Fortinet Championship tips: Cam Davis can convert recent form into overdue USPGA Tour victory

The Tour’s schedule moves to a calendar year basis from the beginning of 2024, and while that means that these pre-year-end tournaments are something of a fill-in, they are still worth FedEx points and a two-year exemption for winners.

 

Play takes place at the North Course of the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California, which has been this tournament's venue since 2014. 

 

A par 71 and 7,123 yards in length, it is a tight course lined with large Redwoods and Oaks which will block errant shots. Water hazards only come into play in a couple of places, but several holes are dog-legs requiring accurate shots off the tee to take advantage of the fast fairways. 

Max Homa is the obvious choice as 7/1 favourite after winning this tournament in the past two years, but a ‘threepeat’ at a venue is very rare and he can therefore be easily opposed at that short price.

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There is a sizable jump in the betting to the out-of-form Justin Thomas at 14/1, but even in the weakened field taking part week, he is hard to be with at those odds, although he will be keen to show something after his wildcard inclusion in the Ryder Cup team. 
Local-ish boy Saheeth Theegala makes up the sub-20/1 contenders, and this might be the chance for him to show the kind of consistency that would confirm his presence as a major future prospect.

Offering more value than any of those three market leaders is the Australian Cam Davis at around 20/1. Davis’s game is suited to shorter courses, and he has done enough this season to suggest his next Tour success is just around the corner.

A fourth-placed finish at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May preceded three missed cuts, but since then he has put together an impressive run of results with three straight top-10 finishes in the 3M Open, the Wyndham and the St Jude.

Suggested bet: Cam Davis each-way in the Fortinet Championship

 

Garrick Higgo has been in form in recent months. He can hit the ball a long way and is a winner on tour at a weaker field tournament. Recently married and looking to embark on a new stage of his career, the South African might be worth a nibble at 50/1.

Cameron Champ won this tournament in 2019, and he tends to pop up to win unexpectedly every eighteen months or so when his game clicks together, so at 66/1 the timing might be right that being back at Silverado can energise his game.

Another to have enjoyed a number of strong showings in 2023 has been Dylan Wu, whose limited appearances means that he has played in just one tournament since an eye-catching fifth-placed finish at the £M Open at the end of July. Another performance like that would give him every chance of making the frame in this week’s company.

Suggested bet: Dylan Wu each-way in the Fortinet Championship

 

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