Opinion & Analysis

How Kings Are Made: The Next Big Little Thing On Tour

Published

11 years ago

Sep 20, 2013

If you are a frequent visitor of GolfWRX, you are probably a golfer on the constant search for an edge on the course. You peruse the different forums anxiously hoping to find that some little thing that you’ve convinced yourself will make the difference in your game. I know this because I’m wired the same way.

I’ve spent countless nights huddled up in the dark corners of this website reading, rereading and reading again some fresh insight on Ben Hogan’s “Five Lessons” that has me convinced by morning that I’ve figured out “the secret.” I’ve dedicated as much time to analyzing what Oakley lens is best for my sunglasses (G30 non-polarized by the way) as I did preparing for the SAT.

I’ve read reviews on golf bags, balls, clubs, shoes, shirts, pants, hats, belts, instructors, practice facilities and even sunblock (Banana Boat Sport Performance UltraMist seems to be a popular choice). The point is that I, and presumably most of you, partake in this excessively analytical and borderline obsessive-compulsive behavior for a very basic reason: As long as it’s within the rules, I will take advantage of every edge, no matter how small, if it helps me on the course.

With that context in mind, I would like to introduce you to a new product that could soon become the primary return when we inevitably search for “Best on-course snack:” KingMade Jerky. Now I’m guessing some of you may have already heard about this product either by reading through the GolfWRX thread on it, or Alan Shipnuck’s in-depth look at the company’s founder and backstory on Golf.com: http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tour-caddie-jeff-king-turns-pro-beef-jerky-business.

Rather than rehashing the content that is already out there (the thread is a great source for reviews and the column serves as an excellent primer on the company), I instead want to focus on the marketing hype surrounding KingMade Jerky and how it has the potential to turn into a hugely profitable operation.

When I think about the psychology behind marketing products to golfers, there are generally two very distinct strategies that have both proven to be effective in their own unique way, and I believe KingMade Jerky is in the rare position to capitalize on both of them. For lack of a better phrase I’ll call the first strategy “Play what the pros play,” which is based on the very basic principle that we, the consumer, will want to use the same product as people who are better than us, thinking “if it’s good enough for them then it’s certainly good enough for me.” This strategy is the very basis of sports marketing. It’s the reason why Jordan brand is so successful, the rationale that children use when they beg their parents to spend $200 on a pair of Lebron’s. To be perfectly honest, it’s also 100 percent the reason I own the same irons Tiger Woods players, a set of Nike blades.

As it relates to golf and specifically this website, it’s the underlying principle behind having a forum like “What’s In The Bag,” we may not always buy exactly what the pros play, but we still want to know what the “best of the best” are using. The club companies and equipment manufactures are well aware of this fact and they understand that by attaching themselves to successful tour players they are essentially buying credibility with a large portion of the consuming public.

I say “large portion” because GolfWRXers and other like-minded consumers tend to be less inclined to buy into the marketing hype and more likely to be skeptical of the inherent problem with paying players to use a certain products:

Is the athlete endorsing this product because it’s actually good, or are they simply doing it for the money?

More often than not, I think we can all agree it’s the money and not the efficacy of the product that serves as the driving force behind the large majority (read: 99.9 percent) of athlete endorsements. In light of this inescapable reality, the discerning consumer must turn to another resource to determine which product they should buy, which brings us to the second marketing strategy: crowdsourcing.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, “crowdsourcing” is the process of obtaining information about something by soliciting opinions/reviews from a large group of people. Examples of crowdsourcing include going on to Yelp to read reviews about a restaurant/hotel you plan on visting, checking out IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes to see what others think about a certain movie, and even logging into GolfWRX and (as I previously mentioned) researching what others believe to believe to be the best sunblock for the golf course.

While “play what the pros play” is dependent upon hype and big budget ad campaigns, crowdsourcing is a strategy that involves a conscious decision to eschew that traditional marketing model. Rather than relying on celebrity endorsements, crowdsourcing simply focuses on creating a great product with the hope and belief that enough positive reviews (on sites like Yelp, IMDB and GolfWRX) will yield a groundswell of popular support that will allow the product to earn the credibility that it needs without allocating a king’s ransom toward its marketing budget. Now that we have positioned the two strategies and shown how they both coexist in today’s marketplace, let’s think for a moment about how they specifically relate to us here on GolfWRX and what it means for KingMade Jerky (I promise you I’m getting there).

Humor me for a moment and engage in small exercise that I think will help make my point. (If you’re not already doing so) I would like you to take a second and picture the different assortment of clubs in your golf bag and think about how you came to the decision to buy each and every one. Why did you buy that driver? Was it because of the commercial that promised 16 more yards? Was it because you saw you’re favorite player using it? Maybe you took a bunch of different ones to the range/launch monitor and this one simply performed the best.

How about those irons? Were you sold by reading the glowing reviews of other GolfWRXers? Did Joe Kwok (whom I can’t say enough positive things about) fit you for them? Or are you a simply a brand loyalist who would never use anything else?

What was the thought process behind your wedges? Are you a Bob Vokey/Roger Cleveland disciple? Did you decide to stray from the pack and pick up a customized set from Scratch (no pun intended)?

And what about your putter? Did you buy a Scotty Cameron because that’s what all the good players at your club use? Or maybe you were looking for something cheap and you found a great deal on BST/eBay? Whatever the case may be (and believe me I’m not judging anyone here), there was definitely some sort of thought process that went into each of those decisions and, whether you like to believe it or not, they were all somewhat influenced by external forces ranging from big-budget ad campaigns to a simple user review. All of which brings us, at long last, to the topic at hand and how I believe KingMade Jerky can capitalize on all of this in it’s pursuit of becoming a profitable company.

First off, let’s tackle “play what the pros play,” or in this case, “eat what the pros eat” and understand how KingMade fits in here. If you follow golf closely and you are a one of the millions who use social media as a vehicle to connect with your favorite golfers then more than likely you have come across tweets such as these:

Furthermore, aside from the names listed above, our own Greg Moore has noted in the KingMade GolfWRX thread that other notable names such as Tiger Woods (who reportedly ate a whole 1 pound bag over nine holes at Firestone), Joe LaCava, Matt Kuchar, Scott Brown, Luke List, James Hahn and Scott Stallings all eat it as well.

Initially, the skeptic in me wanted to think that the buzz was a result of the fraternity-like bond between Tour players and caddies. Since KingMade was created by a PGA Tour caddy, weren’t all these guys just looking out for their own and trying to help out one of their buddies? But at a certain point the evidence becomes too overwhelming. I’m not saying these guys are greedy (I would be the exact same way), but it usually takes pretty decent sized check for PGA Tour players to so enthusiastically endorse a product and then broadcast their support to the hundreds of thousands of people that follow them. In this case, and we have to take them at their word, it appears that KingMade jerky has been able to accomplish the “holy grail” of celebrity endorsements: getting them to do it for free.

Just think about how much more powerful the message becomes once you know that these pros aren’t being paid for their support. In fact, let’s juxtapose KingMade’s marketing message with what I believe to be one of the more poorly conceived corporate partnerships on tour: Jim Furyk and 5 Hour Energy.

Sports Business Daily estimates that 5 Hour Energy pays Furyk somewhere in the range of the “high six figures to low seven figures” to feature their logo on his hat. While I certainly understand the rationale behind getting the air time that goes along with being affixed to a prominent tour player’s head, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a consumer who walks into a convenience store looking to buy 5 Hour Energy simply because Jim Furyk uses it (if anything I think it’s had the opposite effect as I’m sure most of us have heard some variation of the “I bet he wishes it was 5 1/2 Hour Energy” jokes after one of Furyk’s unfortunate late-round collapses). The point is that when we watch Jim Furyk in one of those goofy commercials, we know he isn’t endorsing the product because he really loves it. He’s doing it for the money, which is totally fine except for the fact that it devalues the message.

On the other hand, we have KingMade jerky, whose message and credibility becomes exponentially more powerful with each and every uncompensated celebrity endorsement. It’s an important distinction that may go unnoticed at first, but one I’m sure Jeff King and his team are profoundly aware and appreciative of it. While it appears KingMade has already achieved and presumably exceeded their goals as it relates to “play what the pros play,” in order for them to capitalize on that success they are going to need to experience similar success in the realm of crowdsourcing. As of this writing, KingMade currently has 678 Twitter followers, 851 “Likes” on Facebook, and a 77-post thread on GolfWRX with user reviews ranging from: “This is by far the best jerky out right now,” to “Well worth the price” to “A bit underwhelmed….sorry but not as good as advertised.”

Clearly this is the space where KingMade needs to make up the most ground. Obviously no product will ever be able to garner 100 percent support from 100 percent of consumers, but they definitely need to do everything they can to expand their reach (particularly on social media) so that there are more mouths to spread the (hopefully good) word.

While I have never tried the product and therefore I cannot speak to whether or not it lives up to the lofty expectations set by the tour players we just talked about, I will tell you that this is not a company that I would bet against. For starters, I don’t believe that that many influential people would go out of their way to support a product (or a friend) for free without truly believing in it. So with that in mind let’s work off of the premise that KingMade has managed to create a very solid product.

Here’s what I see happening in the coming months: We will continue to see PGA Tour players and influencers tweet about the product as they continue to try and help out a member of their fraternity and that will continue to build the brand’s awareness certainly among hard-core golfers and eventually among more casual fans as well.We will also start to see KingMade popping up on the television coverage every once in awhile, may in the way of a player’s towel as seen here:

A Kingmade Jerky towel on PGA Tour player Scott Brown’s bag.

Or perhaps we might even catch Tiger, GMac, Rickie, or Kuch devouring a bag during a stoppage in play. The more examples we get of this, the more you are going to see people Googling “What was Rickie Fowler eating on the seventh tee” or tweeting at Golf Channel’s Tiger Tracker asking him, “What was that snack El Tigre just pulled out of his bag?” These may seem like trivial examples, but in this day in age it’s how nascent brands with little-to-no advertising budget get built. Outside of the PGA Tour, I think you are going to start see “in the know” golfers breaking out bags of KingMade at your local course, which will inevitably lead to questions from the rest of the foursome, a sample piece or two, and if it’s agreeable to them, a new customer.

If you consider yourself a “stick” or at least someone who wants to look like a good golfer, think about how quickly some other similar products have spread like wildfire and become ubiquitous at amateur tournaments. Have you ever seen a commercial for how driveway markers can be used as alignment aids? I doubt it, but you have seen tour players and other really good amateurs with those orange rods sticking out of their bag, so you went and got one too (I know I did).

What about Amino Vital energy drink? I’ve personally never seen the product advertised on television, but I went and bought some because I saw it all over tour player’s towels and I wanted whatever edge they were getting. How about something as simple as the “Player’s Towel”? Up until a couple of years ago, all the good players I knew were still using those cheap hotel towels. You know, the ones that are a little shorter than normal with the little lines in them. Then, all of a sudden, I played with a guy in a tournament who was using a Player’s Towel. I thought it looked cool, so I asked him about it and then went and bought one. And I wasn’t the only one. The next thing I knew, they were everywhere. It’s a fascinating cycle where these smaller, usually more expensive, boutique-type products basically go viral within the golf community and they blow up and become profitable companies.

One of the best parts of being a member of the GolfWRX community is having the ability to learn about these companies in their infancy, watching them grow up before your very own eyes and rooting for the good people behind the scenes during the entire process (and let’s be honest it’s also fun to be the guy in your group whose always ahead of the game, like getting in early on a successful IPO). Off the top of my head, besides the ones I previously listed, I can think of several examples of companies like these who have gone on to experience some serious success in the industry: Byron Morgan, Scratch, KBS, Jones Golf Bags, Stitch and Iliac Headcovers… the list goes on and on.

KingMade is easy to dismiss because it’s “just” a snack company, but if we are willing to invest the time and energy to find the right Oakley lens or best sunblock, shouldn’t we care just as much about our on-course nutrition? If I was a betting man I’d wager that we will. In the eternal pursuit of every edge, there is no detail too small and no rock that should go left unturned. If I’m going to have a snack on the course, then I want to have the BEST snack. And if KingMade is as good as they say it is, then I’ll bite, hook, line and sinker.

To paraphrase the motivational speech that Al Pacino delivers toward the end of Any Given Sunday, life (and golf) is a game of inches, which is why it’s time for me to wrap up this column. The UPS guy is at the door. He just arrived with my sample pack.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle

Published

1 day ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.

Past Winners at Harbour Town

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
2019: CT Pan (-12)
2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
2016: Branden Grace (-9)
2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
Tom Hoge (+1.27)
Corey Conners (+1.16)
Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
Cameron Young (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

Brice Garnett (88.8%)
Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
Sepp Straka (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
Brian Harman (+1.89)
Sungjae Im (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
Taylor Moore (+1.02)
Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
Andrew Putnam (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
Corey Conners (+69.0%)
Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.

Course History over past 24 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
Cam Davis (+2.05)
J.T. Poston (+1.69)
Justin Rose (+1.68)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

Shane Lowry
Russell Henley
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Corey Conners
Wyndham Clark
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Matt Fitzpatrick
Cameron Young
Ludvig Aberg

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi: The 6 biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters

Published

1 day ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The 2024 Masters offered up plenty of excitement throughout the week with Scottie Scheffler delivering when it mattered to live up to his pre-tournament favorite tag. With the year’s opening major now in the books, here are my six biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters.

Scheffler In a League of His Own

In the most impressive way possible, Scottie Scheffler won the Masters without having his absolute best stuff. For the week, Scottie ranked 19th in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is a category the number player in the world typically dusts the rest of the field in. After a strong approach day on Thursday, the 27-year-old lost strokes to the field on approach on Friday and Saturday, before gaining on Sunday. The iron performance was more than solid, but it was an all-around game that helped Scheffler get it done around Augusta National.

For a year or more, the narrative around Scheffler has been, “With his ball striking, if he can just putt to field average, he’ll be unbeatable.” At Augusta, his ball striking came back down to earth, but his touch around the greens and ability to manage the golf course demonstrated why he is the best player on the planet right now. For the week, Scheffler ranked 1st in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 24th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

For the time being, there is a major gap between Scottie Scheffler and the second-best player in the world, whoever that may be.

The Future is Now

Ludvig Aberg went into his first back-nine at the Masters with a legitimate shot to win the tournament. When he teed it up on the treacherous 11th hole, he was one behind Scottie Scheffler, who had just stuck one to a few feet on the 9th. By the time he approached his tee shot, which was perfectly striped down the left side of the fairway, he was two behind. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old got too aggressive with his approach at the 11th and found the water, making double bogey. Ludvig rebounded nicely and finished the event in solo second place.

With the Masters now in the rearview, it’s never been more evident that Ludvig Aberg is no longer an “up-and-comer” — he has arrived. The Swede has been an integral part of a winning European Ryder Cup team and has now contended at Augusta National. With a calm demeanor, a picture-perfect swing, and a build and stature that appears as if it was built in a lab, Ludvig Aberg is already amongst the world’s best. I’d be extremely surprised if he wasn’t in the mix at next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Nostalgia Wins

I try to avoid as many cliches as possible, but there’s something about the Masters that brings out the sentimentality in me. Tiger Woods strategically making his way around Augusta National without all of the physical tools that made him arguably the most dominant athlete in the history of sports will always be riveting, regardless of what score he shoots. Woods made it interesting until a tough stretch of holes on Saturday, but he ultimately wore down, shooting 16 over for the week in difficult conditions. It’s remarkable that the 15-time major champion was able to put together a few solid rounds of golf despite barely playing any competitive golf in 2024. As long as Woods tees it up at Augusta, we will all continue to be mesmerized by it.

Verne Lundquist’s 40th and final Masters Tournament was also a must-watch aspect of the event. The iconic voice of Lundquist and his calls throughout the years still give me chills each time I hear them. Verne is an icon of the game and will be missed in future renditions of the Masters.

The Masters also brings another element that is unique to the tournament. Former champions turn back the clock to battle with the golf course again which creates some amazing stories. There are a few that stick out this year and were an absolute pleasure to witness. 61-year-old Vijay Singh made the cut for the first time since 2018 and shot a pretty incredible even-par, 72 on Sunday. 58-year-old José María Olazábal made the cut as well, reminding us why fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm sought his valuable advice prior to his Masters victory in 2022.

Regardless of who wins, the Masters always delivers.

Bryson Moves the Needle

Plenty will disagree with me on this point, but outside of Tiger Woods, and potentially Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, no one moves the needle in golf as much as Bryson DeChambeau. The uniqueness in which Bryson approaches the game has always been fascinating, and if he gets near the top of the leaderboard at any major championship, whether it’s to root for him or against him, people are interested.

It began on Monday with a pretty bizarre story of DeChambeau using 3D-printed irons that got just got cleared for use by the USGA when the week began. It once again felt like a storyline that would only be possible with a character as eccentric as Bryson. He then raced off to a first-round lead in tough conditions, reminding the world of what made him such a great golfer to begin with. He made some mistakes on the weekend, but still finished a career best T6 at The Masters.

Bryson is more than just quirky; he is a former U.S. Amateur Champion and U.S. Open who I believe will contend for more majors in the future. I will continue to root for DeChambeau, but I’m perfectly content with the fact that plenty will root against him, and I encourage those people to do so. That’s what makes it fun.

LIV Walks Away Empty-Handed

Last year, there were a multitude of questions about LIV players coming into the year’s first major. They had played very limited tournament golf, and critics of LIV questioned whether the 54-hole events were enough to sharpen the players enough to compete against the best in the world on the biggest stage.

The results were fascinating, with LIV players all over the leaderboard. Brooks Koepka held the 36- and 54-hole lead, with Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed finishing T2 and T4, giving LIV three golfers in the top-4 of the leaderboard.

This season, with even more time removed and with some more massive additions to the roster, the intrigue surrounding LIV players at Augusta was once again palpable. While some players, including Bryson DeChambeau, exceeded expectations, I can’t help but walk away from the Masters feeling underwhelmed by the performance of the LIV players.

Brooks Koepka finished runner-up last season and is a certified major championship killer. The 5-time major champ was never involved and simply didn’t have it at Augusta. Dustin Johnson put together a putrid performance, shooting 13 over for his two rounds, making it fair to wonder if his days of contending at major championships are over as he rapidly approaches his 40th birthday.

Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann were both players who were amongst the favorites this week, but Rahm was faced with the daunting duties of defending champion and Niemann proved he was still not quite ready to master the quirks of Augusta National, bleeding strokes both around and on the greens.

To be fair, when all was said and done, LIV had four players in the top twelve at The Masters. Tyrrell Hatton stormed the leaderboard early on Sunday, finishing T9 and earning himself an invite back to Augusta next season. Cam Smith and Patrick Reed put together gritty performances, which isn’t too surprising considering the fact that they both absolutely love Augusta National, but neither ever felt a real threat to win. There’s no doubt the players on LIV are good, and that’s why some encouraging leaderboard positions aren’t enough. They needed to contend.

With no players part of the storyline on Sunday, I view the first major of the year as a disappointment for LIV. The players will head into next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla with a lot to prove.

Rory’s Struggles Continues

Rory struggling at Augusta National is no surprise at this point. The four-time major champion has now had 10 attempts to complete the career grand slam and has never had a chance to win. His T2 in 2022 was deceiving, the Northern Irishman stormed the leaderboard on Sunday, but was never in contention, and never got within three shots of the winner, Scottie Scheffler.

I didn’t expect Rory to win, but I have to admit that this year felt a bit different. McIlroy played the week prior to the Masters, which he typically doesn’t do, and finished third at the Valero Texas Open. He gained 7.56 strokes on approach and 2.0 strokes off the tee, which told me that his visit with world-renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, after the Players Championship paid dividends.

McIlroy also approached the media quite differently. He cut his pre-tournament press conference short after only 10 minutes and seemed to be laser-focused on just playing golf.

Despite the different approach to the Masters, the results were the same. McIlroy struggled over the course of the week, finishing T22 (+4) and never sniffed a decent weekend position on the leaderboard. It’s back to the drawing board for McIlroy, and I have doubts that he will ever figure it out at Augusta.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi: The 8 best prop bets for the 2024 Masters

Published

1 week ago

Apr 9, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

We’ve finally reached The Masters and excitement is at an all-time high. The world of golf has been fractured for the better part of two years, but for a week at Augusta National, all of the outside noise will disappear. All of the best players in the world will be together seeking to make history.

RELATED: Vincenzi’s 2024 Masters betting preview: Niemann to play star role at Augusta National

In addition to betting on The Masters champion. This is one of the few weeks of the year where there are so many more markets to explore, with value to be had in plenty of different categories.

Throughout this article, I’ll discuss all of my favorite props and players for the 2024 Masters.

Placement Bets:

Tony Finau Top 5 +750 (DraftKings):

I badly wanted to include Tony Finau in my outright betting selections, but I simply ran out of room on my card. Additionally, it’s slightly difficult to see him hitting the putts necessary to win the Masters on back nine on Sunday. However, I do strongly believe he will play great golf this week at Augusta National.

In his past 24 rounds, Finau ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Approach is always amongst the best drivers of the golf ball in the game. Back in 2019, Finau had a great chance to win The Masters. I expect him to be hanging around over the weekend once again in 2024.

Gary Woodland Top 20 +550 (DraftKings), Gary Woodland to make the cut -110 (DraftKings):

Last season, Gary Woodland had his best ever finish at The Masters in his eleven tries. The 39-year-old finished T14 and played incredibly steady across all four rounds.

In Woodland’s most recent start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, he struck the ball incredibly well. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (+8.8) and Strokes Gained: Ball Striking (+10.0).

Gary has been working with Butch Harmon and absolutely flushing the ball both in tournaments and during practice.

Woodland appears to be healthy once again and in a great place physically and mentally. If he can build off his impressive performance at Augusta last year, he can place inside the top ten in 2024.

Additionally, the make the cut number on Woodland seems generous considering the number of players who miss the cut will be relatively small this week. Woodland is striking it well enough to make the cut even if he’s hindered by a balky putter once again.

Thorbjorn Olesen Top 20 +400 (FanDuel):

The Thunder Bear, Thorbjorn Olesen, made his Masters debut in 2013 and finished an incredibly impressive T6 for the week. In the two additional starts he’s made at Augusta National since then, the Dane has continued to be incredibly solid, finishing T44 and T21.

This week, Olesen heads into the week playing some good golf. He gained 3.8 strokes on approach and 5.52 strokes around the green at last week’s Valero Texas Open on his way to a strong T14 finish. Back in January, he won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour.

Olesen has the skill set to be successful at Augusta and seems primed for a good performance this week.

Top Nationalities:

Sergio Garcia Top Spanish Player +280 (DraftKings):

I believe Sergio Garcia can get into contention this week with the way he’s striking the ball in addition to his good vibes with a refurbished version of the Scotty Cameron that he used at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah.

I am slightly concerned about the emotional letdown he may face after losing in a playoff at LIV Miami, but I believe a veteran and former Masters champion should be able to regroup and focus on an event far more meaningful.

This is essentially a tournament head-to-head with Jon Rahm at +280. While Rahm deserves to be respected this week, the history of the lack of success of defending champions at The Masters is difficult to ignore.

Joaquin Niemann Top South American Player -230 (FanDuel):

While I hate paying this much juice, I don’t see a world in which Joaquin Niemann isn’t the top South American this week at The Masters. Joaco comes in playing better golf than anyone in the world not named Scottie Scheffler and has a serious chance to win the green jacket.

He only needs to beat two players: Emiliano Grillo and Camilo Villegas.

Tournament Head-to-Heads:

Justin Thomas -110 over Collin Morikawa

JT isn’t having his best season but is playing a lot better than he is getting credit for at the moment. In the past three months, there are only six players on the PGA Tour who have averaged 1.7 Strokes Gained: Tee to Green or better. Justin Thomas (+1.7) is one of the six and is currently tied with Rory McIlroy (+1.7).

Morikawa, on the other hand, has been extremely poor with his irons, which is incredibly uncharacteristic for him. I can’t help but feel like something is completely off with the two-time major champion.

Tony Finau -110 over Wyndham Clark

I explained in the placement section why I’m so high on Tony Finau this week. With how well he’s striking the ball, it seems as if his floor is extremely high. I’m not sure if he can make the putts to win a green jacket but I believe he will be in the mix similarly to 2019 when Tiger Woods emerged from a crowded pack of contenders.

Clark is a debutant, and while some debutants have had success at The Masters, it certainly poses a challenge. I also don’t believe Augusta National suits Clark as well as some of the other major championship venues.

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