Eric Uribe
At last, golf appears to be a staple of the Olympic Games again. It returned in 2016 (following a 112-year absence) and back for the 2020 competition in Japan. Over the course of this article, we’re giving you the best betting picks to win golf men and women tourney! The playing field is jam-packed so let’s get right into it.
Betting Pick To Win Men’s Golf At 2020 Olympics
Sixty different players will compete for a medal. Betting lines to win the gold are available for each, but these eight players are favored most, per the online sportsbooks:
| Golfer |  |  |
| Collin Morikawa | +700 | +700 |
| Xander Schauffele | +900 | +900 |
| Justin Thomas | +1100 | +1100 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +1200 | +1200 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1200 | +1200 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1400 | +1200 |
| Paul Casey | +1600 | +1600 |
| Patrick Reed | +1800 | +1800 |
It should be noted that none of the three medal winners from the 2016 event are returning to Japan. Given how large the playing field is, we’re offering up two different betting picks. Picking a single winner out of a 60-man field is tough and you’re only making it harder on yourself betting on one golfer. Do yourself a favor and drop different bets around.
Hideki Matsuyama
You knew this one was coming, didn’t you? This is a homecoming for the 29-year-old that was born and raised in Japan. Matsuyama’s advantage doesn’t end with being in the confines of a friendly environment, it also extends to knowing the playing course as well as anyone in the field.
The tourney will be contested at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe — a city about an hour’s drive away from the bright lights of Tokyo. Matsuyama knows what it takes to win at the course, having previously won here twice. First, at the 2009 Japan Junior followed by the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2010, which actually earned him his first-ever invitation to The Masters.
The stars have aligned for Matsuyama. Few athletes get to go for a medal in their home country and inside a course, they’re extremely well versed in. We think the chances that Matsuyama seizes this rare opportunity are high.
Collin Morikawa
Morikawa has a chance to add to his budding legacy with a victory in Japan. He’s the most scorching-hot golfer in the world right now (ranked No. 3 in the world) and it’s never a bad idea to align yourself with that when wagering.
He’s won two majors in less than a year, most recently at The Open only two weeks ago. With the accomplishment, Morikawa is only the eighth player to score two majors by the age of 25. Not bad for a guy who’s only played in nine majors to begin with.
Plus, Morikawa’s family has ties to Japan. While he grew up in America, winning in his family’s homeland would mean a little something extra to him. He’s a solid pick given all the circumstances.
Betting Pick To Win Women’s Golf At 2020 Olympics
Now on to the ladies’ side. Unlike the men, there haven’t been nearly as many drop-outs in the women’s field. For the most part, the competitors are treating the Olympics every bit as important as a major tournament. Here is how the betting lines currently shake out:
| Golfer | | |
| Nelly Korda | +650 | +700 |
| Jin Young Ko | +900 | +900 |
| Inbee Park | +1000 | +950 |
| Sei Young Kim | +1200 | +1200 |
| Danielle Kang | +1400 | +1500 |
| Hyo Joo Kim | +1400 | +1400 |
| Ariya Jutanugarn | +1600 | +1500 |
| Patty Tavatanakit | +1600 | +1800 |
Nasa Hataoka
Akin to our men’s pick, we wanted at least one of our bets to be a “homer.” Several different players on the women’s field hail from Japan. However, Hataoka — with her No. 11 spot on the Golf World Rankings — is the best and most accomplished of the bunch.
Not only that, but Hataoka is riding high from winning the Marathon Classic only three weks ago. It was a small dose of redemption after losing June’s Open championship in a playoff to Yuka Saso. Hataoka’s hot streak and home-field advantage is a great one-two combo for bettors to back.
Jin Young Ko
Ko actually medaled in the 2016 games. Only 19 years old at the time, she took home the silver medal. The other medal placers — Inbee Park (gold) and Shanshan Feng (bronze) — also return to the mix five years later.
Feng is teasing a retirement so she’s not worth a bet, whereas both Park and Ko are among the top betting favorites to win. Neither would be a bad bet, but we like Ko slightly more because she’s played well as of late. At last week’s Evian Championship, she tied for sixth in the field (Park was 12th). Her history, both recent and at the previous Olympics, makes her a worthy wager.
If you want to see all the Olympic golf odds, then you need to head to one of the online sportsbooks featured below. You’ll not only get lines on every single golfer, men and women alike, but betting lines for other bets like top-3, -5, and -10 finishers. These bets are more winnable than the outright winner, but at the same time, aren’t nearly as lucrative. You have to balance the risk-reward with either.
One final word of advice before we let you run off and drop a wager: take advantage of the killer promo offers available at these same bookies. The table underneath has details on sign-up bonuses currently up for grabs. These deals are only for new players of the site, but they pay the big bucks. By that, we mean you could earn hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play! To get started, click the green “bet now” button.
