bet365, an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR, has released its betting markets ahead of the first tournament of the season, the Fortinet Championship. Looking a little further ahead, bet365 has also published the ante-post betting markets for all of the 2023 Majors, and the 2023 PGA TOUR money list.

Last season’s Tour schedule may have only concluded last month, but this week sees the start of the 2022-23 season which kicks off with the Fortinet Championship.

As well as the $1.4million up for grabs, some of this week’s field will see the event as the perfect chance to get the new season off to a flying start and gain valuable FedEx Cup points. The field is full of new faces as recent graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour move on up and five players due to play in the Presidents Cup next week are also in the field, led by defending champion and world number 22 Max Homa.

What The Fortinet Championship
Where Silverado Resort and Spa, Napa, California
When 15th September – 18th September 2022
How to watch Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event
Odds Max Homa 16/1, Hideki Matsuyama 18/1, Corey Conners 18/1, Maverick McNealy 25/1, Taylor Pendrith 28/1, Sahith Theegala 30/1

 

Last season’s Championship went down to the wire, with Homa taking the title by a shot over Maverick McNealy, having carded back-to-back 65s over the weekend.

The Californian took the title with a 19-under-par score of 269, which had been beaten the previous year when Stewart Cink won on -21. The former Open champion is also in the field this week.

Brendan Steele is a two-time winner of this event – back-to-back in 2016 and 2017 – while Cameron Champ lifted the trophy in 2019 after finishing on -17.

You have to go back to 2015 for the last non-American winner, when Argentinian Emiliano Grillo won a play-off against Kevin Na.

Four to follow in Napa

Corey Connors | Outright betting 18/1 | Top 20 Finish 13/10

The Canadian has not played this event in the last two years, but does have all the attributes to go well at Silverado this week.

Connors finished second in Greens in Regulation on Tour last season and was inside the top 20 in scoring average (69.941). His fifth for ‘Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee’ highlights just how consistent he is with his driver.

It’s been over two years since his last PGA Tour title, but the world number 25 showed enough during last season to suggest that a second victory is not far away.

Connors, looking to become the first Canadian to win this event since Mike Weir in 2007, finished 26th in the FedEx Cup standings and recorded four top-10 finishes across the season.

The 30-year-old finished T13 in his last appearance in this tournament, back in 2019, when he carded a final round 65.

Sahith Theegala | Outright betting 30/1 | Top 20 Finish 19/10

Scoring is always low at Silverado, with the winner averaging 17-under-par over the last six years, and Theegala has the attacking game to contend for top spot this week.

The 24-year-old impressed in his debut year on Tour, with four top-10 finishes, and looks ready to now challenge for PGA titles on a regular basis.

As a rookie, Theegala incredibly topped the birdie stats last season and also ranked 11th in ‘Total Eagles’ for the 2021-22 campaign.

Another Californian, Theegala has good previous form at the Fortinet Championship over the last two years – finishing T47 in 2021 and T14 in 2020.

Emiliano Grillo | Outright betting 40/1 | Top 20 Finish 12/5

As we mentioned earlier, Grillo was the last non-American to take this title in 2015 – shooting a 273 total to win his first and only PGA Tour title to date.

The Argentinian showed some really good signs towards the end of last season, with T2 finishes at both the John Deere Classic and 3M Open in July, while he also finished T19 in August’s BMW Championship.

Although he missed the Cut here last year, the 29-year-old did finish inside the top-30 in 2020 and is in better form now than he was 12 months ago.

It’s also worth noting that Grillo was inside the top-25 for ‘Birdie Average’ last season and eight of his last 12 rounds on Tour have been sub-70s.

Justin Suh | Outright betting 55/1 | Top 20 Finish 11/4

When Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff burst on to the PGA Tour straight from their college days in 2019, there was another of their peers who was expected to make the same impact. Justin Suh.

For many reasons, including a niggling wrist injury which came at a terrible time for him, Suh failed on his opening forays on the PGA Tour. It must have been hellish for this great talent to see Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff enjoy immediate success on the world’s elite circuit, while he struggled for pay cheques on lesser tours.

After a stumbling start, then, Suh seems ready to take his career to a new level at the age of 25. The Californian has posted 15 top-20s in his last 19 tournaments. He belongs on the PGA Tour and could make waves on the West Coast Swing early in the season.

Head to head battle to watch out for:

Hideki Matsuyama vs. Max Homa

Here lies a fascinating match up. A week before they come up against each other in the Presidents Cup the key stats all point the way of the Japanese superstar. But as much as we lean on the numbers in this column, one can’t forget the simple fact it is Homa who is the defending champion.

There is a danger both players could be thinking a week ahead, much like Jon Rahm a year ago at Silverado. In the week before the Ryder Cup heavy tournament favourite Rahm failed to make it to the weekend as his focus drifted.

Matsuyama was brilliant on the longer par 4s last season, leading the Tour and his birdie or better percentage and bogey avoidance stats were also excellent. He was T6 in this event a year ago.

But he will need to prove the niggling issues of a neck and left wrist complaint are past him. While Matsuyama returned for the BMW Championship (T35) and the Tour Championship (T11) in the FedExCup Playoffs, he also sought specialist treatment back in Japan after East Lake. Fortinet will serve as a testing ground for his fitness once more.

Key Stat Ranks (PGA Tour 2021-22 season)

Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: Matsuyama 19th; Homa 24th
Strokes Gained: Approach: Matsuyama 6th; Homa 36th
Ball Striking: Matsuyama 40th; Homa 66th
Birdie or Better Percentage: Matsuyama 14th; Homa 35th
Bogey Avoidance: Matsuyama 15th; Homa 69th
Par 4s 400-450 yards: Matsuyama 1st; Homa 91st

The rest of the 2023 season

The Majors are the highlight of any season, and with four separate champions returning to defend their titles in 2023, golf fans are all set for another fascinating season of high quality action. bet365 have priced up all four Majors below.

The Masters (All Markets) Rory McIlroy 9/1, Jon Rahm 11/1, Justin Thomas 11/1, Cameron Smith 12/1, Scottie Scheffler 12/1, Dustin Johnson 18/1
USPGA Championship (All Markets) Justin Thomas 10/1, Jon Rahm 10/1, Rory McIlroy 12/1, Scottie Scheffler 12/1, Colin Morikawa 16/1, Cameron Smith 18/1
US Open (All Markets) Rory McIlroy 10/1, Justin Thomas 10/1, Scottie Scheffler 11/1, Jon Rahm 12/1, Patrick Cantlay 18/1, Xander Schauffele 18/1
The Open (All Markets) Rory McIlroy 8/1, Jon Rahm 12/1, Scottie Scheffler 14/1, Justin Thomas 16/1, Cameron Smith 16/1, Jordan Spieth 18/1
2023 PGA TOUR Money List (All betting) Scottie Scheffler 9/4, Rory McIlroy 3/1, Jon Rahm 6/1, Patrick Cantlay 10/1, Justin Thomas 12/1, Xander Schauffele 16/1

 

Given how he ended the 2022 season, it’s no surprise to see Rory McIlroy installed as favourite for three of the four Majors in 2023. In the final round of August’s TOUR Championship, Rory came from 6 shots back to win with a 4-under par 66, and claim a third FedExCup in the process.

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