Fort Worth Invitational: Golf Odds And Predictions
Fort Worth Invitational Background
It’s the fifth PGA Tour event in Texas this season and also the last. This tournament has had numerous names with sponsor changes and usually has Colonial in the event title because it’s a very storied course often referred to as “Hogan’s Alley” after Ben Hogan. The legend was a long-time Fort Worth resident and won this event a record five times. He’s the only player to repeat here, doing it in 1946-47 and 1952-53. Colonial, a par 70 measuring 7,209 yards, has hosted a Tour event every year since ’46. Only Augusta National, host of the Masters, has had a longer uninterrupted run. Colonial also hosted the 1941 U.S. Open.
Other than Hogan, this event probably is best known, at least this century, for when LPGA star Annika Sorenstam played in her lone PGA Tour event 15 years ago. She missed the cut, and no woman has played on the PGA Tour since. This had been called the Dean & DeLuca Invitational the previous two years but there’s no sponsor this year; Charles Schwab will take over in 2019.
The defending champion is American Kevin Kisner. He shot a final-round 66 a year ago, including a clutch par save on the 72nd hole after a wayward drive, to win at 10-under 270. Like most Texas courses, if the winds are blowing Colonial is much tougher. Kisner’s 10-under score was the second-worst to win this tournament this century after Adam Scott’s 9-under in 2014. Scott is the only non-American to win at Colonial since 2008.
Fort Worth Invitational Favourites
A total of 13 of the world’s Top 30 are set to play, and Dallas native Jordan Spieth, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3, is solidly favoured (+900) at Sports Interaction just like he was last week. Spieth finished T21 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He was the runner-up at Colonial last year along with Sean O’Hair and Jon Rahm. Spieth won the tournament in 2016, his only career victory in his home state.
Rahm, who missed a 10-foot birdie putt on his 72nd hole last year to force a playoff, is +1400. The Spaniard is opting to skip the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, this week. Since a fourth-place finish at the Masters, Rahm missed the cut at the New Orleans team event and was T63 at the Players Championship.
Justin Rose and Webb Simpson are each +1800 and Rickie Fowler +2000. Rose hasn’t played Colonial in eight years but has made the cut all four times he has. He wanted to play the BMW PGA Championship this week but essentially a PGA Tour rule to keep membership forced him to play Colonial. Simpson was the 54-hole leader last year but shot a final-round 71 to finish fifth at 8 under. Fowler returns to Colonial for the first time in four years and was T5 in 2012.
Kisner, incidentally, is +4500 to repeat.
Canadian Player Odds
No player from Canada has won at Colonial, but George Knudson was second in 1965. Adam Hadwin is +5200. He finished T53 last year at 4 over, never breaking 70. His last event was the Players Championship, where he was T57. Corey Conners is +23200, Mackenzie Hughes is +27500, Nick Taylor +30000 and Ben Silverman +30000. Taylor was T61 a year ago at 6 over, Hearn was T70 at 10 over, and Hughes missed the cut at 12 over.
Fort Worth Invitational Prediction
Our winning pick is Bryson DeChambeau at +3600. The former NCAA champion knows the course well from his days as a star at SMU and has finished in the Top 5 in three of his past five tournaments this year. He did miss the cut last year at Colonial but is rolling right now.
