Justin Thomas finished fourth in the Masters last time out and has entered the low-grade Mayakoba Classic – the final full-field PGA Tour event of the season – looking to bounce back from his Augusta disappointment.
Thomas made too many mistakes and missed too many putts to provide a more serious challenge to Dustin Johnson in the final Major of the year, but he is by far the highest-ranked player in the Mayakoba line-up and is only 6/1 for victory at the El Camaleon course.
Thomas finished 23rd in his only previous Mayakoba start and favourite backers have to take a leap of faith that he will be fully focused for such an unprestigious event at the end of a busy post-lockdown campaign.
Loose driving can ruin a scorecard at this layout – it is tight and fiddly – and Thomas will need to keep maximum focus and discipline off the tee if he is to justify his short odds.
Koepka Seeking to Close Poor Year on High
Brooks Koepka has gone from world number one to world number 12 in the space of just ten months and the injury-plagued Floridian is looking to stop the rot in Mexico.
Punters may be tempted by the 11/1 quotes next to his name – because the Mayakoba line-up is lacking strength in depth – but Koepka has traditionally struggled to get his juices flowing in regulation PGA Tour competition.
The four-time Major champion relishes the biggest events on the calendar, but has admitted to lethargy in smaller ones, so it will be interesting for golf fans to see what sort of mood he turns up in for the Mayakoba.
Koepka has been put well into the shade by his old pal Dustin Johnson, who beat him by ten shots at Augusta, and Mayakoba may help heal his clearly bruised ego. Koepka missed the cut in his only previous start in this event and is winless since July last year.
Great Chance for English to End Drought
If Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka fail to live up to their billing, Harris English could be the man who takes advantage. English has not won since the 2013 Mayakoba – an event in which he romped to a four-shot success – and his return to El Camaleon has come at a perfect time.
English has improved all aspects of his game and has been spending most weeks on PGA Tour leaderboards, including second spot behind Dustin Johnson in the Northern Trust and fourth place in the US Open. Last time out, the Georgian giant closed with a round of 62 to finish sixth in the RSM Classic.
English was expected to become a superstar when he won his second PGA Tour title in this tournament seven years ago, but he failed to kick on. At the age of 31, though, time is still on his side and plenty of punters will be siding with him at 14/1 this week.
*All odds correct at time of writing