Sobel’s Sony Open Matchup Bets: Sungjae Im Over Justin Thomas in Round 3?

Underdogs are the favorite public play in all four NFL playoff games this week, so let’s keep that trend going on the PGA Tour.

Here are three dogs for Sony Open third round matchup bets.

Season Record: 11-14-2 (-4.46 units)
All odds as of Saturday morning.

Sungjae Im over Justin Thomas (+200)

Am I really that enthusiastic about picking a rookie over JT? No, but consider these factors: This is one of his first chances to prove himself against an elite player and he’s no slouch, having won Player of the Year on the Web.com Tour last season. At 2-to-1, I’ll take my chances on Im.

Dylan Frittelli over Hideki Matsuyama (+115)

I haven’t been overly impressed by Matsuyama yet, though I do think he’s going to have a very good year. Frittelli, meanwhile, is an up-and-comer who was hiding in plain sight on the European Tour last year and owns plenty of game.

Scott Brown over Cameron Smith (+195)

I liked Smith entering this week and I still do, but this price is too big to not favor Brown. They’re similar players in that they rely on strong wedge games to find success. Expect similar scores on Saturday. If you want to take Brown at +1.5 strokes (+110), I obviously like that play, too.