The PGA heads to Detroit Golf Club this week for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The layout favors strong iron players who can give themselves birdie opportunities. Last year’s winner, Tony Finau, shot 26-under. Strike the ball well and make birdies. That’s the formula to win. Here’s one wager to make in the head-to-head market. These bets are 14-8-2 with a majority being plus-money wagers. The ROI has been solid. Let’s keep it going.
Mark Hubbard +115 vs. Byeong-Hun An
Birdies are the name of the game this week. Hubbard is ninth in the field for birdie or better percentage, which is a statistic that shows the percentage of time a player successfully putts for a birdie or eagle. That stat alone is reason to back a player getting plus-money value. Hubbard is volatile off the tee, losing strokes in five of his last seven tournaments. However, he makes up for it with his iron shots, ranking fourth-best in the field on approach behind big names like Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama and Tony Finau. The recipe is there for Hubbard to at least make the cut if not be at least a top-20 contender. He’s gained strokes from tee to green in six of his last eight events, resulting in five top-30 finishes including in the RBC Canadian Open.
If the reason for backing Hubbard is putting, the reason to fade Byeong-Hun An is putting. He’s lost strokes in five straight tournaments, including four strokes to miss the cut in the Wells Fargo Championship and five strokes in the Charles Schwab Challenge. It’s not just that he’s losing strokes, Byeong-Hun An is losing a lot.
In a tournament where birdies matter, this could be the key factor for this head-to-head matchup.