Palmetto Championship betting tips: Home comfort for Johnson
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Dustin Johnson hopes to secure victory in his home state when he tees up at The Palmetto Championship at Congaree ahead of next week’s US Open.
Due to the coronavirus restrictions at the border between the United States and Canada, Congaree Golf Club is hosting a PGA Tour event for the first time as a stand-in for the RBC Canadian Open.
Johnson is the 7/1 favourite to claim the title but he is joined in South Carolina by two players ranked in the world’s top 11 in four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.
Koepka, priced at 8/1, returns to action for the first time since finishing second at last month’s US PGA Championship, as does Hatton as he targets a second PGA Tour crown, but let’s examine some of the other odds in our Palmetto Championship betting tips.
Fight night with my KO 🥊 pic.twitter.com/KFLhCVitoL
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) June 7, 2021
Driving to success
Congaree will test the length and accuracy of the players off the tee as the brutal par 71 course covers a mammoth 7,655 yards.
The fourth hole is a 645-yard par five while two par-fours measure exceed 520 yards.
This will certainly help Johnson and Koepka’s cause, with the two players sitting in ninth (312.3 yards) and 17th (308.2) respectively on the average driving distances on tour.
Another player who can benefit from the length of the course is Garrick Higgo, who will make only his second start on the PGA Tour.
The 22-year-old South African has won on two of his last three starts on the European Tour and he averages 310.78 yards with the driver but also tops the list for most shots gained with the putter. He is a 45/1 outsider.
Full English in South Carolina
Hatton is not the biggest hitter but he is consistent with nearly all other facets of the game, with the Englishman sitting in the top 30 for strokes gained off the tee, 24th for shots gained tee to green and 11th on approach to the green.
The world number 11 is 12/1 to be in the winner’s circle on Sunday, while fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is priced at 22/1.
Fleetwood is still awaiting his maiden PGA Tour title but finished tied for fifth in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and 10th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the other side of the Atlantic.
He is ranked fourth for shots gained around the green, which could be a factor if he needs to scramble from close range.
Major competition at Congaree
Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington will be in the field this week after rolling back the years to finish fourth at the US PGA Championship – his best result of the season in the USA.
The 49-year-old Irishman, who has won six times on the PGA Tour and three majors, is still averaging over 300 yards with his driver and is an outside chance of a first worldwide success since October 2016 at 125/1.
Danny Willett – the 2016 Masters champion – is ranked third for strokes gained around the green and he will travel to Ridgeland alongside 2013 US PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner, with the players valued at 70/1 and 150/1 respectively.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
