It’s never too late.
That’s one lesson West Virginia online golf bettors can glean from the recent Northern Trust finale as we hit the BMW Championship, playing Thursday-Sunday.
Tony Finau, who was +330 at DraftKings Sportsbook WV after four holes of the final round (and two strokes behind the leader), captured the Northern Trust in a playoff.
Finau’s Mountain State backers got a good price, rewarding his demand of catching the front-runners.
The message to gamblers: Although the tournament runs for four days, it offers chances each day to cash in on a hunch.
Turn the page, and here comes the BMW.
For bettors who prefer the early angles, here was the DraftKings BMW board late on Tuesday:
Jon Rahm, the favorite, is +550 to win, +130 for the Top 5 and -165 for a Top 10 finish.
Xander Schauffele is getting quite a bit of money. He’s +1600 on the win line, +300 for the Top 5 and +140 for Top 10.
Jordan Spieth is also +1600 to win, +300 for the Top 5 and +140 for Top 10.
Justin Thomas returns +1800 to win, +400 for the Top 5 and +180 for the Top 10.
Collin Morikawa is +1800 on the win line, +500 for the Top 5 and +150 for the Top 10.
What about Finau’s odds? He just beat this group.
Finau is a lofty +2800 to win, +550 for the Top 5 and +230 for the Top 10.
Why so long? Because this is a deep and talented field, even though it has 70 entries, about half the normal total.
This is the PGA version of the playoffs, with the top 30 FedEx Cup points leaders after Sunday advancing to the season-ending Tour Championship next weekend.
BMW Championship Odds At WV Sportsbooks
Caesars WV will be the landing spot for BMW bettors, too.
Rahm is +650 to win, while Schauffele is +1800. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are both +2000.
There are numerous head-to-head matchups in two- or three-man groups.
One involves Hideki Matsuyama at +160 versus Paul Casey at +175 and Harris English at +180.
This is a tournament within a tournament. Pick the winner from this group correctly and collect.
BetMGM WV Sportsbook offers an innovative wager on golfers to finish in the Top 5 for Round 1. This includes ties. If the player you bet finishes in a five-way tie for fifth, you collect.
BetMGM also offers a +1000 return for “yes” on a hole-in-one during each round of the tournament.
The major WV sportsbooks will have numerous betting options each day, including:
- Nationality props
- Next-hole bets
- Leaderboards after each round
- Head-to-head matchups
- Whether the final hole will see a par from the winner
- Hole-in-one props
- Playoff possibilities
How To Watch:
- Thursday and Friday, 3-7 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
- Saturday, 1-3 p.m. EST (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. EST (NBC)
- Sunday, 12-2 p.m. EST (Golf Channel); 2-6 p.m. EST (NBC)
Betting On The PGA BMW Championship
Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, loves scouring the board for players above +2000, even +5000. Finau was +6000 in some places last week before the tournament started.
“This week, all the big names are in there,” Avello told PlayWV. “There is going to be some excellent value on so many of these players. I think it’s great to put early money on a guy you really like before the tournament and then to follow it closely. There is value all the way through.”
“Finau at +330 was one good example,” he added, “and you will find value right up to the end in many tournaments. Bettors might even lay -250 if their guy is up a couple shots with one hole to go.”
Here’s a betting variable: Watch holes that lend themselves to birdies and bogeys. This affects both the next-hole bet and the tournament.
This is how the wagering angle can apply to an in-game tournament win bet: The golfer you like is one stroke back. The leader has just completed what’s listed as the easiest hole on this course, the 12th, at 165 yards, which is a birdie chance.
The player you want to bet on just finished hole 11. Projecting a possible birdie to pull even, you take a shot on this player at attractive odds.
The same approach applies late in the contest for a hole that could yield bogeys. The 17th is a pressure-packed 476-yard par-4, with strategically placed bunkers impacting the tee and approach shots. This could alter the leaderboard.
If the golfer you like has finished this hole and a competitor (especially the favorite) has yet to play it, your player can have an edge.
Watch how the pros attack the hardest and easiest holes each day. Bettors will find that players simply handle certain holes better throughout the tournament. This can yield a betting angle.
