Golf Betting Focuses on Longshots
Punters are loading units on longshots including Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson at +4800, Haotong Li at +5000, Casey Jarvis at +2800, and Chisato Iwai at +2500 across upcoming PGA and DP World Tour events. The South African Open and Cognizant Classic are drawing heavy betting action despite field strength concerns.
- The Cognizant Classic has a history of surprise winners, with four of the last six champions starting the tournament with odds of 100/1 or longer, including Joe Highsmith (125/1) in 2025 and Keith Mitchell (300/1) in 2019. The tournament is played on the challenging Champion Course at PGA National, which features the notorious three-hole stretch known as the "Bear Trap" on holes 15, 16, and 17. - The South African Open has also seen its share of longshot victories, with Dylan Naidoo winning in 2025 at odds of 350/1. The tournament has been dominated by homegrown players, with a South African player winning the title for the last seven consecutive years. - Casey Jarvis, a 22-year-old from South Africa, recently secured his first DP World Tour victory at the Magical Kenya Open in February 2026. He won the tournament by three shots, finishing with a final round 8-under 62. - Danish golfer Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen earned his DP World Tour card after winning three times on the European Challenge Tour in 2024. He quickly found success, winning his first DP World Tour title at the Crown Australian Open in December 2025 and has also secured a PGA Tour card for 2026. - Haotong Li of China is a four-time winner on the DP World Tour and famously defeated Rory McIlroy to win the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He has shown strong form in early 2026 with top-11 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and The American Express. - Chisato Iwai of Japan has eight victories on the LPGA of Japan Tour and earned her full LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season. She captured her first LPGA Tour win in May 2025 at the inaugural Mexico Riviera Maya Open. - While longshot bets are inherently risky, there is precedent for major payouts in golf. Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at 50 years old with pre-tournament odds as high as 300-1. More recently, Grayson Murray won the 2024 Sony Open with odds of 400-1.
