The Open and 2H MLB Preview
58 days till NFL Kickoff
Let us preface this by reminding you all that we here at The Degenerate have not hit a golf bet all fucking year! So, with that said, fade us at your own risk.
We. Are. DUE! (copy/pasted from last 5 newsletters on golf bets)
First order of business – what the fuck is this tournament called? The Open? British Open? We’re confused. Phil Mickelson said either is acceptable, and since he’s the man whatever he says goes. We will just go with…The Open.
What should you know about…The Open? It’s the oldest tournament in the world. This years is held at Royal St Regis links course. You’re probably asking yourself another question – what does “links” mean? It’s an open course with lots of rolling hills and ridges. Not many trees. This makes us think you’re going to want guys whose putters can get hot. Maybe some scramblers. Get up and down. And that concludes our knowledge of golf terms. Okay, let’s get to some picks!
Favorites:
Brooks +1300 – He’s just the man. Basically an auto pick for us at this point. He’s finished top 10 in 14 of his last 21 majors, including 4 wins. We always say it, but it’s the truth – you just do not want to go into Sunday without a Brooks ticket in hand.
Spieth +1800 – We pride ourselves in being contrarian, so you may be surprised to see us going Jordan here. It appears he is the most public pick of the tournament, and the most owned player in DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports). Doesn’t matter. This course suits him very well. He doesn’t have to crush it off the tee, which is not his strong suit. This guy is as creative of a golfer that you’ll find, and he’s been playing well.
Medium Shots:
Morikawa +3000 – This is a contradicting pick, once again. Kawa is maybe the best ball striker in the world, but his putter can be shaky. Perhaps this is why his odds are so high. It just feels like this guy has a little Tiger Woods in his game, and IF he figures out putting…watch out.
Fleetwood +4000 – You need to back a brit at…The Open. Its a rule. You could also go with an Irishmen like Rory or Lowry, but we like Tommy Fleet here. He finished 2nd in both the 2019 and 2018 Open. After watching England choke in Euros, Tommy will have added motivation to bring it home.
Leishman +5000 – We are no Marc Leishman experts. Just have a strange feeling about this Aussie. He feels due to pull one out of his marsupium (that’s a kangaroo pouch).
Long Shots:
Ancer +7000 – We are Ancer homers. Can’t really tell you why. Maybe its because this fucker just always seems to be lingering around the T20 leaderboard, and maybe its because with a name like Abraham Ancer he’s always alphabetically 1st on the futures list. Either way - he’s scrappy, and we love scrappy.
Webb Simpson +6600 – Good scrambler. Seems like a links course would favor his style of play. We also like taking a shot on T10 at +500.
Kisner +15000 – What are we missing? Why is Kiz a 150/1 long shot here? Must be a reason, but fuck it, we will bite.
MLB – The 2H of the season preview
A very entertaining season thus far, wouldn’t you say?! Every division in the NL is a 3-4 team race. Who the hell saw the Giants having the best record? And wouldn’t it be awesome to see the White Sox and Blue Jays make it to the ALCS!
With the trade deadline looming, this is a good time to buy low on a team. Who do we like? Ugh. We hate to say it…but the Yankees. They are currently sitting at 13/1 to win the WS and 8/1 to win the AL. Rumblings of Boone and Cashman being fired and the organization shaking it up only make me like this bet more. Most importantly, the Yanks could be buyers at the deadline. Sellers could be teams like the Cubs with Rizzo, the Nats shipping Scherzer, or the Rangers and Gallo . Any of these guys on the Yanks would increase their odds instantly. Also keep in mind they are still without one of their best pitchers in Luis Severino, who’s expected to return soon.
Other picks worth noting are the Giants at +500 to win the NL. Just the type of team who every so often come out of nowhere and make a serious run. The Reds at +2300 are worth a look too, went into the break looking hot and our gut says the Brewers (currently 4 games up on Cincy) seem destined to fade.