CareerBuilder Challenge Info

[TheGame]

Golfers to Bet - CB Challenge


Tournament: CareerBuilder Challenge
Date: Thursday, January 21st
Venue: PGA WEST TPC Stadium Course
Location: La Quinta, CA


The PGA Tour exits Hawaii and heads to California for the CareerBuilder Challenge on Thursday.


After playing back/back tournaments in Hawaii, the PGA golfers now head to La Quinta for the third event of the calendar year. This tournament is sure to be an exciting one as the past eight winners have shot 22-under or better.


A few guys that will be really excited to be back at this course are Bill Haas, Patrick Reed and Phil Mickelson. Both Haas and Mickelson are two-time winners at this event.


Haas was the champion a year ago, but Patrick Reed was the winner in 2014. His score of 28-under was the best score to ever be posted at this course in a 72-hole tournament.


While this field is void of guys like Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, there is plenty of talent to go around.


Let’s now take a look at who might be winning this thing on Sunday:


Golfers to Watch:


Patrick Reed (17/2) - As mentioned earlier, Reed has this course’s best score over a 72-hole period and that should not be taken lightly. He knows how to get it done in La Quinta and his odds are actually quite favorable for a tournament favorite. Reed also happens to be coming into this weekend in tremendous form. He has shot a -22 in back/back tournaments, finishing in second place at both the World Challenge and the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Reed is certainly worth putting a few units on this weekend.


Matt Kuchar (17/1) - Kuchar has never won the CareerBuilder Challenge, but he has been the runner-up in each of the years that Bill Haas came away as the champion (2001, 2015). This is the year he’ll be hoping that he breaks through to win the event, and he has as good of a chance as anybody. Kuchar knows this course extremely well and comes into this event after two solid outings. He has shot a 12-under at the past two events and is a good player to throw a unit or two on in this one.


Phil Mickelson (40/1) - Mickelson has not yet played in a tournament this season, but it’s hard to ignore his history at the CareerBuilder Challenge. As previously mentioned, Mickelson has already won this event twice in his career. His odds are extremely favorable at 40/1 and he should be very well rested considering he has not been playing. Mickelson is one of the best golfers to ever play and he is worth placing a unit on at a course he is very comfortable with.


Mark Hubbard (300/1) - If you’re looking for a sleeper at this tournament then look no further than Hubbard. Hubbard is getting absurd odds at 300/1 and he has looked quite good early in the year. He finished 7-under and t-56th at the Sony Open last week and 9-under and t-18th at the RSM Classic in November. Hubbard eagled twice at the Sony Open and if it weren’t for three double bogeys then he would have finished way higher up in the standings. If he can avoid costly mistakes like that then he could sneak his way to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.


Odds to win CareerBuilder Challenge -


Patrick Reed 17/2
Matt Kuchar 17/1
Zach Johnson 18/1
Bill Haas 26/1
Ryan Palmer 27/1
Kevin Na 30/1
Jason Bohn 40/1
Jason Dufner 40/1
Phil Mickelson 40/1
Webb Simpson 40/1
Charley Hoffman 45/1
Marc Leishman 45/1
Robert Streb 45/1
Brendan Steele 55/1
Charles Howell III 55/1
David Lingmerth 55/1
Matt Jones 55/1
Tony Finau 55/1
William McGirt 55/1
Zac Blair 55/1
Francesco Molinari 60/1
Graham Delaet 60/1
Jamie Lovemark 60/1
Luke Donald 60/1
Russell Henley 65/1
Daniel Summerhays 70/1
Billy Horschel 75/1
Cameron Tringale 75/1
Kevin Chappell 75/1
Patton Kizzire 75/1
Si Woo Kim 80/1
Smylie Kaufman 85/1
Anirban Lahiri 90/1
Brian Harman 90/1
Harold Varner III 90/1
Nick Watney 90/1
Will Wilcox 100/1
Freddie Jacobson 110/1
Jerry Kelly 110/1
Brendon de Jonge 120/1
Hudson Swafford 120/1
Jhonattan Vegas 120/1
Kyle Stanley 120/1
Ollie Schniederjans 120/1
Scott Brown 120/1
Steve Stricker 120/1
John Senden 130/1
Peter Malnati 130/1
Tim Clark 130/1
Sean OHair 140/1
Ben Martin 150/1
Brendon Todd 150/1
Chez Reavie 150/1
Jason Kokrak 150/1
Jeff Overton 150/1
Kevin Streelman 150/1
Lucas Glover 150/1
Robert Garrigus 150/1
Johnson Wagner 160/1
Martin Laird 160/1
Rory Sabbatini 160/1
Boo Weekley 180/1
David Hearn 180/1
Pat Perez 180/1
Chad Campbell 190/1
Greg Owen 190/1
Camilo Villegas 200/1
Alex Cejka 210/1
Geoff Ogilvy 210/1
Jim Herman 210/1
Scott Pinckney 210/1
Scott Stallings 210/1
Seung-Yul Noh 210/1
Derek Fathauer 220/1
John Huh 220/1
Kyle Reifers 220/1
Roberto Castro 230/1
Shawn Stefani 230/1
Bryce Molder 240/1
Stewart Cink 240/1
Blayne Barber 250/1
Carl Pettersson 250/1
Carlos Ortiz 250/1
Chris Stroud 250/1
Colt Knost 250/1
George McNeill 250/1
Hunter Stewart 250/1
Jason Gore 250/1
Jon Curran 250/1
Justin Leonard 250/1
Michael Kim 250/1
Michael Thompson 250/1
Ricky Barnes 250/1
Scott Langley 250/1
Spencer Levin 250/1
Tom Hoge 250/1
Troy Merritt 250/1
Aaron Baddeley 300/1
Adam Hadwin 300/1
Angel Cabrera 300/1
Ben Crane 300/1
Bo Van Pelt 300/1
Brian Davis 300/1
Chad Collins 300/1
D.J. Trahan 300/1
Jonas Blixt 300/1
Luke Guthrie 300/1
Mark Hubbard 300/1
Brett Stegmaier 350/1
Chesson Hadley 350/1
Mark Wilson 350/1
Rhein Gibson 350/1
Rod Pampling 350/1
Steve Wheatcroft 350/1
Thomas Aiken 350/1
Tim Wilkinson 350/1
Andres Gonzales 400/1
Brian Gay 400/1
Derek Ernst 400/1
Miguel Angel Carballo 400/1
Tyrone Van Aswegen 400/1
Whee Kim 400/1
Charlie Beljan 450/1
Dawie Van Der Walt 450/1
Erik Compton 450/1
Hiroshi Iwata 450/1
Lucas Lee 450/1
Nick Taylor 450/1
Sung Kang 450/1
Abraham Ancer 500/1
Andrew Landry 500/1
Andrew Loupe 500/1
Blake Adams 500/1
Brett Quigley 500/1
Bronson Burgoon 500/1
Bud Cauley 500/1
Chad Sorensen 500/1
D.A. Points 500/1
D.H. Lee 500/1
Darron Stiles 500/1
Dicky Pride 500/1
Henrik Norlander 500/1
Jarrod Lyle 500/1
Kelly Kraft 500/1
Luke List 500/1
Mark Brooks 500/1
Martin Piller 500/1
Rob Oppenheim 500/1
Robert Allenby 500/1
Sam Saunders 500/1
Shane Bertsch 500/1
Stuart Appleby 500/1
Tyler Aldridge 500/1
Wes Roach 500/1
Will MacKenzie 500/1
Xander Schauffele 500/1

[TheGame]

Re: CareerBuilder Challenge Info

10 Players to Watch: CareerBuilder Challenge
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange


1. Patrick Reed, United States -- Although he has not won since the Hyundai Tournament of Champions just over a year ago, Reed might be close to breaking through for his fifth PGA Tour victory since 2013. He has posted top-10 finishes in his last six starts around the world since late last year, including solo second in his title defense at Kapalua two weeks ago, although he finished eight strokes behind world No. 1 Jordan Spieth. Reed is playing in what his now the CareerBuilder Challenge for the fourth straight year and he won the tournament two years ago, when he started with three 9-under-par 63s and his closing 71 was good enough for a two-stroke victory over Ryan Palmer. He tied for 24th in his title defense last year.


2. Bill Haas, United States -- Haas opened 2015 by winning the last Humana Challenge, now the CareerBuilder Challenge, for the second time -- also having taken home the trophy in 2010. He closed with a 5-under-par 67 that included a 15-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole, before he took the lead for good with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 16 and salvaged a par after a poor drive on the last hole. That gave him a one-stroke victory over Charley Hoffman, Brendan Steele, Sung Joon Park of South Korea, Steve Wheatcroft and Matt Kuchar. Haas, whose father Jay claimed the title in 1998, also won it by one shot over Kuchar six years ago, and is coming off a tie for 18th in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions two weeks ago.


3. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Kooch is playing in what is now the Career-Builder Challenge for the eighth time, and although he has never won it, he has finished in the top 25 in each of his last six appearances. That includes tying for second twice, including last year, when he held the lead after opening with 65-64 before a 1-under-par 71 set him back in round three. Kuchar closed with a 67, but wound up one stroke behind Bill Haas. He also finished a shot behind Haas in 2010, despite a closing 65. Kuchar opened 2016 last week with a tie for 13th in the Sony Open in Hawaii, shooting 8-under 62 in round three to equal the low score of the week.


4. Zach Johnson, United States -- Zach is the second-highest rated player in the field this week at No. 11 in the World Golf Rankings behind No. 10 Patrick Reed, and can climb back into the top 10 with a strong performance. He is coming off a tie for ninth in the Sony Open in Hawaii after a disappointing tie for 21st in the limited field Hyundai Tournament of Champions. However, Johnson has a strong record in the California desert event, even though he missed the 54-hole cut for the first time last year by one stroke at 69-70-70. He has finished in the top 25 in each of his other appearances in the tournament, including a tie for third in 2014, when he closed with a 62 to wind up three shots behind winner Patrick Reed.


5. Si Woo Kim, South Korea -- The 25-year-old Kim has only one victory as a pro, in the Web.com Tour's 2015 Stonebrae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif., but he has started the 2015-16 season like this might be his year on the PGA Tour. After recording three top-25 finishes in the Fall portion of the wrap-around schedule, he was in the hunt virtually all the way last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii before finishing solo fourth, four strokes out of the playoff in which Fabin Gomez of Argentina defeated Brandt Snedeker. Kim, who has broken 70 in each of his last six rounds, is making his first appearance in what is now the CareerBuilder Challenge in the California Desert's Coachella Valley.


6. Jason Dufner, United States -- After going through a divorce and losing more than 20 pounds with a gluten-free diet, Duf is starting to play like the guy who captured the 2013 PGA Championship for his third and last PGA Tour victory. He has played well early in the 2015-16 season, with ties for ninth in both the RSM Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii last week, equaling his total of top-10s for last season. Dufner is making his seventh start in the old Bob Hope Classic, and although he missed the cut last year after opening with a 76, he tied for 12th with the help of a second round 63 in 2012 and tied for 18th in 2010, when he had a 64 in round three.


7. Graham DeLaet, Canada -- DeLaet got 2016 off to a solid start last week with a tie for seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii, bouncing back from a opening 3-over-par 75 with scores of 62-65-66. He's hoping to play the West Coast Swing the way he did two years ago, when he tied for second in both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open to give him four straight top-10 finishes. He will tee it up for the fourth time in the Coachella Valley event, with his best result a tie for 18th in 2010, when he closed with scores of 69-67-66. DeLaet is No. 145 in the World Golf Rankings after an injure-plagued 2015 and needs some high finishes to ensure a spot on the Canadian Olympic team.


8. Jason Bohn, United States -- Hoping to pick up right where he left off during the Fall portion of the PGA Tour's wrap-around schedule, Bohn will tee it up this week for the eighth time in what is now the CareerBuilder Challenge for the eighth time. He wrapped up 2016 by tying for third in the Frys.com Open, tying for second in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and losing out to Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland in a playoff at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. That came on the heels of a season in which he finished in the top 10 on six occasions, including ties for second in the Sanderson Farms Classic and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. His best result in the old Bob Hope Classic was a tie for 22nd in 2008.


9. Matt Jones, Australia -- Playing for the first time since holding off Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott to win the Australian Open late in November, Jones starts the year with his sixth appearance in the old Bob Hope Classic. His best result in the California Desert was a tie for eighth in 2010 and he also tied for 13th in 2014. The Aussie stumbled to a 76 in round one last year, then strung together scores of 67-64-68, but the damage was done and he tied for 41st. Jones showed even before his win in Australia two months ago that he could perform under pressure, chipping in for a birdie on the second playoff hole to beat Matt Kuchar for his only PGA Tour victory in the 2014 Shell Houston Open.


10. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Lefty starts 2016 with a new swing coach, Andrew Getson, and what he claims is a new swing plane as he tries to regain the form that has taken him to 42 victories on the PGA Tour, including 19 on the West Coast Swing. He has not won since the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield and will make another bid for the Career Grand Slam in the U.S. Open at Oakmont, but right now he just wants to get back. Mickelson is making his 11th start in the old Bob Hope Classic, which he won in 2002 in a playoff over David Berganio Jr., and again in 2004, in another playoff over Skip Kendall. He has two other top-10 finishes in the event, the last a tie for fifth in 2005.

[TheGame]

Re: CareerBuilder Challenge Info

PGA Tour Picks: CareerBuilder Challenge Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews


I took a much-needed vacation last week so didn't preview the Sony Open, the second and final tournament of the Hawaii Swing. And that's probably good I didn't because I guarantee you that I wouldn't have even mentioned in passing Fabian Gomez, who was the winner of the first full-field event of 2016.


Gomez, from Argentina, beat American Brandt Snedeker on the second playoff hole. Gomez deserved it considering he shot a final-round 8-under 62, which included a string of seven straight birdies at one point. He had 10 overall on the day, including on the par-5 18th to get into the playoff. He was four shots out of the lead when he began his round. The victory was the second of Gomez's career with his first at last season's St. Jude Classic. Gomez joins Roberto de Vicenzo, Jose Coceres and Angel Cabrera as multiple winners from Argentina on the PGA Tour. The win also gives a huge boost to Gomez's chances of playing for his country in the Rio Olympics later this summer.


So I have no betting recap for you from that one. For the opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions the week before, I didn't even like Jordan Spieth for a Top 10 as he admitted to being a bit burned out a few weeks ago. So of course he dominated with an eight-shot win. The 22-year-old already has seven Tour wins. Only Tiger Woods has won that many times before age 23. I did hit on all three Top-10 picks at the Hyundai: Dustin Johnson (my projected winner) Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka.


This week, the Tour begins the West Coast Swing with the longest tournament name on Tour, something right out of NASCAR: the CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Yeah, I'm not typing all that so we will just stick with CareerBuilder Challenge. It's held at PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif. Spieth is over in Abu Dhabi this week (Rickie Fowler too) and so are pretty much all of the top Europeans.


So I suppose the main story line here is the season debut of Phil Mickelson. Late last year, the struggling Lefty (he gets the capital L) dropped Butch Harmon as his swing coach after eight year and replaced him with Andrew Getson. The Aussie is an instructor at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., where many Tour pros belong. Getson played 10 years on various Tours around the world but never made the PGA Tour. Mickelson, a 42-time winner, hasn't won since the 2013 British Open and has just five Top-10 finishes since. He wasn't a factor in any of last year's final three majors. Mickelson has won every tournament that has been part of the West Coast Swing in his career. He won this tournament in 2002 & '04.


Expect plenty of scoring here. The last four winners (since it changed to four rounds from five) have shot 22 under, 28 under, 25 under and 24 under on the three courses this tournament is staged. All players finish Sunday on the Stadium Course (and play one of first three rounds there). The Nicklaus Tournament Course is making its first appearance in the rotation.


Last year this was called the Humana Challenge, and I correctly called Bill Haas as the winner. He finished with a two-putt par on the par-5 18th to win by a shot. Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, Sung Joon Park, Brendan Steele and Steve Wheatcroft all finished one shot back. Haas also won this tournament in 2010 for his first Tour victory.


Golf Odds: CareerBuilder Challenge Favorites


Patrick Reed is the +850 favorite. He won here in 2014 while setting the tournament record of 28-under 260 and was 25th last year. Reed was second in the Hyundai two weeks ago and didn't play the Sony. He has finished in the Top 10 in his past six events overall.


Kuchar is +1600. As noted above, he was one of those runner-ups last year. He finished 13th last week in Hawaii. Kuchar also was second here in 2010.


The favorites are rounded out by Zach Johnson (+1800), Haas (+2500) and Ryan Palmer (+2500). Johnson was ninth last week and 21st at the Hyundai. He missed the cut here last year but was third in 2014. You know Haas' track record here. He also was a playoff loser in 2011. Palmer was T13 last week and has Top 10s in his past three trips here, including a runner-up in 2014. Mickelson is +3300 if you are wondering.


PGA Tour Picks: CareerBuilder Challenge Expert Betting Predictions


For a Top-10 finish, I'm going with Reed (-120), Palmer (+250) and Haas (+260). Don't see it happening with Lefty (+300). Head-to-head, I like Jason Bohn (-110) over Webb Simpson (-120), Jason Dufner (-115) over Robert Streb (-115), Haas (-105) over Johnson (-125), Billy Horschel (-115) over Luke Donald (-115), Reed (-135) over Kuchar (+105), Kevin Na (-115) over Mickelson (-115), and Steele (-115) over Marc Leishman (-115).


Go with Reed at +700 as the top American and John Senden at +600 as top Australian. I'm throwing some long-shot money on Charley Hoffman at +4000 to win because he won here in 2007 and was second last year. But Reed is my main guy.