When one week in Las Vegas just isn?t enough, the PGA Tour gives us the premier event of the "Vegas Swing" this week as the game's elites tee it up for the 2021 CJ CUP at Summit from The Summit Club.
Tourney / Course Overview
This will be the first time the TOUR hosts an event at this course, and I would not be surprised if some 72-hole scoring records are threatened. This Tom Fazio-designed 7,431-yard Par 72 offers four straightforward Par 5s, along with two or three Par 4s that most players can drive should they choose to try. Collin Morikawa is a member here, holding a course record 62 until it was recently broken by another PGA Tour player -- Maverick McNealy. Another thing to keep in mind for this week is that there is no cut in the event.
The Picks
My strategy for these elite, no-cut events is to stick to the middle- and top-tier players, as the cream rises typically to the top on Tour. I will take a shot with one guy a little farther down the board who is no stranger to making birdies in bunches, and that is Cameron Davis (+9000). The 26-year-old Aussie really came into his own last season, in contention on numerous occasions on the weekend and finally breaking through at the Rocket Mortgage for his first win. He was 22nd in birdies and second in eagles, so if getting near 30-under-par is what is needed this week, he is worth a small play on the outright.
I will also be backing the other Australian named Cameron in the field this, as I find 34-1 to be incredible value on Cam Smith. He ranks second in Birdies-or-Better rate in this field over the last 50 rounds, and it shouldn't come to much surprise that he also is sixth in the field in putting on Bentgrass over the same time frame. There are not many out there that roll the rock as good as the mullet king, and a win in Las Vegas seems about right for this fun-loving rising star.
For my pick at the top of the board, I like the chances of Viktor Hovland (+2700) to record his signature win to date at this course. Hovland grades out favorably on "easy" courses that are longer in distance, as he always dials up his long irons better than almost everyone else that is out there. It was this time in the schedule where Viktor put together his best string of results last year (1-31-2-5-2 beginning at the Mayakoba), so look for him to come out gunning in the desert.
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The Card
Cameron Davis Top 10 (+850)
Cameron Davis Outright (+9000)
Cameron Smith Top 5 (+700)
Cameron Smith Outright (+3400)
Viktor Hovland Outright (+2700)
All PGA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid
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