2019 Desert Classic Odds, Preview & Picks

The PGA Tour returns from Hawaii for the 2019 Desert Classic, in the Coachella Valley in California. This tournament has had many different names over the course of its existence, such as the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the CareerBuilder Challenge. The tournament is unusual in that the cut comes after the third round, not the second. The first three rounds take place on PGA West Stadium Course, PGA West Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club, with the final round on Sunday at the Stadium Course, generally regarded as the most difficult. In the first three rounds, amateurs join in as the event is a Pro-Am. As you consider whether you should add this event to your golf betting for the weekend, take a look at the odds and our suggestions.

2019 Desert Classic Odds, Preview & Picks

2019 Desert Classic Odds

• Jon Rahm                                                                                                      +650
• Justin Rose                                                                                                   +900
• Patrick Cantlay                                                                                              +1600
• Charles Howell III                                                                                          +2000
• Adam Hadwin, Andrew Putnam                                                                  +2500
• Aaron Wise, Abraham Ancer, Chez Reavie                                               +3300
• Hudson Swafford, Luke List, Patton Kizzire,
• Phil Mickelson, Scott Piercy                                                                        +4000
• Kevin Kisner, Lucas Glover, Sung-Jae Im                                                 +4500
• Brian Harman, Daniel Berger, Peter Uihlein, Russell Knox,
• Ryan Palmer, Zach Johnson                                                                       +5000
• Beau Hossler, Charl Schwartzel, Corey Conners,
• JJ Spaun, Joaquin Niemann                                                                       +5500
• Brendan Steele, CT Pan, Danny Willett, Richy Werenski,
• Si Woo Kim                                                                                                    +6600
• Harold Varner III                                                                                            +7000
• Russell Henley                                                                                              +7500
• Bill Haas, Bud Cauley, Charley Hoffman, Chesson Hadley, Jason Dufner, Pat Perez                                                                              +8000
• Andrew Landry, Brian Gay, Denny McCarthy, Dylan Frittelli, Harris English, Martin Laird                                               +9000
• Anders Albertson, Anirban Lahiri, Chris Kirk, Graeme McDowell, Jamie Lovemark, Jhonattan Vegas, Nick Watney, Ryan Armour                                                                         +10000

Jon Rahm is the defending champion at the Desert Classic. Another reason to view him as the favorite is that par-5 scoring is an important metric here, and last season, Rahm came in fifth overall for birdies or better on par-5 holes. In the current season, he sits at #10 in strokes gained off the tee, so he should have a lot of birdie opportunities this weekend. Abraham Ancer won the Australian Open in December and picked up almost six strokes off the tee at the 2018 Desert Classic, about a full stroke better than Bryson DeChambeau, the next-best in that statistic. Ancer hit more than four out of five fairways — on the course that has the toughest fairways to find, while also staying in the top 20 for driving distance. Distance and accuracy are important at this tournament. Hudson Swafford has made nine out of his last 10 cuts and finished in a tie for 12th at the Canadian Open. He also tied for third at the Sony Open in Hawaii — and he won this event in 2017. At the Sony Open in Hawaii, he gained strokes off both the tee and approach in each round, gaining +8.1 strokes overall. Patrick Cantlay hasn’t made any appearances since his fifth-place finish at the Hero World Challenge. However, in this field he is third in strokes gained through the approach and off the tee over his last 36 rounds. He offers a lot more value than Rose or Rahm, making him a solid pick. Joaquin Niemann makes an interesting dark horse prediction. Despite the fact that he is only 19 years old, he had a terrific year in 2018, and low-key tournaments such as this one could be the right spot for him to make a splash — and make a lot of money for bettors. Aaron Wise was the 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He won the AT&T Byron Nelson running away and had top-20 finishes at three of the four playoff events for the FedEx Cup. He played at the Tournament of Champions, so he should be tournament ready. He gained 7.6 strokes at the Desert Classic last year and came in 17th. His putter comes and goes, but if that’s on, he should be right there on Sunday.