CJ Cup betting tips as Rory McIlroy heads a stellar cast at Congaree Golf Club, Collin Morikawa catches the eye
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Published 18/10/2022 at 07:53 GMT
Golf fans are in for an absolute treat this week, as star names aplenty figure on the start list for the CJ Cup. Rory McIlroy is back to defend the title he won 12 months ago, and is joined in the field by 15 of the world’s top 20 golfers. Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina is the venue for the latest stop on the PGA Tour, and we have an iron master as our fancy.
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After an unsurprisingly quiet start to the new PGA Tour season, things ramp up a notch at the CJ Cup in South Carolina.
A star-studded cast will tee it up, as 15 of the world’s top 20 head to Congaree Golf Club.
Rory McIlroy is in action as the defending champion, and heads the betting at 6/1.
It is of little surprise the world No. 2 is the market leader, as he has been playing some of the best golf in the world for months.
But there are reasons to oppose McIlroy on this occasion - arguably there are reasons to support him if you are of that mindset - one of which is down to a value perspective given the depth of talent in opposition.
McIlroy is the best driver of the ball in the game, and at first glance the lengthy test that is Congaree Golf Club looks one that would suit.
Congaree meanders between lakes and pine trees and gives off the impression it has been around for years. The plot of land has, but the course was only put into play by designer Tom Fazio in 2017.
It has quickly established a reputation, and stepped in to host the Canadian Open (it was renamed the Palmetto Championship) when that was pulled from the roster in 2021 due to Covid travel restrictions.
Garrick Higgo made off with the win, but he was one of only a couple of players in the top 10 on the final leaderboard to feature in the top 10 for driving.
It is only a small sample size, but the suggestion is that Congaree could be a second-shot golf course.
McIlroy is an excellent long iron player, in truth most parts of his game stand up to the closest scrutiny, but our eye is drawn to another excellent iron player in Collin Morikawa at 33/1.
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When Morikawa won the Open Championship in 2021, on the back of his maiden major success in the PGA Championship the previous year, he appeared to have the golfing world at his feet.
His dominance was built on a baby fade, bleeding the ball from the left to the centre of fairways. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.
That baby fade began to falter towards the end of 2021 and into 2022. At one stage, Morikawa was so exasperated he attempted to put a draw in his bag - and that did not end well.
His eagle-eyed caddie spotted a problem with his knee position, and his team worked hard on rectifying the fault.
It’s not an overnight fix, there are still misses, but the results have been trending in the right direction and on a course that could suit, the 33/1 on offer is worth the risk.
Further down the betting, another precision iron player in Christiaan Bezuidenhout catches the eye.
The South African has been hitting the ball superbly for some time and has not missed a cut since June.
There is a chance he could be swamped by the quality of opposition, but he is a second each-way play at 100/1.
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