Despite recently losing her Rolex Rankings No. 1 spot, Nelly Korda is still the apple of US legal sportsbooks’ eyes this week. Multiple licensed sports betting apps have her atop their futures for the 2022 Drive On Championship.
Yet, this week’s field could be among the most open because this is the inaugural year for the event. For that reason, there are some atypical names directly beneath Korda in the futures markets.
2022 Drive On Championship odds
While this might be the first year for an LPGA at Crown Colony in Fort Myers, few if any of the top contenders this week count the course as foreign to them. Korda is among those who have played the course many times.
The winners of the first two LPGA tourneys of 2022, Jin Young Ko and Lydia Ko, are both skipping the Drive On. Making this event even more unique is the fact that it’s just a three-day instead of a four-day tournament.
Korda has been plagued by inconsistency in both of the first two events this year. After carding an even-par in the second round of the Gainbrigdge LPGA, she picked up her game in last week’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
The highlight of that event was a 10-under final round to push her into a tie for fourth place. Bettors on the favorite will be banking on her to continue that momentum which she certainly showed a penchant for in 2021.
With those things in mind, some of the 2022 peak performers who will be in action this week also happen to be a bit further down the futures tables. That means some potential value for bettors in this short week.
Betting on Boutier, Hull, and Saso
Behind Danielle Kang, who is also skipping this shortened event, the top three competitors in terms of scoring average so far in 2022 are Charley Hull, Celine Boutier, and Yuka Saso. Boutier and Saso also currently rank in the top five for birdies and each of them has finished in the top 10 of both LPGA events on the year.
Hull is just behind Kang in another category; strokes gained total per round. That means she has gotten better as she’s progressed in her performances during the year. On a course that may not boast the most familiarity and with a different field of contenders, it’s hard to overlook that.
Korda might be ready to go on one of her iconic tears where she proves that she’s the world’s best at the moment. However, it seems that if any of the aforementioned trio is going to claim a win this year, the short event and field seems like a prime opportunity to do so.
