Bets of the Week at the 2021 ANA Inspiration

Photo Provided by Ben Harpring

The first golf major is in its 50th iteration this week at the ANA Inspiration, as 119 players aim to jump into Poppie’s Pond to commemorate the historic tournament.

It’s the first tournament that the Bets of the Week is placing bets on for the 2nd time. If players won tournaments on Friday mornings, this would've been the best set of picks of 2020, because as of 9:04 A.M. PST that day, here's how the selections were doing.

Instead, Mirim Lee laid waste to the field with three chip-ins on Sunday, overcoming selection Nelly Korda along with Brooke Henderson in a playoff to win. The wall Lee and plenty of others banked shots off is no longer in play on the 18th and instead presents as a true island green to the field.

Like Inbee Park trying to repeat for the first time since 2013, the Bets of the Week is looking to repeat for the first time. Two 7.5 unit bets highlight the picks, as two favorites that are past champions at the tournament are on an upswing heading into this week.

Draft Kings, Bovada, MyBookie, and Intertops are the four books again, with full odds listed and each player bet on will have their website with the best odds posted.

Jin Young Ko (+1000) (MyBookie/Draftkings/Intertops)

As discussed on The 9th Tee Podcast recapping the Kia Classic, Ko is in similar form to before she won her first major at the 2019 ANA Inspiration. She finished in solo 4th last weekend, her 5th top-five finish in her last six starts dating back to the VOA Texas tournament in December. Ko did not play in the 2020 edition of this tournament, as she stayed back in Korea due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She shared in her press conference that she watched it in on T.V., but now gets a chance to defend her title. Her performance in recent majors points to that being a strong possibility.

The 25-year-old won two of her last six major starts and finished in the top three in four of them.

’20 USWO- T2

’19 AIG Women’s British Open- 3rd

’19 Evian Championship- Win

’19 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship- T14

'19 U.S. Women's Open- T16

’19 ANA Inspiration- Win

The lore of her major performance ability began in 2015 when she finished in solo 2nd at the first major start of her career at the Ricoh Women's British Open.

The world’s no. 1 took home the last Rolex Annika Major Award for her dominance in the 2019 majors, and her skillset makes being the not outright favorite this week an edge in the market at 10 to 1 at all sportsbooks except Bovada, which has her at (+900).

Bet: 7.5 Units to win 75 units

Lexi Thompson (+1400) (Mybookie/Intertops)

Thompson may as well take up residence at Mission Hills Country Club with how comfortably she's performed there over the years. She's finished in the top 10 in six of the last seven years, with the outlier a T20 finish in 2018. The top 10 run includes five top-fives and a win over that stretch.

She finished in 4th place last year after missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open the tournament prior. This year, she’s coming in with her game ablaze, with four top 10s in her last five starts and two T2s in 2021, including at the Kia Classic last week.

Thompson won on the LPGA for seven straight years before not finding the winner's circle in 2020. It seems as if she's on the precipice of starting another streak with her game's condition. With her history at the course, it's surprising she's at 14 to 1, as Bovada and Draft Kings have her priced at 12 to 1.

Bet: 7.5 Units to win 105 units

Stacy Lewis (+6600) (DraftKings/Bovada)

The former world no. 1 arrives to Rancho Mirage with two top 10s in three starts in 2021, featuring a T7 last week at the Kia Classic. Like her fellow American selection this week, Lewis also has some ownage at the Dinah Shore Course. She has not missed the cut in 13 career starts and won in 2011. She holds six top-five finishes over that span, including a solo 5th last year off a weekend 67-68.

The odds slide pretty substantially from In Gee Chun, the 13th most likely to win at (+2800), to Ariya Jutanugarn at (+5500). Lewis provides a lot of value of that group. Intertops and MyBookie have odds for the 13-time-winner at (+6000).

Bet: 5 Units to win 330 Units

Hinako Shibuno (+12500) (MyBookie)

The 15th ranked player in the world and 2019 AIG Women’s Open Champion is once again showing a patter than she should be competitive this week. Ahead of her victory at the AIG Women’s Open and 4th place finish at the 2020 U.S. Women's Open, Shibuno recorded multiple top 10s on the JLPGA. She won the Shiseido Anessa Ladies Open and finished in 7th at the Nipponham Ladies Classic before a T35 in her 9th straight week of playing before winning at Woburn.

Before her performance in Texas last year, the Smiling Cinderella finished in 5th at The 39th Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open and T3 at the JLPGA Tor Championship Ricoh Cup.

She comes to Rancho Mirage off a T11 at the T-Point Eneos Golf Tournament and a T15 at the AXA Ladies Golf Tournament in Miyazaki.

The current 2nd representative for Japan at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo finished T51 at the ANA last September. It is her only career start in Rancho Mirage.

Bet: 2.5 units to win 312.5 units

Mi Hyang Lee (+15000) (All Books)

The two-time LPGA Tour winner celebrated her 28th birthday this week at a course she's played well. She's finished in the top 10 twice, including a runner-up to Jin Young Ko in 2019 and two other top 20 results in seven career starts. The South Korean is coming off a T21 effort at the Kia Classic. Her recent success at the Dinah Shore makes her a valuable long shot coming into this week and an excellent candidate to pull a Mirim Lee. The freshly minted 29-year-old hit a hole in one en route to her runner-up result in '19.

Bet: 2.5 units to win 375 Units

Full Odds

2021 Season Results

Units Spent: 100

Units Won: 105

ROI: +5%