Betting Guide for the Tennessee Shine Invitational | WPL
Teeing off on August 13th at 6pm ET are four of the world’s top putters. The Tennessee Shine Invitational welcomes Joey Graybeal, Michael Rutledge, Olivia Propokova, and Rainey Statum to compete in the Smoky Mountains at the Mossy Creek MiniGolf Course.
This World Putting League event will feature two premiere head-to-head matchups with the winners vying for the championship. Bets offered on the event include outright winner, h2h match-up moneylines, total holes in 1, and odds on specific holes.
Sportsbooks offering markets include: DraftKings, Bet365, Betway, BetFred, and fantasy operator Fliff. The World Putting League is approved for wagering in 10+ US States and internationally, with fantasy live across the USA.
Joey Graybeal (-250) vs Michael Rutledge (+180), 6:30pm ET
The first matchup of the night, Joey Graybeal vs. Michael Rutledge, features two putters from Tennessee in a backyard brawl. Both have a ton of experience at Mossy Creek and in the sport of MiniGolf. Three-time WPL Champion, Joey Graybeal, has come up clutch in so many moments this year. He is difficult to take out in a h2h matchup as he always seems to keep pace and strike when necessary.
Graybeal and Rutledge put up a similar score in last year's U.S. Open which was held at Mossy Creek, however, Rutledge struggled to remain consistent throughout the tournament. They both recorded 25 holes in 1, but Graybeal finished 15 strokes better.
Rutledge ended with two weak rounds and too many 4-putts to get it done in competitive play. It will be intriguing to see if Rutledge can clean up his game and match Joey’s efforts in this showdown.
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Olivia Prokopova (-130) vs Rainey Statum (+100), 7:30pm ET
Following them is Olivia Prokopova vs Rainey Statum. This is a matchup of the first and second place finishers in last year’s U.S. Open at Mossy Creek. Over 10 close rounds, Olivia edged out the victory, topping the rest of the field and beating Rainey by only one stroke (351 vs 352). Olivia recorded the most aces in the field (31) throughout the event and came up clutch in the final round. Down 2 strokes heading into the last round, Olivia managed to ace hole 15 and avoid any trouble in securing the tournament victory.
These two have gone back and forth as Rainey took the Masters victory away from Olivia by 2 strokes in 2020. They have been neck and neck competing at the top of the pro putting circuit for the past few years, and it should be a close and exciting matchup come Sunday night.
Outright Winner Odds on DraftKings Sportsbook
Joey Graybeal has the hot hand, winning the last three WPL events and always finding ways to get it done. He is the overall favorite for the tournament, mainly due to him having the easiest first round match-up. He will face a tough test regardless of his opponent if he makes it to the final.
Olivia, the favorite in the first two WPL Events this year, seems to struggle under the bright lights. She hasn’t performed her best when necessary and it will be interesting to see if she can rebound at one of her favorite courses. Olivia’s specialty are those longer second putts. She’s great at avoiding trouble and not getting bogey’s; with this course being the most difficult on the tour that’ll prove to be very important. Olivia is averaging a bogey or worse rate of (9%) vs the other three averaging a bogey or worse rate of (12%).
Rainey Statum has remained at the top of his game throughout the years and has always proven to be a tough out. He’s got potentially the toughest road to the final with a first round date with Olivia and a likely Graybeal final.
When thinking about the mentality of each athlete, and who will show up at Mossy Creek, there is a case for value on each of these putters.
Featured Holes in One Bets
HOLE #2 OVER/UNDER 1.5
This is by far the easiest ace opportunity on the course and rightfully the only odds line listed at over/under 1.5. Mossy Creek does not have too many hole in 1 opportunities throughout, so it will be important for the putters to focus and execute where they can.
It will be important for the players to set the tone for a good round early. This is a pretty straight putt with a slight right to left break, however, the speed is a little bit tricky. The downward slope before the hole requires a soft touch and proper pace, or your shot will lip out or pass by the hole.
HOLE #6 OVER/UNDER 0.5
This is a deceiving hole on the course. It seems like it’s a pretty straight shot to go directly into the volcano mound, except it is not a funnel. It is likely the ball comes to rest somewhere on the mound. If a player hits it with too much speed it will pass over the mound and land up on the other side of it.
It takes extreme precision to play this hole well – the best putter in our field has aced this hole 5/10 attempts, while Rutledge is 0 for his last 10 tries.
HOLE #11 OVER/UNDER 0.5
This is one of the more aesthetically appealing holes on the course. There are two options for this hole, however, the more typical play is to go under the bridge. The line under the bridge features a double bank shot to get it to line up with the hole.
It is a difficult speed to gauge because you want it to just tap off of the second brick structure so it feeds into the hole. Surprisingly, Rutledge has the best statistics on this hole, acing it 3 out of his last 10 attempts.
HOLE #17 OVER/UNDER 0.5
Hole 17 is an interesting play because it has two different approaches. The more reliable ace opportunity is the line most will play, which is a shot between the rocks up the middle. Although a higher likelihood of an ace, this is also the more risky play. If the ball ricochets off of one of the rocks you are left in a world of trouble.
If a player has a big lead going into the end of the round, they will go for the more conservative shot up the right side. If you believe the matchup will be close, it may make sense to bet the over on aces here.
