PGA Tour Heading to a Late The Masters 2020
When most bookies talk about what sport provides betting action, it’s always football, basketball, or baseball. It’s never golf. The Masters is different. Soon, that could change. Although nobody will ever hear a bookmaker say, “My players love golf. I saw so much action on the Charles Schwab Open last week!” A bookie might say, “Action on the last major championship exceeded my expectations.”
Any bet on golf is decent action, which is why after pay per head agents figure out the wagering action on the NFL and the U.S. Presidential Election, they should look to market bets on The Masters’ golf tournament in November.
The Masters is the final major championship of the year. It usually happens in April. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the PGA pushed The Masters to November. Players call bookie agents looking for odds on all sorts of sports events. Don’t be surprised if you get calls looking for golf betting odds on The Masters, which is why it’s important to prepare your sportsbook.
Before getting into how to keep your book from hitting the drink on golf wagers, check out a recap of what happened at the 2020 U.S. Open. Bryson DeChambeau won, yes, but how he won is what’s got the golf world in a tizzy.
DeChambeau wins the U.S. Open by playing power golf
Bryson DeChambeau dominated the U.S. Open field. He beat his closest competitor, Matthew Wolff, by eight strokes. DeChambeau shot a -3. Wolff shot a +5. Yes, you read that right. Not only did Bryson win the U.S. Open by eight strokes, but he was also the only player at the Open to shoot under par.
How did DeChambeau do it? He bulked up. While every other golfer on the PGA Tour practiced their pretty swings during the shutdown, Bryson got out the protein powder and lifted weights. DeChambeau’s strategy at the U.S. Open was to hit the ball as far as he could. Per Deseret News, Bryson’s power game plan started last fall. He supposedly consumed 6,000 calories a day.
For Bryson, the key to success at Winged Foot was to hit the ball as far as he could, fairways be damned, and then work his way to the green for eagle and birdie opportunities. The strategy, which DeChambeau dubbed “bomb and gouge”, worked.
Golf luminaries like Jack Nicklaus are decrying the new style of play. For centuries, golf has been a game of strategy. Who can forget Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup calling for ball after ball because he knew he could land on the green only to see his U.S. Open dreams end after the second shot?
That’s what the power game in golf gets you, the purists have said, a lost chance at a major win. Not anymore. Bryson DeChambeau just won a major by playing like the Kevin Costner character in Tin Cup.
You may ask, what does DeChambeau’s “bomb and gouge” strategy have to do with sports betting? A lot, is the answer. Bryson offered +2200 to win the U.S. Open. He dominated favorite Dustin Johnson.
If Bryson can learn bomb and gouge, any golfer can. That will make managing golf bets much more difficult in the future.
DeChambeau a +1000 choice to win The Masters
The Masters happens from Nov. 12 through Nov. 15. Unlike other major golf championships, That Masters always takes place at Augusta National in Georgia. Bryson DeChambeau is a +1000 second choice behind +950 top choice Rory McIlroy.
Bookies that offer free betting software should set wagering limits on all betting options. That includes Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. The reason? Strong, power hitters like Bryson could show up on Nov. 12 and just wing it.
Most pro golfers take years to perfect their swing. When golfers get older, they change their swing to reflect a new way to play. Tiger has yet to develop a swing after his power days in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Perfecting the swing used to be how golfers won tournaments. But with Bryson proving that you can win by forgetting about fairways and concentrating on distance, golfers who have even a small lack of confidence in their swing will do what Bryson does.
They’ll smack the ball off the tee as hard and as far as they can. They won’t care so much about distance and just hope they can get to the green with a wedge or nine iron. It most likely won’t work at Augusta the way it worked at Winged Foot.
Augusta has more water, more trees, and can be a difficult course if you don’t have a strategy. But, what if it does work? Are you the type of bookie that could afford to pay out a $100 bet on golf on a +4000 power hitting underdog?
What is a bookie if not a careful business owner, right? Set limits on all golf betting options to win The Masters. Also, if you market golf, wait for head-to-head matchups. Those are tough to handicap. Then, import your players to a pph sportsbook software provider like PayPerHead. They offer the only online payment system in the industry. Your players can even use their Agent Payment Solution (APS®) to deposit via credit card.