In golf and any other sport, the underdog is the player or team less likely to win. When participating in golf betting, many people will choose an underdog.
People bet on underdogs for several reasons. Firstly, the pay-outs are higher. Secondly, underdogs can cause upsets and produce big wins. Thirdly, betting on underdogs gives punters a chance to capitalise on the bias towards a player or team and the public perception of them.
Finally, the low betting lines create opportunities to place value bets i.e. bets on which an event is more likely to occur than the bookmakers think and set the betting lines at.
Below are five up and coming golfers to watch in 2024. They may just surprise you.
Tom Kim
Twenty-one-year-old Tom Kim (real name: Joo Hyung) has been playing professionally since he was 15 years old and has lit up the PGA. At the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, the South Korean begun his rise to golfing stardom by finishing third in a solo event, his best on Tour.
At the end of last year, he finished on a high with two victories, enough to earn him full time status on the PGA Tour and access to his first Masters in 2023. His success also earned him a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and a place on the President’s Cup team. Some might liken him to Tiger Woods, as he became the first player to win two PGA titles before turning 21 when he won the Shriner’s Children’s Open, a feat which Woods himself was the last player to perform.
Pierceson Coody
Having earned a Korn Ferry Card for hitting No 1 in the PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking, Pierceson Coody turned pro after the NCAAs. He was one of the best KFT players. In 15 starts, he won twice and also came twice in the top 10. He was thought to be a LIV target, but turned the LIV down for life in the PGA.
As a student of Chris Como, Cody’s playing style might remind you of Bryson DeChambeau, who is also coached by Como. Although Coody’s pro career is in its relatively early stages, the 23-year-old Texan’s temperament on the golfing green may remind you of a much more experienced pro. Despite only turning pro when he was 22, he’s already comfortable playing on the big stage.
Chris Gotterup
Hailing from Easton, Maryland, Chris Gotterup turned pro in 2022 and is definitely a prospect to watch. The 24-year-old six footer earned his PGA card after making 20 cuts and 14 top 25s in 24 starts as a Korn Ferry Tour rookie last season. He already has two PGA top 10 placings under his belt, one as an amateur at the 2022 Puerto Rico Open, where he finished 7th, and one as a pro at the 2022 John Deere Classic, where he finished fourth.
Gotterup’s transfer to the University of Oklahoma after four years on the Rutgers team has been instrumental in his success. His playing really took off there. His style might remind you of Brookes-Koepka, especially the way he crushes the ball off the tee.
Akshay Batia
Inspired to pick up a golf club by his older sister, who played before he did, Akshay Bhatia turned pro at 17. The switch to pro occurred not long after he’d become the youngest player to represent the US in the Walker Cup.
In July 2023, the 21-year-old from Los Angeles, California, earned full PGA status and a FedEx Cup playoff spot when he won the year’s Barracuda Championship. The win and the status will come to a relief to this player who bypassed higher education to go professional. His win in the Bahamas on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 hadn’t been enough to earn him the PGA Tour card. In the past, he’s shared a green with Jon Rahm, Victor Hovland and Phil Mickelson, which has provided him with some excellent training and practice.
Rasmus Højgaard
Rasmus Højgaard turned pro in 2019 and was the first player born in the 2000s to win on the DP European tour. He achieved this in 2019 when he won at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. The 22-year-old Dane has enjoyed a prolific amateur career, having also triumphed for Denmark at the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy alongside his identical twin brother Nicolai and John Axelsen. The two brothers also represented Europe at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. Despite his successful amateur career, he’s yet to chalk up any PGA wins, but he’s made 8/16 cuts and is an exciting talent to watch.
Tom Kim, Pierceson Coody, Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia and Rasmus Højgaard are all promising players to watch in 2024.
Other players to keep an eye on this year include Gordon Sargent, Cole Hammer, Ludvig Åberg and Michael Thorbjornsen.
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