The PGA Tour wraps up its Texas swing this week with the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational from the Colonial Country Club in Fort Werth. If you don’t recognize the name at first glance it’s likely because it was previously known as the Crown Plaza Invitational. While the name has changed, the winners still receive a plaid tartan jacket and their names are etched on the Wall of Champions that is adjacent to the first tee. There will be close to $7 million in prize money on the line this week. The hometown favorite Jordan Spieth returns as the defending tournament champion and obvious sports betting favorite to repeat at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.
Event Details
Event: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational
Category: PGA
Date: May 25-28
Location: Colonial Country Club, Fort Werth, Texas
Spieth won this tournament a year ago when he fired a 17-under 263 to edge out Harris English by three strokes. Spieth, who is a native of Dallas, Texas, posted the best score at the tournament since 2010. The 23-year-old will be looking for a little good fortune in his home state after back-to-back missed cuts at THE PLAYERS Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson in his last two starts.
Past Five Winners
2016: Jordan Spieth -17
2015: Chris Kirk -12
2014: Adam Scott -9 (Playoff)
2013: Bob Weekley -14
2012: Zach Johnson -12
What To Know About The Course
The Colonial course is short by modern standards so Driving Distance is largely irrelevant at this tournament. Driving Accuracy might not matter as much as some think either after Spieth won here a year ago despite ranking 54th in that category. Scrambling appear to be a much more important factor at this course with Greens In Regulation also likely factoring heavily in to the outcome. The ability to handle the windy conditions is always essential in Texas and that will be the case once again in Fort Werth this week. The forecast is also calling for rain this week so you might want to check tee times to see if you can gain an advantage based on when golfers are set to begin their rounds.
The Field
Despite his recent struggles, Spieth is an obvious sports betting favorite at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. The bigger surprise is that he will be a co-favorite with Jon Rahm also listed at +1200 odds for this week’s event. 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia is expected to be in the mix as well at +1600 odds to win outright at Colonial this week. Jason Dufner, Paul Casey and Matt Kuchar are each listed at +2500 odds to win outright. Meanwhile, those looking for value might consider the 2015 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational winner Chris Kirk a decent value pick for this week as he is listed at +5000 odds to repeat with another win here this year.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Chris Kirk over Adam Hadwin
Hadwin has been a pick as an undervalued option in fantasy tournaments at times this season. However, he is a little bit overrated as a +4000 option to win this week. Hadwin hasn’t finished higher than 22nd in any of his last four starts and while he might break that trend this week he likely won’t finish ahead of Kirk. The 2015 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational winner finished 12th in his last start at The PLAYERS Championship and should be well rested heading in to this event. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Kirk finished in the top-10 this week. It also won’t be a surprise if he finishes ahead of Hadwin in terms of the head-to-head sports betting matchup for this week.
Top-Five Pick: Jordan Spieth
Spieth has missed the cut in back-to-back starts and three of his last four starts overall. However, his track record at Colonial makes him impossible to ignore, especially considering he is the defending champion at this tournament. Spieth should be even more motivated to deliver a strong result in the wake of his recent struggles. He might not win the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational outright but he should be in the mix as a potential lock to finish in the top-five this week.
Notable Tee Times For The 2017 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational
7:22 AM 1 Kevin Streelman Kyle Stanley Bud Cauley
7:33 AM 1 Ryan Moore Kevin Kisner Steve Stricker
7:55 AM 10 Si Woo Kim Sergio Garcia Jon Rahm
8:06 AM 10 Wesley Bryan Matt Kuchar Phil Mickelson
12:22 PM 10 Angel Cabrera Cameron Tringale Jason Kokrak
12:33 PM 1 Marc Leishman Greg Chalmers James Hahn
12:44 PM 10 Jason Dufner Davis Love III Matt Every
12:55 PM 1 Billy Horschel Brandt Snedeker Paul Casey
1:06 PM 1 Jordan Spieth Pat Perez Zach Johnson
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