WGC-Workday Championship odds, preview, and course notes

If you thought Sunday’s conclusion to the Genesis Invitational was packed with excitement, just wait for the thrilling chaos set to unfold at this weekend’s WGC-Workday Championship.

The first World Golf Championship event of 2021 — and first leg of the Florida Swing — will host an A-list field at The Concession Golf Club, where no PGA Tour event has been played before.

Co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and English golfer Tony Jacklin, The Concession became home to the Workday Championship this season, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec.

The par 72, 7,474-yard course in Bradenton, Florida opened in 2006 and held the Big 10 Match Play in 2012 and the 2015 NCAA Division I Championship, won by Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau, a +1800 shot to win the Workday Championship, will look to rebound from his missed cut at the Genesis Invitational, which Max Homa (+6600) won in a playoff with Tony Finau (+1600).

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson came in eighth on Sunday, and will enter this weekend’s 72-player, no-cut event as a +550 favorite.

Workday Championship layout and relevant statistics

Just like the Genesis Invitational, the WGC-Workday Championship will present a true test for the world’s best golfers.

Fairways are wide, but could be impacted by wind, especially on Sunday. Bunkers are plentiful, while water comes into play on 12 holes.

Approach play is especially key to set up scoring opportunities on the fast, undulating Bermuda greens, which are smaller than average.

Golfers who take advantage of the four par 5s, between 545 and 610 yards, should see their names shoot up the leaderboard. The course also features 10 par 4s, ranging from 349 to 486 yards, and four par 3s between 183 and 237 yards.

Best bets at the WGC-Workday Championship  

One Bermuda grass specialist to consider is Xander Schauffele (+1100), who competed against DeChambeau — as well as Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler — at the 2015 NCAA championships.

So far this season, Schauffele has placed no worse than 17th in eight PGA Tour starts, and came in the top 5 at the Phoenix Open and Tournament of Champions — both played on Bermuda courses.

Schauffele ranks sixth on Tour in strokes gained putting and par 5 efficiency (from 550-600 yards), 21st in strokes gained approaching the green, and eighth in strokes gained tee to green.

Defending WGC-Mexico champ Patrick Reed (+2500) should also perform well at The Concession.

Reed last won the Farmers Insurance Open at the end of January and finished 10th at November's Masters, where the small, contoured greens are similar to those found at The Concession.

The one-time major winner ranks first on Tour in par 5 efficiency (550-600 yards), second in strokes gained putting, and 55th in strokes gained around the green.

For a longer shot, look to Collin Morikawa (+4000), whose putter has caused him recent trouble but may not spell doom for the 24-year-old, whose approach play has been exceptional.

Before he unraveled in the final round of the Genesis, Morikawa posted two seventh-place finishes at the Sony Open and Tournament of Champions. He also won last year's Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village Golf Club, another Nicklaus design.

How to watch the WGC-Workday Championship

The winner of the WGC-Workday Championship will receive $1.82 million of a $10.5 million purse, plus 550 FedExCup points.

You can catch the action Thursday and Friday, 1 to 6 p.m. ET, and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 2:30 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel. NBC will provide live coverage on Saturday and Sunday, from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.