Gambling Trends
Sony Open 2023 picks: It seems like everyone and their mother is betting on Tom Kim this week
Andy Lyons
If the 2022 Presidents Cup is where Tom Kim unofficially became the new darling of Golf Twitter, the 2023 Sony Open is where the 20-year-old has become the official favorite of the golf gambling community.
As we noted earlier in the week, the young star emerged as the favorite when sportsbooks released opening odds for the PGA Tour event at Waialae Country Club and that hasn't changed. In fact, Kim's odds have been shortened in some spots, including at BetMGM where he has moved from 12-1 to 11-1 on the eve of the tournament.
But the most eye-opening number around Kim is just how much of the action he's drawing. According to BetMGM, Kim has the highest ticket percentage at 10.5, a full two percent higher than three-time major champ Jordan Spieth. And his handle percentage of 17.2 (Spieth and Russell Henley are tied for second at 10.6) is even crazier.
To put that in perspective, Tom Hoge led in handle percentage at the last full-field PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic in November, at 9.5 percent. So, yeah, a lot of people are hopping on the Thomas the Train, well, train.
Not that we blame them. Last year, Kim became the first player to win twice on the PGA Tour before turning 21 since Tiger Woods. And he's coming off a T-5 last week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
So Kim will have an extra-large section of fans rooting for him this week. They just probably won't be anyone associated with a sportsbook.
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