In March, Cam Smith was ‘pro-PGA Tour’ stating that the only thing he would do with the money is buy a bigger boat. Well, it appears as though the Aussie’s going shopping as he will be teeing it up alongside Joaquin Niemann and Dustin Johnson at LIV golf Boston.
As the current Open Champion, defending Players Champion, and world number 2, Smith is coming into LIV golf Boston hot, but is he the pick this week? bet365 has the latest odds.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 31st, 5:00 P.M. (EST)
Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, and the Chilean Joaquin Niemann top the list of favorites for this weekend. Niemann and Smith have the advantage of recent competitive play coming off of the Tour Championship last weekend whereas DJ hasn’t played a competitive round since his 3-under 68 at Bedminster. However, Smith has been battling a hip injury and did not have a strong showing at the Tour Championship as he finished 9-under (after starting 6-under) for a 20th place finish. Clearly, his hip affected him last week.
Given the Open Champ’s injury, his play in the Tour Championship, and the pressures that come with making the move to LIV, it may be wise to fade Smith at 6.50 as there is better
23-year-old Joaquin Niemann is an elite ball striker who – at times – struggles on the greens. Given that the International Golf Club is just shy of 7200 yards with moderately generous fairways, the winner this week is going to have to make a ton of putts.
Joaquin can certainly get hot with the putter, but coming off three straight grueling playoff events, he may not have the mental stamina on the greens this weekend. Nevertheless, at the ripe age of 23, Niemann may have enough gas in the tank to place highly this weekend, so 2.70 to place in the top five is a pick to consider.
Dustin Johnson has been knocking on the door since the first LIV event placing inside of the top ten at all three tournaments. The 2020 Masters Champion is a notoriously efficient driver of the golf ball and makes putts down the stretch. This is a deadly combination on a course like the International Golf Club. Given that DJ is coming off a month of rest, he may be a touch rusty, but he will be healthy and fresh unlike Smith and Niemann.
Outside of the top three, a player to watch is Harold Varner III (23.00 to win). Harold has had one of his best seasons to date with a T3 finish at RBC Heritage (another shorter test) and an exciting win at the Saudi International. Varner had his season cut short at the BMW Championship giving him last week to rest after a long playoff battle.
Varner is a sleeper pick this week as he is one of the only players in the field who has played competitive golf last month and is coming off of a week of rest. Plus, Varner received praise in the media for his honest LIV golf announcement that surely lifted some of the moral weight he was inevitably wearing.
If you don’t like Varner to win, bet365 has him at 6.00 to place in the top four. This is good value given an injured Smith is 6.50 to win.
Three long-shot picks to consider this weekend are:
- Richard Bland at 21.00 to finish in the top 5
- Henrik Stenson at 11.00 to finish in the top 3
- Matthew Wolff to be the first round leader at 26.00
Richard Bland has not been showing good form since joining LIV, however his game made a resurgence last spring after a break, so perhaps close to a month off will help the Englishman’s game.
Henrik Stenson at 11.00 to finish in the top three is great value given he won the last event. With Matthew Wolff’s ability to make birdies in bunches and have incredible single round performances (he shot a -7, 64 on the Saturday at Bedminster), a lights out Friday round is certainly foreseeable. With the addition of some sleepers and some stars, LIV Golf Boston is going to be captivating to watch.
Catch all the action this weekend to see if Cam Smith can overcome fatigue and injury or if Dustin Johnson will finally breakthrough to claim his first LIV title.
