GOLFICITY BETS: The 2020 Workday Charity Open Gambling Guide

Workday Charity Open Tournament Preview

Golf became a major source of global news over the weekend thanks to Bryson’s bulked up exploits, and while we can argue until we’re blue in the face as to whether drive-and-chip is really the kind of golf we want to see it’s always good to have the sport on the news agenda.

You suspect the Workday Charity Open, which replaces the John Deere Classic on the schedule for one year only, will feel a tad tame in comparison, even though three of the top five in the world rankings – Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas will be duking it out for honors.

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No Bryson, no bother – there’s a whole heap of other talented youngsters to enjoy this week, from defending champ Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland.

And just whisper it, but there are some slightly older heads looking to make a return to form – Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman mut be itching to get back into the winners’ circle.

Workday Charity Open Course Preview

Jack Nicklaus was the absolute don out on the course, and after his playing days ended he set about designing some classic layouts of his own.

Arguably, Muirfield Village – which you may know as the traditional host of the Memorial Tournament – is the pick of the bunch.

This 7,392 yard Par 72 is ageing well, and even DeChambeau himself would struggle to simply overpower this challenging test – ironically, Bryson won here in 2018, although his style of play was much different back then.

And that’s because you need to be on your mettle from tee-to-green at Muirfield, with thick rough penalizing errant drives and fairways and greens protected by numerous bunkers and water hazards.

The Golden Bear has also made some up-and-downs nigh-on impossible too, while the Bentgrass/Poa greens – weather permitting – can run as fast as 13 on the stimpmeter.

Three quarters of Muirfield is good, tough, grinding golf, and the only light relief comes from the four Par 5s – this is where the winner will earn their stripes this week.

Workday Charity Open Outright Winner

Here’s the thing this week.

Muirfield Village will host this tournament as well as the Memorial next week, and if the whispers are to be believed then the layout for the Workday will be a whole bunch easier.

With that in mind, we’ll perhaps stick a pin in Patrick Cantlay for the Memorial, and instead give Hideki Matsuyama a try this week at the 16/1 mark.

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He fired 68-65 in the middle of the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week, and his Saturday effort was particularly impressive – he looked back to his very best.

The Japanese ace ran out of steam on Sunday, but all told he ranked inside the top-three for SG: Tee-to-Green and that’s very encouraging indeed.

Having won here and also banked a T5 and T6 finishes, Muirfield clearly suits Matsuyama’s eye and he is coming into this week hot to trot.

Workday Charity Open Top 5 Finish Pick

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The high-quality form of Viktor Hovland has not gone unnoticed, and he would have been our first pick in this market but for an unappetizing price.

Instead, we’re going to back Collin Morikawa to put a missed cut at the Travelers Championship – his first in an eternity – behind him.

Don’t read too much into that MC, because Morikawa does not have a short game to speak of and was punished by the unique conditions at TPC River Highlands.

He was solo second at the Charles Schwab Challenge, so there’s recent form in the bank, and this tee-to-green test will surely be right up his street.

Workday Charity Open Top 10 Finish Pick

In two of his last four trips to Muirfield Village, Kevin Streelman would have cashed for top-10 bettors – and in one of his other trips he was T13, so this is a guy that can take care of business at this track.

Does he have form leading in this time around? You bet. The 41-year-old finished solo second behind Bryson’s onslaught at Detroit GC, with no round worse than 67 to his name.

Solo second at the AT&T Pebble Beach too, Streelman has been cashing these top-10 checks for fun lately.

Workday Charity Open Top 20 Finish Pick

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Undervalued and underpriced, Harold Varner III could cash nicely for top-20 bettors this week.

Let’s look at the facts – he’s consistently solid off the tee, he ranked fifth for SG: Approach at the Travelers, finished fourth in GIR at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and gained +0.96 strokes on the field putting on Sunday, heating up nicely with the flat stick.

None of these things are guarantors of success, of course, but Harold Varner III has been playing consistently good golf since the resumption of the season.

Workday Charity Open Match-up to Watch

If the option becomes available, take a look at Brooks Koepka in a match-up against Jon Rahm this week.

There were signs of real progress from Koepka at the RBC Heritage – he was striking the ball very sweetly, and his progress has been hampered only slightly by withdrawing from last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

These challenging tests don’t suit Rahm’s temperament the Spaniard missed the cut on his only start at Muirfield, and he is yet to find his best in the coronavirus era.

Who to Fade this Week

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It’s a touch surprising that Patrick Reed has a top-10 to his name at Muirfield – this is not a layout that really suits his game.

Captain America hasn’t been driving the ball well of late nor hitting decent approach shots, and you wonder how much of a recovery his magic short game can muster up given Nicklaus’ stingy design.

His current formline is intriguing, but this is not a layout where Reed will expect to thrive.

Cover Image via Instagram