Even in a field that included 15 of the top 20 golfers in the world, it was odds-on favorite Rory McIlroy that took home the win for the second straight year at the CJ Cup last weekend in South Carolina.
Last weekend was an exciting one, but not especially profitable as McIlroy was as high as a +750 favorite prior to the opening round. We will not see a repeat of that this weekend at the Bermuda Championship, however. First off, Denny McCarthy is the favorite way up at +1800, but pretty much anybody can – and has – won this tournament the first three times it’s been held.
Brendon Todd won the first Bermuda Championship in 2019 at 80-1, Brian Gay had the golden ticket in 2020 at 200-1, and Lucas Herbert captured the victory last season at 60-1.
Herbert won in just his fourth event last season and is not back to defend his crown in 2022. One thing to note about the Port Royal Golf Course is that it is short, but also located right on the ocean. The first three days this weekend are forecast to be relatively calm, but wind gusts of up to 35 MPH are expected on Sunday. Therefore if one of your Bermuda Championship betting underdogs gets off to a bad start, don’t throw away the ticket, because things can change on a whim here.
Russell Knox +3100
Russell Knox is right out of the top 10 in highest odds for the Bermuda Championship so he can be considered an underdog. Knox finished 12th at Port Royal last season and played really well, leading the field in GIR (77.8%) and ranking sixth with a 67.9% drive accuracy. He needs to fine-tune his putting but getting there is half the battle.
Chesson Hadley +6500
Lucas Herbert was the SG: Putting leader on the TOUR last season (even though he only played 59 rounds), and he won at Port Royal. That would say at least some of your success here has to do with how well you handle the short stick. Denny McCarthy was second in that stat in 2021, and he’s the favorite at the Bermuda Championship – Todd won here in 2019, and he was third in SG: Putting last year, so there’s even more evidence.
Behind McCarthy, the next best putter in this field is Chesson Hadley. He’s had a horrible start to the year with two MCs and a 37th at the Shriners, but that’s why you get the 65/1 odds.
Brian Gay +15000
He’s already won here once, cashing in a 200/1 ticket in 2020, and he continued to play well at Port Royal last season, ranking second in putts per GIR en route to a 12th-place finish. In a tournament and field like this, you don’t stock up big on a favorite, you sprinkle a lot of tickets on long shots, and Gay fits that criteria at 150/1
