The Friday after Thanksgiving brings us a fun made-for-TV event at 3 p.m. ET. Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley are teaming up to face Peyton Manning and Steph Curry in The Match 3. This event is sub-titled Champions for Change, with the golfers and WarnerMedia raising money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Manning and Curry are favorites in this event thanks to Barkley’s struggles as a golfer. He is paired with Mickelson, but the handicap is real, even with reports of shorter “Chuck Tees” to cut into that handicap.
Even still, the DraftKings Sportsbook betting public is backing the pro in this event. Mickelson and Barkley are +138 underdogs, but are getting 57 percent of the handle and 52 percent of the bets. Manning and Curry are -175 favorites.
There will be plenty of live betting during the event, but heading in one can bet on the results of the first hole. The Hole 1 winner is set at Manning/Curry +175, Mickelson/Barkley +300, and a tie +110. A plurality of the handle (44 percent) is on Mickelson and Barkley, while we get 39 percent each on the two pairs. Nobody likes ties!
The sportsbook is offering pre-match prop bets on a few holes, with Hole 6 prominently featured. It is the shortest hole by a good margin, with distances of 145 yards from the back tees and 125 from the next set. Golf Digest offered this breakdown of the hole:
Stone Canyon’s first par 3 is also one of its most memorable. The shortest hole at the club is framed by a 60-foot waterfall that flows down the left side of the green and in front of the surface. It’s a small, uphill target to hit, but it’s also a flattish green. There could be some fireworks here during The Match.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds on whether all players will get to the green on their tee shot, any player will get to within 10 feet of the hole, and whether or not Barkley will hit it into the water. YES is getting the overwhelming amount of money for all 3. 93 percent of handle is on all players on the green (+900), 81 percent of handle is on any one player hitting their tee shot to within 10 feet (+110), and 92 percent of handle is on Barkley goign swimming on the sixth hole (+150). When in doubt, bet against Barkley doing good things on the course.
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