1 + 1 = 31!

It has always been our goal to find creative ways to win. RTL takes great pride in covering the men's and women's game from a betting perspective. Combining our knowledge of both tours to come away with a +3000 win on the two best players in the world is really rewarding. Now the cash is nice, but this win exemplifies our mission to get everyone excited about golf betting. Take a little of that extra cash and go play 9-holes this week. Buy a range bucket, and work on your own Scottie shuffle. The best part about betting on golf is that you can go enjoy the game after you win!

TPC teams

Life on the PGA TOUR is quite funny at times. The Masters is one of the easiest 36-hole cuts to make, major championship or otherwise. Following Augusta National, 69 of the game's elite just played a guaranteed 72-hole no cut cash grab on Hilton Head Island. Now we travel to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic. This annual event brings together 80 teams of PGA TOUR(?) professionals. We go from 69 guys last week in the low country to 160 guys in Louisiana! Even better, only the top 33 teams and ties will make it to the weekend to compete for $8.9 million dollars.

If you asked me to help make sense of it all, I just can't. Chances are the schedule will just change again in 2025 when we figure this calendar of events out. Meanwhile, take this week for what it is, a unique opportunity. We will limit our exposure and make the most of live betting. The ladies also have a fantastic event to bet and with a Nelly WD on Monday the field suddenly has a chance. Cue the walk-up music and enjoy some of the pairings the PGA TOUR's battle in the bayou is about to get started.

Zurich Classic starts in...

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TPC Bayou

A big part of successfully betting the Zurich is understanding the format. This is not a regular 72-hole stroke play event. The 80 teams of two will compete in a Fourball (better ball of partners) format on Thursday in round one. On Friday, the teams switch to Foursomes (alternate shot). Those who make the cut and compete over the weekend for the first-place prize of $1.3 million dollars (each) will play the same two formats again. Saturday is Fourball, and Sunday is Foursomes. These are the same two team formats you see in the Ryder Cup.

The team format began at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2017. Since then, the average winning score is 22 under par. With two separate formats, it is important to note how the winners got there. The last six winners average 16 under par in the Fourball format and six under par in Foursomes. Find the right alternate shot combination and you can make some serious cash. It's tough for a longshot to win in individual stroke play. Give everyone a partner, and the elite tend to take the title. The average winning odds of the seven champion teams is +3000.

The weather this week looks entertaining for a team battle. Temperatures are forecasted in the mid-80s and the only chance of rain comes on Sunday afternoon. The wind will be another story. Keep following the local weather through the link above, but as of now it is going to be breezy in the bayou. Round one starts in the mid-teens and then by Saturday we are going to see sustained winds in the 20-mph range and gusts into the 30s. Hold onto your hats as this Pete Dye design (2004) has 106 bunkers and eight holes where water comes into play.

TPC Louisiana has been the host venue dating back to 2005. Every team edition has been played here. The par 72 layout covers 7,425 yards. For the second week in a row, we have Pete Dye's diabolical mind to contend with. The most noticeable feature of this flat setting are the bunkers. In stark contrast to one another, you will see some of the largest and smallest sand hazards on TOUR. The greens are the fifth smallest on TOUR at an average of 5,225 sq/ft. Of course, these will look huge compared to the tiny targets at Harbour Town.

There's a fair amount of drama on this design. We have four par 4s over 470 and the average par 3 length is 215 yards! The final three holes have water in play to catch your attention and with all of these areas to avoid that wind prediction should play havoc on the oversized field. Good luck finishing any round on time unless they light up the eighteenth hole. Even though it is a tough test, team scoring pushes that cutline pretty deep. The average score to get inside the top 33 and ties is six under par.

Read The Line recap 🗞️ The key is always Foursomes play. Nick Hardy and Davis Riley stormed the field and finished at 30 under par fueled by a two-day total of 13 under par in alternate shot. That total was three strokes higher than the previous 10 under par in Foursomes set by Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer. Want to win this week, go low in rounds two and four!

Teamwork makes the dreamwork

The science of predicting who will win a team event on the PGA TOUR is difficult. I can narrow down the field to best birdie makers, but in the end the biggest intangible is do these guys have chemistry on the course. We have witnessed it each year starting with the first team title when Jonas Blixt and Cam Smith won. The +10000 long shots blended their skill set perfectly to take home the trophy. Consider the annual favorites Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. They are both great golfers, but alongside their OWGR skill is a competitive friendship. This is another reason why being on-site for so many weeks matters.

I see these guys interact with one another all around the facility. After three years, I can really start to tell who gets along with whom. The better your team chemistry, the better your chances are to perform. This is exactly why Tiger Woods never had a good partner in the Ryder Cup. How hard would it be to partner with Woods and live with the fear of letting him down. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry aren't worried about that. Our outrights will lead the field in strokes gained camaraderie.

Our outrights will also be birdie machines. The best Fourball players are aggressive scorers. That's not always the best type of player for individual events, but in this format, give me two guys who average more than four birdies per round. I want guys who lead the TOUR in opportunities gained and GIRs. Who tends to go for the par 5s in two and who can putt. Look at some of the recent winners. Cam Smith has won this event twice, Billy Horschel who can putt plays well here, and again Patrick and Xander.

We have four par 5s and four par 4s under 400 yards. Those eight holes require solid scrambling skills to score. Short game skill will lead to birdies in bunches and that's my secret weapon. Guys who build their weekly birdie average by pitching the ball and using their wedges adeptly. A little acumen from close range and you can make more sub-par scores. My last key is putting from close range. The best way to separate from the field is during Foursomes. The toughest skill in alternate shot is making the last putt.

In most cases, the guy who has to knock in that testy five-footer did not hit the approach putt or chip prior. Without any feel, you must make your short putts. We see it year after year. The best putters perform better in alternate shot. Securing those short strokes keeps the team chemistry positive and your group in contention. It sounds simple, but finding the right combination between two PGA TOUR alpha players is tough. I know these teams are tight and therefore lead our betting card in the bayou.

Outright Winners - Zurich Classic

The complementary skill set between Tom Hoge and Mav McNealy has to catch your attention. Both are playing well, Hoge the 36-hole leader at RBC and McNealy finished ninth at THE PLAYERS. Hoge leads the field in approach and Mav's short game and scrambling skill will lead to sub-par scores. Both men are ranked top 10 in SG:Total for the field. ​Hoge/McNealy +2500​​

Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor are ranked top 5 in the field for team chemistry. Taylor has won twice in the last 11 months. Hadwin is a sneaky good birdie guy. He's top 15 in the field for BoB% and birdies gained. Nick's approach game and ball striking will give Adam more birdie chances than he is used to seeing. These two finished runners-up a year ago. ​Hadwin/Taylor +2800​

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Inside the ropes at the 2023 Genesis Invitational

Compounding interest

Nelly Korda was +550 and barely would have given us the return needed to make a nice profit on a winning week. That's why we added her outright to the perfect parlay alongside Scottie. Combined we earned +3700 and a double win week! Never before have I been more excited to cash a combo win. RTL takes great pride in covering the LPGA alongside the PGA TOUR. Most just avoid the winning women. By picking up that parlay, we proved why handicapping both can be so valuable.

Wilshire and Beverly

The LPGA made the move to Wilshire Country Club for the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro in 2018. Since then, this tournament has become one of the premiere stops on the LPGA schedule. A field of 142 players is set to compete for $3.75 million dollars. Seventeen of the top 25 in the Rolex World rankings made the move from Houston to Los Angeles. The top 65 and ties will compete over the weekend for $562,500 and the trophy. Wilshire CC has been a stern test as the average winning score in five editions is 13 under par.

WCC is a par 71 layout covering 6,447 yards. A barranca runs through the course creating 13 holes with water in play and the 18 holes have 127 bunkers. The winners here have all been elite LPGA players and consistent winners. Fresh off a major championship, these ladies should feel excited and not fatigued. After all, Nelly withdrew on Monday so everyone else has a chance this week. Who those betting favorites are we will get to in the outrights section, but first let's break down the event a little more.

LA Championship starts in...

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The weather in LA will be cooler than the first three rounds in Texas. Our forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s and light winds around 10 mph. No rain is expected so the course should play true to form. The delightful design really rewards great course management and accuracy.

• There are four par 3s averaging 162 yards in length. In a unique feature the course routing is altered so the final test is a par 3. Not a common finishing hole on tour.
• Eleven par 4s provide a very varied test. only three measure over 400 yards and the average length is 384 yards.
• The three par 5s are where you can score. The average 521 yards in length and allow the most sub-par scores.

I enjoy watching the women compete at Wilshire CC. It requires such a great complement of skills to win. The course challenges them in many ways that are harder than Carlton Woods. Considering this course measures 400 yards less on the scorecard than last week, it is impressive how the design keeps the winning score so low. Women will need a healthy birdie-bogey ratio here to contend. You'll see plenty of simple mistakes lead to bogey or worse in the blink of an eye. Underneath the gaze of the Hollywood sign this course captures your attention. To win, I think you need prior experience, and a complete set of skills I will outline below.

Walk of fame

Hannah Green is the defending champion and in her three previous starts in LA prior to the win has a second, third and fourteenth place finish. Green grew up in Australia where the game is played more on the ground. Their sandy based agronomy keeps the landscape firm and fast. In many ways, Wilshire CC can be conquered with a solid ground approach. I looked back through the last two top 10s from 2022 and 2023. What I learned was approach and putting correlated the closest to contending.

Twenty-three women finished inside those two top 10s (ties) and they gained an average of four strokes on the field with the iron game and their flatstick. Approach play becomes such a separating skill on a course like Wilshire. You just don't need to hit the green, but in many cases, it is a certain section of the green or landing area in the approach to the green. Surprisingly, many tour players are not as creative with their iron game as they should be. I believe that's why the same women tend to contend here.

With 70 greenside bunkers and 5,000 sq/ft greens (on average) you better hit your target. It's easy to see how it becomes a differentiating skill much like the putting. These greens have some substantial movement. Lag putting is important and making four to eight footers will be the reason you contend come Sunday. Watching the coverage, you will see it through all four rounds. Green gained eight strokes on the field with her flatstick last year when she won.

Those same top 10s had an average scrambling success rate of 64%. That's well above the LPGA average. Most players will need to raise their short game ceiling to achieve that level of proficiency. Another advantage coming off of a major championship is we know whose short game is getting the job done. Our outright list will resemble some of last week's leaderboard. Carlton Woods was a strong iron game test and the greens proved very challenging for the field.

I research par 3, 4, and 5 scoring every week. looking for scoring opportunities and how previous leaderboards made their sub-par scores. The race to 14 or 15 under this week will require great par 5 scoring. The recent top 10s survived the par 3s and 4s. Their scoring average was around even par for both. The same women averaged 4.66 strokes on the par 5s. With only three 5s per round, you must really take advantage of those 12 holes over four days.

This is an accuracy test and to contend you will need to hit 72% of your GIRs and over 80% of your fairways. Read those numbers again. That's how good these women are when they play well. Proof you need to have solid form and a sound history at WCC. Inspired by the Nelly double dip last week and her historic run, I'm excited to take down another LPGA title while the men play team golf in the other LA.

Outright winners - LA Championship

Making a run at Nelly in the Chevron took a ton of confidence. Haeran Ryu has been building toward something special all spring. Ryu is third in this field T2G! Her impeccable iron game has Ryu's GIR stats ranked first which is key to scoring at WCC. She finished sixth here a year ago as a rookie and is playing better overall in her sophomore season. Haeran has three top 10s this year and two in her last two starts. Haeran Ryu +2500

Hannah Green is the career strokes gained leader at the LA Championship. In five career starts, Green has finished 1-2-3-14-MC. Hannah has already secured one win this season at the HSBC, another accuracy test. Green played the sandbelt courses of Australia growing up and that I believe is a huge key to her success at WCC. Ranked fifth in the field for putting, she's having a career year with the flatstick. Hannah Green +3500

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