LIV Golf Invitational Portland Picks

By Tom Wilkinson

The LIV Golf Tour gets back into action this week with the LIV Golf Invitational Portland beginning on Thursday. A few more big names have joined the Tour, so not only will you see Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, but you will also see Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed in action. Even though the LIV Tour is offering big money, not everyone is happy about the Tour coming to Portland. It should be an interesting few days of LIV action beginning on Thursday with Dustin Johnson listed as the 6-1 betting favorite. Let’s look at LIV Golf Invitational Portland picks.

Venue: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, just outside of Portland, will host this event. Both of the courses, Ghost Creek and Witch Hollow will be used. Ghost Creek is a par 71 that measures 6,839 yards, while Witch Hollow is a par 72 that measures 7,017 yards.

Even though Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club is hosting the event, not everyone is happy about it. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden spoke out against the tournament and North Plains mayor Teri Lenahan has come out against the event. Ten other mayors from surrounding cities have also voiced their opposition. Because the LIV Tour is a Saudi-backed event, some people are uncomfortable with the LIV Tour. “We oppose this event because it is being sponsored by a repressive government whose human rights abuses are documented. We refuse to support these abuses by complicitly allowing the Saudi-backed organization to play in our backyard,” said a letter signed by North Plains Mayor Teri Lenahan and 10 other mayors from surrounding cities.

Last Year: Inaugural Event

LIV Golf Invitational Portland Odds

Dustin Johnson 6-1

Louis Oosthuizen 10-1

Abraham Ancer 11-1

Talor Gooch 12-1

Brooks Koepka 12-1

Sergio Garcia 16-1

Bryson DeChambeau 16-1

Kevin Na 18-1

Patrick Reed 18-1

Pat Perez 22-1

Ian Poulter 24-1

Charl Schwartzel 25-1

Sam Horsfield 25-1

Branden Grace 28-1

Bernd Wiesberger 28-1

Matt Jones 33-1

Adrian Otaegui 33-1

Hennie du Plessis 33-1

Laurie Canter 33-1

Lee Westwood 35-1

Graeme McDowell 35-1

Justin Harding 35-1

Martin Kaymer 45-1

Scott Vincent 45-1

Peter Uihlein 45-1

Richard Bland 50-1

Hudson Swafford 65-1

Phil Mickelson 65-1

Shaun Norris 80-1

Sihwan Kim 80-1

Wade Ormsby 85-1

All of the other players are listed with odds of 100-1 or more.

Favorite

Dustin Johnson 6-1

If you follow my picks on the PGA Tour you will know that I don’t take golf betting favorites very often. Betting golf favorites is a losing proposition, as they simply don’t win that often. Johnson was favored in London and didn’t come through and I see no reason to back him in Portland. Oddsmakers have been slow to adjust, as Johnson is still listed as a big favorite. I’ll look elsewhere.

Value Picks

Louis Oosthuizen 10-1

The question for Oosthuizen is whether or not his best days are behind him. He turns 40 this year, but he is still ranked in the Top 30 in the world and we know he can win. It is also worth noting that a player with a very similar skill set, Charl Schwartzel won the first event in London. Could it be Oosthuizen who wins this week?

Abraham Ancer 11-1

I don’t think the news of Ancer joining the LIV Tour has gotten enough attention. I know he doesn’t have the huge name of Johnson, Mickelson, Koepka or DeChambeau, but he has played better than most of them this season. I think he could start off win a win this week.

Kevin Na 18-1

Another player who should do well on this tour is Na. He has the temperament to ignore all of the outside noise and go out and win. He enjoys shorter courses and these two courses just outside of Portland are not going to demand distance. I put Na into the same category as Ancer and it would not shock me to see Na win this week.

Matt Jones 33-1

It has been a good season for Jones and he has decided to take the huge step of joining the LIV Tour. He is going to make some noise in these events because the fields overall are not that strong. I definitely think Jones has a chance to win this week and we get odds of 33-1.

Check out the latest LIV Golf Invitational Portland odds at SugarHouse.