As the LIV Golf Tour season winds down, all eyes are focused on one person: Cameron Smith.
Smith is leading the chase to win the individual title on the LIV Golf Tour and an additional $18 million in prize money.
Add in the fact that he comes into this week’s event in Chicago as the defending champion and the betting favorite and there are a lot of positives in his season right now.
With just three events remaining in the 2023 season, Smith, at 170 points, owns a 21-point lead over runner-up Talor Gooch who sits at 149 points.
While Gooch has three victories this season, Smith is right behind with a pair of wins and both of those have come in the last three events.
Smith can clinch the title this week if he wins and Gooch finishes outside the top three.
That’s certainly possible, but not necessary, and there are plenty more scenarios that can bring a couple of other players into the mix.
Two of those players include Patrick Reed (third in points with 120 points) and Brooks Koepka (fourth with 112 points).
All three of those players trying to chase down Smith, plus a couple more, have to hope they play well and Smith stumbles in the chase for the Player of the Year honor.
Oh, and even if Smith doesn’t win this week, he’s still got two more events to seal the deal.
But first, let’s take a look at LIV Golf Chicago odds and predictions and see who may put their name in the hat for POY honors.
Odds to Win LIV Golf Chicago
| Player | Caesars Sportsbook |
|---|---|
| Cam Smith | +700 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +900 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1000 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1200 |
| Patrick Reed | +1400 |
| Talor Gooch | +1600 |
| Mito Pereira | +1800 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +1800 |
| Dean Burmester | +2000 |
| Branden Grace | +2200 |
| Abraham Ancer | +2200 |
| Sebastian Munoz | +2500 |
| Harold Varner III | +2500 |
| Sergio Garcia | +2500 |
| Anirban Lahiri | +2800 |
| Cameron Tringale | +2800 |
| Carlos Ortiz | +3300 |
| Brandan Steele | +3300 |
| Charles Howell III | +3300 |
| Jason Kokrak | +3500 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +4000 |
| Marc Leishman | +4000 |
| Richard Bland | +4000 |
| Thomas Pieters | +4000 |
We list odds from Caesars but shop around at other top-rated sportsbooks to find the best prices on your plays.
All the Numbers Favor Cam Smith
No matter how much we would like to not take Cam Smith at +700 this week, we’re still going to back him.
There are just too many factors working in his favor.
First, he’s the defending champ. That’s worth plenty when you’re looking for positive vibes coming into an event.
Second, he’s won two of the last three LIV events (London and Bedminster).
Third, and here’s the biggest one: He’s on the cusp of earning Player of the Year honors.
That may not seem like that big of a deal as it’s not the PGA Tour, but it means he will earn an extra $18 million.
We do have one factor that has us just a little concerned but we’ll get over it.
In between his two victories came a 35th-place finish at the Greenbrier but that’s his only finish outside the top 15 in his last eight events.
We’ll chalk that one up to an aberration as the good certainly outweighs the bad coming into this event.
Keep an Eye on Brooks Koepka This Week
This is one of those events that will certainly be important to Brooks Koepka… but for a different reason than usual.
Koepka, at +1000 this week, is usually at his finest when he is playing in the PGA Tour majors where his focus seems to be just a little sharper and his game a little more spot-on.
And while this week’s Chicago event certainly isn’t a major, it comes right before Koepka will join Team USA at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
While being selected to the Ryder Cup team was no certainty with the strained relations between the PGA Tour and LIV, he’s going to want to make a statement that being picked was the right choice.
With that being said, he’s going to want to come into the Ryder Cup in top form and a win this week will certainly boost his confidence as well as Team USA’s.
He’s going to need his best effort though as he’s coming off two bad LIV finishes as he was 41st and 38th in his last couple of LIV outings.
One for the Longshot Bettors
Keep an eye on longshot Anirban Lahiri at +2800.
He’s coming off a second-place finish in the LIV stop at Bedminster, which tied his LIV-best finish as he now has three second-place finishes including in his LIV debut in 2022.
He was T-21 in the Chicago event last year with three under-par rounds so he’s going to have good memories here.
But, while he’s coming off a solid finish, the drawback to picking him this week is he also has four finishes outside the top 30 this year so it’s been feast or famine for his play.
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