Action Report: Scottie Scheffler most popular player ahead of The Sentry

The holiday break hasn’t done a thing to quell support for world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the golf betting realm, with bettors still favoring the Texan at the BetMGM online sportsbook for the PGA TOUR season opening event in Maui.

Scheffler’s best finish in two tries at The Sentry is a T7, but much like most of 2023, he’s generating a ton of action this week.

As of Wednesday, the newly crowned PGA TOUR Player of the Year is pulling in the most handle (16.7%) on the most tickets (11.3%). Scheffler is the betting favorite at +550.

The 27-year-old won the Hero World Challenge the last time he teed it up, so he likely enters the week with confidence. Another thing going Scheffler’s way is 10 of the last 11 winners at this tournament have either won the Masters or logged a top five finish at Augusta National.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Hawaii, will host the event once again. The par 73 plays to 7,596 yards, but because of all the elevation changes, it plays much shorter. Some of the longest drives in PGA TOUR history have occurred at this course, especially on the par-5 18th hole.

When it comes to scoring, it’s typically a birdie fest. The winning score has been 22 under or better in seven of the last eight years.

Xander Schauffele (+1400) is another popular play this week, as he’s pulling in the second-highest handle (8.8%). Besides winning this event in 2019, he has two other top five finishes.

Scheffler, Jordan Spieth (+2200) and Matt Fitzpatrick (+3000) are BetMGM’s biggest liabilities.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

• Scottie Scheffler – 16.7%
• Xander Schauffele – 8.8%
• Patrick Cantlay – 7.8%
• Jordan Spieth – 7.6%
• Collin Morikawa – 6.5%

Tickets

• Scottie Scheffler – 11.3%
• Collin Morikawa – 8.5%
• Jordan Spieth – 6.1%
• Viktor Hovland – 6%
• Matt Fitzpatrick – 5.2%

Spieth won the tournament in 2016 and also has five top-15 finishes on his resume, seeing his odds move from +2500 to +2200.

Meanwhile, Morikawa will be seeking revenge for last year when he gave up a six-shot lead going into the final round.

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