Bet PGA Tour Golf: Mike Kern picks Jason Day, Francesco Molinari, and more at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
This week it’s the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, or whatever they’re calling it these days (actually it’s officially sponsored by AT&T, although old folks like me will remember it as once upon a time being the Bing Cosby clambake, but I digress). There are no top 10 players in the field, with Dustin Johnson being a late withdrawal coming off his win at Dubai on the European Tour. Anyway, he often played well here. So, we’ll have to look elsewhere. You know me and chalk. I wouldn’t have gone that way due to the shorter odds. Just not a good enough value. Unless of course he won. There’s always that.
Patrick Cantlay is the new fave, at 7-1. Daniel Berger is next, at 12-1, along with Paul Casey. They’re followed by Will Zalatoris, who I had last week, at 16-1. Jason Day, who has missed the cut in his first two starts of the year, is 18. He’s been in the top five each of the last four years. And I have him in my yearlong pool that I’m always telling you about. So, don’t say you weren’t warned. Cause you know how that often works. Mush material.
Francesco Molinari, who has back-to-back top 10s, is 20-1. He hasn’t played in this event, but was 16th in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble. Jordan Spieth is 22-1, coming off his best performance in a long time. Si Woo Kim is 25-1. Kevin Streelman is 35-1. So are Sam Burns, Cameron Davis and Max Homa.
Rickie Fowler is 40-1. Ditto Brian Harman, Henrik Norlander, and Cameron Tringale. Phil Mickelson is 45-1. He won here not too long ago. James Hahn, Peter Malnati and Brendan Steele are 50-1. Matt Jones and Alexander Noren check in at 60-1. Then there’s Doug Ghim, Russell Knox and Harold Varner III at 60-1. Trust me, I don’t know all that much about some of these guys either.
Chez Reavie is one of three at 70-1. I mention him because he was runner-up here in 2018 and was third at the Open two years ago. Brandt Snedeker is 90-1. I mention him because even though he’s been playing not so well for awhile he is a two-time winner of this tourney. So, who knows. Jim Furyk is 100-1. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out the rest of the field. I’m having enough trouble just dealing with this many names. It happens.
I think Day deserves an obvious look, based on what he’s done here. But he hasn’t done anything yet this year, so tread carefully. He’s plus $450 to finish in the top five. That has to be worth something, right?
As for the others near the top of the list, Berger has a fifth and a 10th here in two starts. And Spieth did win here in 2017, when he was still Jordan Spieth. I might take a shot with Francesco Molinari, who is in good form, as they say. And he’s plus $500 for a top five, which might be more the way to go this week.
Another guy in the mid tier I would back at least a little is Kevin Streelman, at 35-1. He’s plus $750 for a top five. He’s had three straight top sevens. And he’s been in the top 20 at Pebble the last five years, including a second in 2020.
If you’re looking for something a little longer, I’d pluck a buck or two on Chez Reavie. Again, nothing too much. But he has a little bit of a track record at this place. And he’s 14-1 for a top five and half that for a top 10. So back up your investment.
Hope you cash a ticket or two. A little more money in the back account never hurts. See you next week, when we’ll try all over again.