Sure, you had it. Phil Mickelson at +30000, or 300-1.
Jokes aside, some gamblers bet heavily on him at those odds and obtained a massive payout last weekend. Others joined in ensuing rounds for lower odds but a piece of the magic.
That’s the beauty of long shots, the PGA Tour and the new, multiday approach to golf sports betting.
Mountain State online sports gamblers can take another crack at the PGA board when the world’s top golfers compete Thursday-Sunday in the Charles Schwab Challenge. Bets can be made both before the tournament and all weekend.
At DraftKings WV Sportsbook, the favorite is Jordan Spieth at +1050. He’s followed by the following golfers:
- Justin Thomas +1300
- Collin Morikawa +1500
- Abraham Ancer +1700
- Tony Finau +1700
How to watch:
- Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 4-7 p.m.
- Saturday: Golf Channel, 2-5:30 p.m.; CBS, 5:30-7 p.m.
- Sunday: Golf Channel, noon-2 p.m.; CBS, 2-6:30 p.m.
PGA Tour betting at WV sportsbooks
There are numerous betting options before and during the tournament.
Before it starts, they include:
- Win
- Top 5, Top 10, Top 20, 30 and 40
- Nationality props
- Head-to-head matchups
- First-round leader
- Score on the ensuing hole
- Player to make or miss cut
Bets throughout the weekend:
- Adjusted leaderboard odds
- Score on the ensuing hole
- New individual matchups
So far, bettors don’t believe lightning will strike twice.
Mickelson is +7000, mere days after defeating the world’s top players. It was a monumental achievement, as Mickelson, one month shy of 51, became the oldest player ever to win a major.
Is there another big tournament in him?
“Phil Mickelson has a high number this week, and the field is not as deep,” Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, told PlayWV. “The question is, does Phil come back and show momentum from what he just accomplished, or is there a hangover from last week?”
Gamblers who selected Mickelson (especially beforehand) deserved the massive payment they received. He’d only notched two victories in the last seven years and had no top 20 finishes in 14 starts entering the tournament.
When Mickelson relinquished the lead to Brooks Koepka one hole into the final round, it looked as though he would drop back. He instead fought back and produced euphoria for golf bettors and fans.
PGA betting at DraftKings
Betting patterns underscored the multiday gambling menu. Mickelson action came early from some gamblers and later in the tournament from many.
“Before the tournament, one guy had a dime ($1,000) on Phil at 300-1,” Avello recalled. “Another guy had a unique number, $374.30 at 250-1. These bettors must have emptied their bank account on this guy.
“Another bettor took Mickelson at 100-1 after the first day with $142.80. We kept dropping the odds as the tournament went along, and on the last day (when Mickelson entered with a small lead), we boosted him up to 6-1 (or +600), and a lot of people bet that.
“He’s a popular guy; he gets bet a lot in tournaments. The crowds were out of their minds, too, which is great to see. Hey, the old man wins at 50 and there’s hope for us all,” Avello laughed.
Mickelson’s feat underscored the long-shots angle some gamblers apply to every tournament. They look at players between +2000–+5000, or even higher, and bet on several of them.
The philosophy is that the field is so talented, any player can jump up one week and prevail with a hot putter.
That just happened.
