waialae layout plays to his strengths, giving him a shot to open 2009 with back-to-back wins.
Els, the other Sony Open odds favorite at +900, is far and away the best pick. Not only has he won the event twice (2003, 2004), he’s never finished worse than fifth at Waialae. He also has three top-six finishes in his last four starts. Golf betting fans just can’t ignore the overwhelming numbers in Els’ favor.
What about Davis Love III at +1600? Sure, he’s a little long in the tooth, but the warm Hawaii air can loosen up his creaky joints. With five career top-five finishes in the Sony Open and a second-place finish last week, he should be in the hunt again, and his line offers more bang for your buck than the favorites’ lines do.
You can’t look at PGA lines without considering last year’s champ. K.J. Choi (+1800) won the event in wire-to-wire fashion last year and his accurate driving game is well-suited to Waialae. If you aren’t feeling Els, I recommend Choi. You can’t go wrong with a defending champ who offers twice the value of the favorite.
At +3000, I suppose Rory Sabbatini qualifies as a Sony Open betting “sleeper.” But the man placed second at Waialae twice in the last three years. PGA betting players shouldn’t forget about him.
MARCO’S PICK: While it seems several golfers have history on their side here, no one can top Els’ resume in Sony Open betting. He’s a virtual lock to be in the hunt on Sunday, so PGA betting fans should feel relatively safe picking him in the Sony Open odds. Bet online on the Big Easy.
For more PGA betting and Sony Open odds, Bookmark the Betting Edge and offshore sportsbook.
Marco Sussman isn't too bad on the links, reportedly a five handicap. But, he's great in the sports betting game. He'll watch just about anything you put in front of him, but golf is what really gets his juices flowing. Thoughts or questions?
