2021 PGA Tour Fortinet Championship 4th Round Odds, Preview and Picks
- Maverick McNealy and Jim Knous are tied for the lead after three rounds of the Fortinet Championship
- 25 golfers are within five shots of the lead in a jam packed leaderboard
- See the updated odds below for Sunday’s final round within the story below
Through most of the third round of the Fortinet Championship, second round leader Maverick McNealy had tumbled down the board following a poor front nine holes. However, the former #1 ranked amateur in the world fought back with a solid back nine to grab a share of the lead through 54 holes. He’s joined by Jim Knous, who is very much unheralded, having never led a PGA Tour event after any round in his career. He’s also had just one top-10 in his career on the main circuit, which came at this event in 2018.
Should they stumble, decorated golfers like Webb Simpson, who entered the tournament as the second favorite to win, could sneak up the board with a fantastic final day to snatch victory from two players who have never won on the biggest stage. 2021 PGA champion Phil Mickelson has the same score as the 2012 US Open champion Simpson, as they’re just four off the pace.
Read on to see the updated odds and the best bets heading into Sunday’s final round.
Updated 2021 Fortinet Championship Odds
| Golfer | Position | Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maverick McNealy | T-1st | -14 | +250 |
| Jim Knous | T-1st | -14 | +650 |
| Max Homa | T-3rd | -12 | +800 |
| Mito Pereira | T-3rd | -12 | +900 |
| Troy Merritt | T-3rd | -12 | +1200 |
| Scott Stallings | T-3rd | -12 | +1400 |
| Beau Hossler | T-3rd | -12 | +1600 |
| Talor Gooch | 8th | -11 | +1800 |
| Webb Simpson | T-9th | -10 | +2000 |
| Will Zalatoris | T-9th | -10 | +2200 |
| Harold Varner III | T-9th | -10 | +3500 |
| Si Woo Kim | T-9th | -10 | +3500 |
| Phil Mickelson | T-9th | -10 | +4000 |
| Patton Kizzire | T-9th | -10 | +4000 |
| C.T. Pan | T-9th | -10 | +5000 |
Odds as of September 18th at DraftKings
McNealy The Better Bet Over Knous
Considering Jim Knous has just one top-10 in 24 career PGA Tour events, and is playing to keep his tour card, the pressure will realistically be too much to overcome in the final round. Maverick McNealy, however, has been building toward his maiden PGA Tour title, having finished runner-up at Pebble Beach earlier in the year. He has the most birdies (20) through three days, and he’s fourth in strokes gained off-the-tee.
It’s really hard to trust either player, since they haven’t been this close to tasting success much in their respective careers. With a bunched leaderboard behind them ready to pounce, it’s hard to put much faith in either of the co-leaders at their current prices. However, as is reflected in the odds currently, McNealy is far more likely to get it done come Sunday evening than Knous.
2021 Fortinet Championship Best Live Value Picks
- Max Homa (+800): Heading into this championship, we were all over Max Homa as he had fantastic value at +6500 to win outright, so there’s no reason to deviate from that plan now. He birdied seven of his last ten holes on moving day to position himself just two behind. He’s fourth in birdies through three days (18), and is fourth in strokes gained tee-to-green. Homa, a two-time tour winner (including the 2021 Genesis Invitational), picked up over five shots on the field in that category Saturday.
- Webb Simpson (+2000): With the two co-leaders having never won a PGA Tour event, a seasoned veteran could post a low score on Sunday to steal the title. Webb Simpson is four behind, and was the second favorite this week. Last season, Webb was second best in final round scoring average, which bodes well for his chances to shoot up the board. He gained over four strokes on the greens Saturday compared to his competitors, and made eight birdies in a sizzling 7-under, 65.
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
