While most golf fans will have their eyes on the Genesis Scottish Open this week across the pond, the PGA Tour's opposite field event heads to Keene Trace Golf Club, just outside Lexington, Kentucky.
The Barbasol Championship is poised for its seventh edition, and first as a co-sanctioned competition on the DP World Tour, whose members comprise nearly a third of the playing field.
While 14 of the 15 top-ranked players in the world are in Scotland for their Open Championship tune up, the Barbasol still offers unique storylines (and gambling opportunities) for the hardcore golf fan.
The 156-man field features a combination of veterans looking to regain past form, international players seeking to breakthrough stateside, and young up-and-comers trying to establish themselves on the PGA Tour.
Below, BetKentucky takes a look at the favorites in Lexington and what they need to do to pave the way to victory.
Kentucky sports betting is currently prohibited, so there are no sports betting apps in Kentucky legally offering odds on the Barbasol.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, which is available in other states, were used for this article.
The Favorite: Mark Hubbard
The favorite to win this week in Kentucky is 33-year-old Mark Hubbard at +1600, and it's safe to say the journeyman is in rarified air.
Hubbard, who has bounced back and forth from the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour -- a standing he embraces with his "@HomelessHubbs" Twitter handle -- has never before been a favorite at a Tour event.
But Hubbard enters this week on a quiet heater, and he returns to a course where he finished T20 last year.
Hubbard is also one of the top sand players in the field, as he ranks 47th overall on Tour in sand save percentage this season. That skill will prove key at Keene Trace, where 76 bunkers line the course.
Across both the KFT and PGAT, Hubbard has made nine of his past 10 cuts, and just last week finished T13 at the John Deere Classic.
Hubbard also has value to finish in the top 5 at DraftKings at +500.
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Remember the Name: Chris Gotterup
Another popular choice over at DraftKings is 22-year-old Chris Gotterup (+1800 to win), a name hardcore golf fans have come to recognize over the past few weeks.
Gotterup is having himself a summer since turning pro in the first week of June. The reigning collegiate player of the year finished T43 at the U.S. Open at Brookline, T35 the next week at the Travelers Championship and finally got a taste of Sunday contention last week at the Deere, where a final round 66 gave him a T4 heading into Kentucky.
Along with Hubbard, Gotterup is bringing top notch form to a weaker field than his previous three events, and he could join the likes of Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa as college phenoms who were able to bypass the developmental circuit and lock up a PGA Tour card for the following season.
One concern for Gotterup, a former University of Oklahoma standout, could simply be fatigue, as he has played four straight weeks on the pro circuit immediately following the NCAA championships.
Other Players To Keep An Eye On
While Hubbard and Gotterup lead the board, DraftKings also likes veteran Kevin Streelman (+2200), young Canadians Adam Svensson and Taylor Pendrith (both +2500) and journeyman John Huh (+2800).
Streelman recently finished T25 at the Travelers, while Svensson is an efficient tee-to-green talent who could capitalize at a course that presents few challenges off the tee.
A little further down the board, keep an eye out for Patton Kizzire, whose course fit could be worth a gamble at +3500.
Kizzire is coming off a rough patch this season, but may have found something in recent weeks at Travelers and the Deere, where he finished T16.
Kizzire is a two-time winner on Tour, but currently sits 111th in the season-long FedEx Cup standings. The time could be now for the veteran to make a move and capitalize on a relatively inexperienced field.
