The 2018 QBE Shootout is not your traditional golf tournament. Instead, 12 two-person teams will compete against each other in a 54-hole event at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Fla. Teams will play a scramble in the first round, modified alternate shots in the second round, and a four-ball competition in the final round. It all starts Friday, with the first group going to the tee box at 10:15 a.m. ET. Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na are the Vegas favorites at 5-1 QBE Shootout odds, followed closely by Cameron Champ and Kevin Kisner at 11-2. Before you make any 2018 QBE Shootout picks and predictions, you'll want to hear what the team at SportsLine has to say.
SportsLine's prediction model, which was built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed four of the past eight majors entering the weekend and called Tiger Woods' deep run in the PGA Championship despite being a 25-1 long shot. The proprietary computer model has been dead-on in the past few weeks as well. It was all over Jon Rahm (12-1) at last week's Hero World Challenge, projecting him as a top contender from the start. It also correctly predicted Brooks Koepka's (9-1) victory at the CJ Cup earlier this season. Anyone who has followed the model is up huge.
Now that the 12-team 2018 QBE Shootout field is locked, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising.
One huge shocker the model is calling for this week: Defending champions Sean O'Hair and Steve Stricker stumble this week and don't even crack the top 10.
Stricker and O'Hair put on a show at this event last year, shooting 26 under par and winning by two strokes. However, Stricker hasn't played a PGA Tour event since missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship in August. Meanwhile, O'Hair has missed the cut in three of his four starts on the PGA Tour this season. They're a team you want to fade this week at Tiburón Golf Club.
Another surprise: Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III, who are 10-1 long shots, make a serious run at the title. They're a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
Watson redefined his career last season by winning three tournaments on the PGA Tour. He also finished seventh at this event last season with playing partner Brandt Snedeker. Meanwhile, Varner III enters the QBE Shootout 2018 full of confidence. In fact, he has finished 15th or better in three of his five starts on the PGA Tour this season. Both golfers average over 300 yards per drive, which will allow the duo to attack the pins at Tiburón Golf Club.
Also, the model says two additional teams with odds of 10-1 or longer will make a strong run at title. Anyone who bets on these underdogs could hit it big.
So which team wins the 2018 QBE Shootout? And where does every team finish? Check out the odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the full QBE Shootout projected leaderboard from the model that nailed the winners of four golf majors.
Bryson DeChambeau/Kevin Na (5-1)
Cameron Champ/Kevin Kisner (11-2)
Billy Horschel/Brandt Snedeker (13-2)
Charley Hoffman/Gary Woodland (7-1)
Pat Perez/Kyle Stanley (15-2)
Charles Howell III/Luke List (8-1)
Bubba Watson/Harold Varner III (10-1)
Emiliano Grillo/Graeme McDowell (10-1)
Sean O'Hair/Steve Stricker (14-1)
Patton Kizzire/Brian Harman (14-1)
Tony Finau/Lexi Thompson (14-1)
Luke Donald/Andrew Landry (25-1)
