Opening Odds for Skins Game Reboot in Japan: McIIroy Favored to Earn Most Money, Tiger Given +175 Odds
By Chris Amberley in Golf
Updated: April 15, 2020 at 8:18 am EDTPublished:
- Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will headline a high stakes 4-man skins game in Japan this fall
- McIIroy has the shortest odds to earn the most money, followed closely behind by Woods
- Who is the best bet?
The PGA Tour is bringing back the skins game, and who better to headline the reboot than Rory McIIroy and Tiger Woods. The duo will tee off October 21st in Japan alongside Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama with big money at stake. McIIroy is the early favorite to earn the most money, followed closely behind by Tiger who’s never one a Skins game in seven career appearances.
Odds to Earn Most Money During Skins Game at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Rory Mcllroy | +150 |
| Tiger Woods | +175 |
| Jason Day | +400 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +600 |
*Odds taken 07/22/19
The structure of the event has yet to be announced, but assuming it follows a traditional skins game format, money will be awarded to the winner of each hole. If there are any ties, the money will be carried over to the following hole until someone claims the prize.
With four of the best players on the planet competing, par won’t be a good enough score to win, meaning whoever racks up the most birdies will have the best chance of coming out on top.
McIIroy Is a Deserving Favorite
When it comes to scoring, no one in the world is as proficient as McIIroy. Over the last 50 rounds he ranks first on the PGA Tour in birdies and eagles, and his scoring average is nearly a stroke better than anyone else in his foursome for this event.
Over a decade of @McIlroyRory.
?️?️?️?️?️?️?️?️?️?️?️
His swing 2009-2019: ⬇ pic.twitter.com/0aqId60Ia1
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2019
He ranks first on Tour this season in strokes gained tee to green, off the tee and ball striking, which will give him a huge advantage in this type of competition. While his opponents will be hitting mid to long irons into a lot of these greens, McIIroy will have scoring irons and wedges in his hands which should lead to better birdie opportunities.
As it stands, @McIlroyRory is putting together one of the best @PGATour seasons since strokes gained data began in 2004. pic.twitter.com/BbuuuTZ7YP
— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) July 17, 2019
His +150 odds are justified, but it’s hard to pull the trigger on such a short price given the talent in the group and the volatility of the sport. I wouldn’t fault anyone for backing him, but there’s another golfer available with nearly identical tee to green stats, and a much more favorable price.
Matsuyama Has Most Value
Hideki Matsuyama is basically Rory-lite when it comes to ball striking. He ranks third on Tour this season in strokes gained tee to green, second in approach and eigth in birdie or better percentage. Whether you look at the last 24, 50 or 100 rounds, he’s averaging more birdies per round than both Tiger and Day, and is only slightly behind Mcllroy.
Most birdies/eagles per round in majors since beginning of 2015 (minimum 15 rounds played in span):@BKoepka 4.34@JordanSpieth 4.20@JustinRose99 3.97
Hideki Matsuyama 3.87@XSchauffele 3.84— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) July 15, 2019
He’s the clear-cut number two scorer in this foursome, and being from Japan, he’ll have more knowledge and experience of Japanese style courses than the other three combined. His +600 odds are due to his lack of name recognition with the general public and not his talent, so grab the value while you can.
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
