The PGA CareerBuilder Challenge is the first tournament in the “West Coast Swing,” a set of tournaments that open the new year and predominantly in California thanks to the balmy weather. La Quinta Country Club, the NIcklaus Tournament Course and the Stadium Course are in use, with the first three rounds rotating among the three courses. After that, players go through a cut, and the last round takes place on the Stadium Course, measuring 7,300 yards. This is a tournament known for low scoring. Let’s take a look at some golf betting suggestions for you as you consider one of the first dates on the calendar.
2018 CareerBuilder Challenge Betting Preview
One of the favorites in this tournament is Jon Rahm, who has vaulted up to rank #3 in the international rankings, and who holds the top ranking in this tournament field. He was the runner-up at the Tournament of Champions a couple of weeks ago, and he made a name for himself by finishing in the top five regularly last year. Phil Mickelson will be teeing it up this year at the CareerBuilder Challenge as well. In 2016, he finished in a tie for third place. This is a Ryder Cup year — a year in which Mickelson always ups his game. He has his brother caddying for him and looks to be making his case to be included for the international competition. Patrick Reed has finished in the top ten each of his past two tournaments. He enters 2018 with a new deal from Nike, and he appears to have found some consistency that eluded him to some degree in 2017. Settling on a particular set of clubs seems to have helped him. Kevin Kisner has risen to the #27 ranking in the world and has finished in the top 25 in his last four tournaments — including two finishes in the top four. He’s the sort of player who can put up birdies in bunches and sinks clutch putts — the sort of player you don’t want just below you on the leader board. Patton Kizzire already has two wins on the young season after winning Sony, and so he may be a little fatigued this week. However, he’s one of those golfers who rides hot streaks. Jason Dufner tied for 11th at the Sony Open and tied for 18th at the Tournament of Champions. He has won the CareerBuilder Challenge in the past and could slip away with the trophy again this year. So what about sleepers? There’s Chesson Hadley, who finished strong in the PGA Tour play in the fall and then took the rest of the Web.com Tour to the woodshed. He’s already finished in the top four three times this season and looks to continue that play against a more advanced field. Webb Simpson can hit the ball well, and he played well last week — and Charles Howell III is in the same boat. Both of them have done well at the CareerBuilder Challenge in the past, so you could see them sneaking up near the top on Sunday. Chris Kirk has finished in the top 10 in each of his last two outings. The recent equipment change that he made appears to have helped him significantly. Then there’s Zach Johnson, who didn’t make the cut this past weekend but has the came to come out of nowhere and take a tournament like this. Then there’s Bill Haas. He hasn’t cracked a top ten anywhere since he tied for fifth at the U.S. Open in 2017, but he has played very well at the CareerBuilder Challenge. He won the whole thing in 2015 and tied for second in 2011, and he has four top 10 finishes overall since 2011. He has slid to #58 in the world since that solid finish at the U.S. Open, but this could be an event that helps him start climbing back up the ladder.Did you know, Arnold Palmer is the all-time wins leader here doing so five times over his illustrious career. pic.twitter.com/OyfWEFIMO0
— CB Challenge (@cbgolfchallenge) January 15, 2018
