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Valspar – Matchup Bets

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read
The PGA TOUR moves along to the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla. near the Tampa area.

While the focus for many sports fans will be on the NCAA Tournament, Major League Baseball already starting up in Japan while NBA and NHL ramp up toward the postseason, we still have golf - and a good tournament. It isn't quite the same as THE PLAYERS Championship last weekend, but there are some big-time names in the field.

PRIME MATCHUPS

Each week we'll take a look at the best round matchups to try and build up a nice bankroll.

Steve Stricker (-120) vs. Brian Harman (-110): The 52-year-old Stricker can still get it done at Copperhead. There is just something about the place that agrees with him. He has made the cut in five of his past six appearances at the Valspar Championship, including finishes of 14th or higher in each of those outings. Stricker has been splitting time between the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, but he picks and chooses the locations he likes, and he REALLY likes the Valspar Championship and should make noise yet again.

Adam Hadwin (-110) vs. Tyrrell Hatton (-120): Hadwin, like Stricker, really seems to be in his comfort zone at Copperhead. He posted a 12th-place finish at this tournament last season as he defended his Valspar crown from 2017. Hatton had been playing good golf until a pair of 74s last week sent him headed for the airport early after a missed cut. This will be the Englishman's first visit to Copperhead facing a golfer who knows and likes the setup really well. Roll with the Canadian and 2017 champ Hadwin.

Sergio Garcia (-110) vs. Webb Simpson (-120): Garcia has made the Valspar Championship a semi-regular stop of his over the years. He is another player who has been in the zone at Copperhead when he appears, posting a fourth-place finish in 2018 after a few years away. In 2013 he was seventh at the event, 16th in 2012 and 15th in 2011. Meanwhile, Simpson was eighth last season, but he has missed two of the past four cuts at Copperhead.

Paul Casey (-120) vs. Jim Furyk (-110): Furyk likely blew his wad last weeks in a scintillating charge on Sunday at THE PLAYERS. He came up just short behind Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, but he proved he can still be a factor. Still, Casey's game is perfectly tailored for Copperhead, and he showed that last season in posting a 10-under 274 to hoist the Golden Paint Can, or whatever the Valspar Championship trophy is. Roll with the defending champ against Furyk.

Last week: 0-4 (-440)
This season: 1-8-2 (-750)

OTHER BETS

Top 20 Finish - Paul Casey (-135): It's unlikely Casey wins at Copperhead in back-to-back seasons, but there is no reason to believe he'll tail off and slip out of the Top 20. Sure, he missed the cut at THE PLAYERS last week, but he has two Top 3 finishes in his past four starts, and six Top 20 showings already this season in nine events.

Top 20 Finish - Sergio Garcia (-185): As mentioned above, Garcia has been comfortable when he has been in the field for this event, and a Top 20 finish is expected.

Top 20 Finish - Adam Hadwin (+200): The two picks above are 'chalk' for this particular bet, but the Canadian has some longer odds. He is 14th and first in the past two appearances at Copperhead, however, so can he make it three seasons in a row in the Top 20?

Top 5 Finish - Paul Casey (+475): Casey is the defending champ, so he's worth a roll of the dice to finish in the Top 5. Again, he has a pair of finishes of third or better in two of his past four events, so why not?

Tournament Winner - Sergio Garcia (+1600): Garcia is worth risking a few dollars to win this event outright.

Tournament Winner - Dustin Johnson (+500): Last week at TPC Sawgrass it was Rory winning as the favorite. D.J. could roar to the top of the leaderboard this week.

Last week: 3-3 (+90)
This season: 4-8 (-363)

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