2 Golfers to Fade at the 2022 Sony Open
The second leg of the PGA Tour's Hawaii swing, the Sony Open, is set to tee-off tomorrow.
I've already given you my betting preview and best bets, as well as a few dark horse picks for those of you who want to back a long shot, but now it's time to discuss a few golfers you should consider fading this weekend.
Whether you simply don't bet on these names, or if you decide you want to bet against them in a tournament head-to-head wager, here are a few golfers that are fade-worthy at this week's Sony Open.
Cameron Smith
This one is a bit of a hot take, as Cameron Smith's dominant win at last week's Tournament of Champions will make you think he's going to be on fire again this week. Oddsmakers agree with that sentiment, as he's set as the betting favorite at WynnBET to win the Sony Open.
With that being said, winners don't typically perform as strongly the week after a win. Whether it's due to getting little to no rest after celebrating a big win, or if it's just that their mind is still on last week, but winning two weeks in a row has always been a challenge.
Not only that, but Smith's style of play doesn't fit this course like it did the Plantation course last week. The Tournament of Champions has wide open fairways that are forgiving for average drivers of the golf ball, but the Sony Open is the complete opposite, and placement off the tee is paramount. He's 90th in the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained: off-the-tee.
One of my favorite head-to-head matchups at WynnBET this week is Webb Simpson at +120 (bet $100 to profit $120) against Smith.
Jason Kokrak
Jason Kokrak has become a popular name amongst golf bettors over the past year or so, and he already has a win in the 2022 season, having clinched the Houston Open in November.
Even with that being the case, I'd advised betting against him this week.
He finished dead last in last week's tournament of champions, losing strokes in all four main statistics. He was especially bad with his putter, losing 1.31 strokes per round on the field. Those are the kind of issues that typically don't get fixed in a matter of days.
He's also not found any real success at the Sony Open in his career. He's made the cut in every start, but his best finish was a 17th placing back in 2015. He finished 56th here last season.
If you want to bet against him this week, WynnBET is offering Billy Horschel in a head-to-head against him. You can grab Horschel at intriguing odds of -120.