If you believe the bookmakers, only Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm stand between the Americans and a clean sweep of medals at this week’s Olympic golf tournament.
World number one and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win gold with a best score of 4-1, while reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele – a two-time Major winner this year – is second with a best score of 6-1.
Find The Sun’s betting publishing theories here
McIlroy, an 8-1 shot, and Rahm are the next best in the market, with the Spaniard available at 10-1, one point behind Collin Morikawa, the man the Americans hope will join Scheffler and Schauffele on the podium.
But, this is the Olympics, and everyone loves to see an underdog do well. And that certainly happened in Tokyo, where the men who won silver and bronze behind Schauffele were Rory Sabatini and CT Pan.
Pan actually defeated McIlroy, Morikawa Hideki Matsuyama and three other players in the group play-off for the bronze medal.
So let’s hope for some more surprises, and try to have a little fun with some of the higher priced competitors.
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Golf Tips
The name that emerges at the bottom of the market is Guido Migliozzi, who has a rating of 80-1.
The Italian was an impressive winner of the French Open on the Olympic Course in 2022, and his local knowledge is likely to be invaluable at a tricky course such as Le Golf National.
Migliozzi won again last month when he triumphed at the KLM Open in Holland.
He also played some eye-catching golf at the weekend, when he finished tied for 31st in the Open, so he should be on the shortlist.
His fellow Italian, the much-loved Matteo Manassero, has made a strong comeback this year and is also worth some interest at 150-1.
Similarly, French pair Mathieu Pavon and Victor Perez will take the field at odds of 70-1 and 90-1 respectively.
Pavon has enjoyed a stellar season on the PGA Tour, while Perez’s third place at the Canadian Open and top ten finish at the Scottish Open were good efforts.
He is bound to play the French Open every year. His insider knowledge of the nuances of the Olympic course might be worth playing once or twice.
Why is Rory McIlroy representing Ireland and not Team GB at the 2024 Olympics?Tommy Fleetwood has gained a huge following since winning the French Open at Le National in 2017 – before he went on to enjoy immense success on the same course as part of the ‘Mollywood’ combination that won all four matches at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
But that win at the French Open was a bit of a fluke. Fleetwood has missed the cut in all of his other starts at the event. So 20-1 odds aren’t that high.
So why not look further down the list – and add two more 150-1 players in Emiliano Grillo and Stefan Jager?
We might not get golf medalists – or even silver and bronze winners. But most bookmakers are offering at least six places, so it seems the all-around market is the best option.
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It may be beneficial to adopt a similar approach for the women’s competition, which begins on August 4, the day after the men’s competition ends.
Nelly Korda is the market leader here at 11-2, which isn’t surprising after her six wins in the first half of the season – although it appears her form has faded recently.
World No. 4 Amy Yang being at 40-1 is amazing. OK, she has had injury problems last year, but she won the Women’s PGA Championship a few starts ago. At these odds I would happily take her on one leg!”
Lilia Wu is the personal favourite, and 11-1 looks reasonable for the world number two, while the determined Carlota Ciganda is someone who can be relied upon to give you a tough fight.
He’s widely available at 33-1, and one bookmaker is even putting odds on Yang at 40-1.
Le Golf National is a tough test that can bring out long-hitting players who may not be the most consistent golfers. Maja Stark of Sweden fits that bill, so odds of 70-1 look quite attractive.
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