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Developing Stories 📰

Rory McIlroy leads an impressive lineup at PGA National, marking one of the strongest fields to grace the course in recent memory. With its longstanding presence on the PGA Tour, PGA National offers a wealth of valuable data. However, notable changes have been made, particularly to the 10th hole, which has transitioned from a challenging par 4 to a reachable par 5, adding approximately 25 yards and easing its difficulty to par.

Historically, winning scores have hovered between 8-under-par and 11-under-par, though this week could see scores dip even lower, with the potential for a winner to finish as far as minus-15. Spanning 7,147 yards as a Par 71, PGA National poses a formidable challenge, featuring water hazards on 15 of its 18 holes, contributing to the high incidence of penalty strokes annually. Notably, the infamous "Bear Trap" presents one of the PGA Tour's toughest three-hole stretches.

Despite the advantage typically afforded to longer hitters, driving distance isn't paramount for success here, as evidenced by last year's event where the average drive barely surpassed 280 yards, among the lowest on the PGA Tour. Given the omnipresent water hazards, tight fairways, and numerous doglegs, golfers often opt for conservative club selections. The greens, while of average size at 7,000 square feet, boast bermudagrass and play at a brisk pace, around 12 on the stimpmeter, leading to a challenging 64% greens in regulation rate, resulting in ample scrambling opportunities.

In terms of ideal betting prospects, I favor golfers with strong approach and around-the-green skills, adept at avoiding bogeys, with experience in Florida conditions, proficiency on demanding courses, and a history of respectable finishes at this event.

All tournament winners .25U

Eric Cole +2200

JT Poston +2800

Shane Lowry +3000

Sepp Straka +4500

Tournament Props

JT Poston Top 20 +140

Chris Kirk -110 over Min Woo Lee

Eric Cole -130 over Tom Kim

Headlines 🚨

On This Day in Sport History: 1940 1^st televised basketball game Pitt beats Fordham 50-37,

1998 Mark Messier is 4^th NHLL player to get 1,600 points.

The Minnesota Vikings hire Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach, move Chris O’Hara to pass game specialist.

The Falcons release TE Jonnu Smith and gain $6.5 million in salary cap space.

The Chiefs cut Marquez Valdes-Scantling and clear up $12 million against their salary cap.

The NFL Competition Committee is going to pitch a kickoff rule change similar to the XFL model.

BYU ends the Kansas’ Jayhawks 19-game home streak winning 76-68.

On Monday, college basketball coaches expressed banning court storming due to safety concerns and legal impacts for athletes and students.

The St. Louis Cardinals sign long-term Giants infielder Brandon Crawford to a one-year contract.

After a decade long hiatus, Anthony Kim will return to golf playing LIV events.

Trends 📈📉 via Oddsshark

🎓🏀 #11 AUB at #4 TENN

• The total has gone OVER in 9 of Auburn's last 11 games when playing Tennessee

🎓🏀 PROV at #5 MARQ

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Providence's last 5 games when playing on the road against Marquette

🎓🏀 LOU at #10 DUKE

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisville's last 6 games when playing on the road against Duke

🎓🏀 OU at #8 ISU

• The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oklahoma's last 11 games when playing on the road against Iowa State

🎓🏀 #18 SC at TA&M

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of South Carolina's last 7 games when playing on the road against Texas A&M

🎓🏀 #14 BAMA at MISS

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Mississippi's last 8 games when playing at home against Alabama

🎓🏀 MINN at #13 ILL

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Illinois

Public Money 🤑 via VSiN at 9AMCT

🎓🏀 NCAAB

40% of bets and 69% of money is on OVER 154 MIZZ at UF

26% of bets and 49% of money is on PROV +11.5

44% of bets and 76% of money is on OVER 150 PROV at MARQ

27% of bets and 56% of money is on LOU +20.5

22% of bets and 53% of money is on OU +9.5

26% of bets and 47% of money is on UNDER 132 OU at ISU

34% of bets and 66% of money is on TA&M -5

20% of bets and 80% of money is on UNDER 134 SC at TA&M

21% of bets and 44% of money is on MINN +11

38% of bets and 63% of money is on OVER 156 ARI at ASU

🏀 NBA

57% of bets and 88% of money is on IND -6.5

27% of bets and 62% of money is on MEM +12

Future Odds 🔮 via Bovada Sportsbook

Picks 🔒

Butler -1.5 | St. John's, despite a recent win against Creighton, struggled with a 2-5 record in their last seven games, mainly against weaker opponents. Butler's size, including 6'10 Jalen Thomas and 7'1 Andre Screen off the bench, gives them an advantage, especially with their physical wings at home, making a win likely.

South Carolina +5.5 | The Aggies haven't been doing well lately losing to both Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Playing at home might give them a boost, but South Carolina's strong defense makes it hard for them to score which will allow SC to keep it close.

Clippers -3.5 | The Clippers have been struggling but they should bounce back to their top-level basketball they were playing a few weeks ago. With Powell getting more playing time and chances to score they're likely to win convincingly and cover the spread.