LIV Golf: Las Vegas Betting Tips
There is sure to be a raucous atmosphere in Sin City this week with the second LIV Golf event of the season taking place at Las Vegas Country Club, Nevada.
With Super Bowl LVIII taking place just a few miles down the road at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, the 54 players participating at Las Vegas CC will be hoping to provide a spectacle worthy of leading into the NFL's showpiece game.
Chilean Joaquin Niemann claimed the spoils in the season-opener at Mayakoba, beating Sergio Garcia in a pulsating play-off, while Jon Rahm's newly-formed Legion XIII were the winning team in Mexico.
With another $4million on offer for the individual winner, there is sure to be plenty of thrills and spills in Las Vegas on a weekend where sport really does take centre stage.
Major champions circling
While it was Niemann that took the honours last week, it is worth noting that a number of major champions were close in behind him and those big guns will be hoping for success in Las Vegas.
Garcia, Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith all ended up in the top 10 and that quintet could be dangerous if they bring their A-games.
Spanish ace Rahm, one of the newest members of LIV Golf, is the one who will perhaps have more to prove after he faded away when in contention in Mexico.
The 2021 US Open champion bogeyed his last two holes to end up two shots off the pace and he will be desperate to make amends for that poor finish. He is the 4/1 favourite to triumph in Nevada.
Smith is priced at 12/1, just ahead of 14/1 Koepka, while Johnson is available at 16/1 and Garica is 20/1 to go one step better.
Tip 1 - Louis Oosthuizen to win and each-way @ 20/1
The first player to watch out for this week is South African Louis Oosthuizen, who kicked off his 2024 LIV campaign with a tied-eighth finish in Mayakoba and he looks a big price at 20/1 to claim the spoils in Sin City.
His best round came on the final day in Mexico, as he shot a four-under-par 67, and the 41-year-old will be eager to keep that momentum going in Las Vegas.
Oosthuizen was in tremendous form leading into the LIV opener, having recorded back-to-back victories on the DP World Tour at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Mauritius Open.
The 2010 Open champion appears to be in the groove and he should relish this tee-to-green assignment at Las Vegas CC, with tree-lined fairways and water hazards making for a difficult test.
Tip 2 - Dean Burmester to win and each-way @ 20/1
Another South African priced at 20/1 is Dean Burmester and it would be no surprise to see him challenging towards the top of the leaderboard for the second week running.
The 34-year-old claimed a share of third place alongside Rahm in Mexico, the duo ending up two shots behind Niemann and Garcia, and another strong performance looks likely in the desert.
Like his compatriot Oosthuizen, Burmester was also ripping it up on the DP World Tour prior to the Mayakoba outing, clinching back-to-back titles at the Joburg Open and South African Open Championship.
Also a 10-time Sunshine Tour winner, the world number 94 has been playing solid golf since switching to LIV last year, with two top-fives and three top-10 finishes recorded in 2023.
Burmester has all the assets to thrive in Las Vegas and he should be in the mix again.
Tip 3 - Tyrrell Hatton Leader After Round 1 @ 16/1
Away from the outright market, there looks to be good value in the Leader After Round 1 section and backing Tyrrell Hatton to set the pace after the opening 18 holes could prove to be a shrewd bet.
The Englishman's switch to LIV was confirmed only a couple of days before the season-opener in Mexico and he looked on course for a poor debut, having carded rounds of 72 and 70 to sit on level-par.
However, the 32-year-old was jolted into action on the final round as he signed for a seven-under-par 64 to finish in a share of eighth place, helping Legion XIII take the team prize.
Having had a few days to settle with his teammates since Mayakoba, Hatton looks capable of keeping that form going and making a hot start in Las Vegas.