For the 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup, legal North American sportsbooks have given Jin Young Ko the “gift” of naming her the favorite to win. To date on the LPGA Tour for this year, that’s been a kiss of death.
As picking a winner before events start this year on the LPGA Tour has been like trying to shuffle a deck of cards while wearing mittens, it might be better to look to other betting formats when the Tour returns to New Jersey this week. The usual breakdown of the winner market is still below, though.
2022 Cognizant Founders Cup futures
If you’re really inclined to make a donation to your favorite Canadian or US sportsbook, that sports betting app will happily accept it. Among the books with LPGA winner futures markets this week are:
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- Caesars
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- PointsBet
All of the above books have Ko as their strong favorite. BetRivers is currently offering +600 odds for that bet if you desire. Do note that in 2022 so far, only once has a consensus favorite actually won the corresponding LPGA event.
In most cases, the eventual winner hasn’t even been in the top 10 of winner futures markets. We’ll still look at Ko’s recent form and history in this event, though.
Ko stays atop Rolex rankings
Ko is still atop the global rankings because she has been selective about her appearances and performed well in those instances. She has three top-five finishes in five tournaments in 2022.
That includes a runner-up finish her last time out, the Palos Verdes Championship. If not for a problematic third round in California, she probably would have claimed her second win of the year.
Ko won this event last October (re-scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2019. She’s the only player to win this event in consecutive appearances (this event did not happen in 2020, also due to the pandemic) and the only player to win this event more than once.
Thus, there’s a lot of reason to like her this week. For those who would rather avoid the task of picking a winner altogether, there are other options.
Other futures and matchup markets
BetRivers and DraftKings hit the links with other bet types for this week’s tournament.
BetRivers has several first-round groups and matchup markets available, pitting golfers head-to-head. You can get Ko +200 to win Group A, for example. Ko is also -225 in a head-to-head against Lydia Ko there as well. BetRivers also has a prop market on the winning margin.
DraftKings has its own field of first-round matchups. In addition, DraftKings offers futures for top 10 finishes and the leader at the end of the first round. The top 10 market includes some interesting name.
Tour scoring average leader Minjee Lee is +125 there. Celine Boutier, who leads the tour in birdies and top-10 finishes, is +200. DraftKings has Lydia Ko at even money with her tour-leading putting average. Finally, Lexi Thompson is also +125 as she leads the tour in strokes gained total.
For those who wish to take on a challenge this week, the markets are open for you to try to pick a winner. Jin Young Ko seems to have the necessary credentials. If you opt for a different route this week, though, no one could blame you.
