The big dogs are back in action this week at the CJ Cup in South Carolina. Mackenzie Hughes (Sanderson Farms) and Keegan Bradley (ZOZO Championship) have had a couple longer shot wins so far on the fall part of the 2022/23 Tour schedule, but this weekend looks like one for the favorites.
Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina, hosts 15 of the top 20 golfers in the world this weekend – hands down the best field so far on the fall tour. Having such a solid field means there’s some tremendous ROI on great golfers like Max Homa (+2600) and Sam Burns (+2800), just to name a couple.
Here are the lowest CJ Cup betting odds:
Rory McIlroy (+750)
It’s no shocker at all that Rory McIlroy is the CJ Cup betting favorite, as not only is he the defending FedEx Cup champion, he also won this event last season. The 2021 CJ was in Las Vegas and is shifting to Hilton Head Island this season, but McIlroy still looks like the guy to beat here.
The CJ Cup was also McIlroy’s first event last season, and the win kicked off a stretch of three top-10 finishes. It’s also not like McIlroy’s just been relaxing on the couch, as he’s made three DP World Tour starts since the Tour Championship, finishing second, fourth, and fourth.
Jon Rahm (+900)
Rahm makes his 2022/23 Tour debut this weekend at Congaree, but he’s fresh off a win in the Spanish Open, where he cruised to a six-stroke victory. Rahm had only one win last season at the Mexico Open in May, but was solid down the stretch with a top-15 finish in all three playoff tournaments. He was also 34th at the Open, 48th at the PGA, and 27th at the Masters, so he struggled in competitive fields.
Justin Thomas (+1400)
+1400 odds aren’t bad value for Justin Thomas, considering he’s the two-time champion of this event. Granted, both occurred when the event was held at Nine Bridges in Zezu Island, South Korea, before the tournament has had to shift to a rotation since the 2020 COVID shakeup.
Thomas added another Major to his resume last year with a second PGA Championship victory. That was his only win of the year, though, to go along with three finishes in the top three. The CJ Cup is Thomas’ first Tour event of 2022/23, but he did post a 4-1 mark to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup.
Scottie Scheffler (+1400)
World #1 Scottie Scheffler makes his first Tour start of the fall schedule, trying to bounce back from being the dud of the Presidents Cup with an 0-3-1 mark. When you consider Scheffler’s 73 on Sunday at the Tour Championship, which allowed McIlroy to rally for the win, there are some real questions surrounding Scheffler’s game.
Scheffler was still named the Player of the Year last season and had 11 finishes inside the top 10, so +1400 might be some of the highest odds he sees all season if he starts returning back to top form.
