Palmetto Championship betting tips: Johnson on home soil
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Preview and odds for this week’s PGA Tour event
The Palmetto Championship at Congaree will play host to the final warm-up event before next week’s US Open.
Congaree Golf Club is stepping in for the RBC Canadian Open as a one-off replacement due to the coronavirus border restrictions between the United States and Canada, but the tournament has still attracted some of the sport’s biggest stars.
South Carolina native and world number one Dustin Johnson headlines the field as he fine tunes his game before heading to Torrey Pines in search of his third major championship.
The 36-year-old is the 7/1 favourite and will be a popular pick in Palmetto Championship betting tips as he eyes a 28th professional victory.
Two-time US Open champion and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka returns to action for the first time since finishing runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the US PGA Championship last month.
Koepka, the world number seven, has only played eight events in 2021 and has missed the cut on four occasions but that does not rule out the eight-time PGA Tour winner.
In the four weekends he has played, the 31-year-old has finished second twice and won the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. He is 8/1 to add another title to collection.
Johnson set to enjoy home comforts
Johnson was in terrific form from August 2020 to February 2021 as he recorded three victories, including the 2020 Masters, and three second-placed finishes from 10 events. His worst finish was tied for 11th in that period.
He has not been as consistent since February, registering only one top-25 finish so far, but it would be foolish to rule out the world number one before a major event, particularly on home soil.
Congaree is a lengthy course, stretching over 7,655 yards, and being accurate off the tee will be a key component for success in South Carolina and former PGA Tour rookie of the year Sungjae Im could come into contention.
Despite missing cuts in five of his last eight events, the South Korean has recorded three top-30s and is the 14th most accurate off the tee after hitting 69.23 per cent of fairways this season.
His consistency of finding the short grass could see him slide into contention at 16/1 in the Palmetto Championship odds.
Poulter to putt his way into contention?
Ian Poulter arrives at Congaree on the back of a third-placed finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge last month and his solid putting form could see him towards the top of the leaderboard.
The 45-year-old, who is 33/1 to win this week, is seventh on strokes gained with the putter, second on the list for one-putt percentage (45.14) and has yet to miss a putt inside three feet from 360 attempts.
Fellow Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick is still awaiting his maiden PGA Tour title but has recorded four top-10 finishes this season, including fourth at the RBC Heritage in April.
He is 19th on shots picked up from putting, 15th on driving accuracy percentage and the world number 21 is priced at 14/1 to claim his first win in the United States.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
