One week after Sei Young Kim stole the show with a victory at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, the best on the LPGA Tour will make their way to Sylvania, Ohio this week for the Marathon Classic. Last week, Kim took an eight-stroke lead in the final round and never looked back. This week, we could see a little more drama with In-Kyung Kim looking to successfully defend her title at the High Meadows Golf Club. Both Kims rank among the sports betting favorites in what could be a relatively weak set of contenders. We broke down that list to identify the best bets on the board based on favorites, the group right behind them and some sleeper picks to win. Here is a look at the best bets to win the Marathon Classic with odds are courtesy of BetDSI.
Event Details
Event: Marathon Classic
Category: LPGA
Date: July 12th-15th, 2018
Location: High Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio
Last Five Winners
2017: In-Kyung Kim -21
2016: Lydia Ko -14
2015: Chella Choi -14
2014: Lydia Ko -15
2013: Beatriz Recari -17
The Favorite
Lexi Thompson +600
Thompson returns to action this week as an obvious sports betting favorite to win the Marathon Classic. She is the top ranked player in this week’s field and she hasn’t finished outside of the top-15 in any of her last four starts. With only 14 of the top-50 players from the Rolex Rankings set to compete this week, Thompson is the clear favorite.
Sei Young Kim +1100
Kim’s dominant victory at Thornberry was her third top-four finish in her last four starts, which is a testament to the confidence and momentum she is playing with heading in to this event. Kim should have no problem keeping that momentum going this week against the relatively mediocre field that will tee up in Ohio. At +1100 odds, Kim should be a popular betting option.
Brooke Henderson +1200
Henderson might not be playing the best golf of her career of late but she is the third-highest ranked player in this week’s field and a capable contender at High Meadows Golf Club. Henderson ranks seventh in Driving Distance, seventh in Birdies and third in Greens In Regulation. Perhaps this is the week she gets back on track with a strong performance in the Marathon Classic.
Next In Line
In-Kyung Kim +1600
Kim is the defending champion at the Marathon Classic and should be a popular pick to contend again this time around. The second-highest ranked player in this week’s field is coming off a top-10 finish in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and should be confident heading in to this week’s tournament. Kim is more than capable of repeating at this event so look for her to be a popular pick at decent odds.
In Gee Chun +1600
Chun can still turn things around following a disappointing start to the season and this might be the tournament where it begins. Chun has the skill set to contend in this field but needs to play more confident after placing in the top-10 only once in her last five starts. At decent odds, Chun might be worth taking a chance on this week.
Sleepers
Austin Ernst +3300
Ernst is playing better than a number of golfers listed ahead of her in terms of the sports betting odds to win the Marathon Classic this week. Can she carry over that level of play and contend for the victory in Ohio? Ernst was the runner-up at the Arkansas Championship in late June and she has two top-10 finishes in her last six starts. At +3300 odds, Ernst is worth taking a chance on this week.
Stacy Lewis +3300
Lewis has placed outside of the top-20 in each of her last three starts. However, she finished seventh in the LPGA Volvik Championship and placed fifth in this tournament two years ago. Lewis has plenty of experience at this event. Based on her skill set and history at this tournament, Lewis could surprise as a potential sleeper pick to win the Marathon Classic this week.
