2023 AM-AM Preview and Betting Odds!

The official start to our season is almost here! The race up the chapter money ranks and eternal glory that comes with it begins 3/26.

The Rebel Beach Am-Am starts our season at Pickering Valley Golf Club this year, where 21 teams will compete for the coveted trophies! Check out your vegas odds and previews... and don't be discouraged - last year's winners were 25/1, 2nd place was 24/1, and 3rd place was a tie between 2 teams that were 40/1 and 50/1 odds!

THE FAVORITES:

8 to 1 odds - Kenny Cobb and Matt Lees. Kenny put some new sticks in the bag and Matt took home individual honors at this event last year for his first MGA win. Wouldn't surprise anybody to see these 2 atop the team leaderboard this year. Helps that they have no penalty strokes too!

12 to 1 odds - Jacob Buttermore and Keaton Pickerd. Rumor has it that these 2 newcomers might have game. Time will tell if the hype is real, but vegas likes their chances to make an early statement.

12 to 1 odds - Jake Tischler and Sam Drill. With 9 career wins between them (Jake 9 and Sam 0), this team could certainly overcome their penalty strokes and bring home some hardware. Avoiding blow up holes will be the key to victory!

16 to 1 odds - Dave Shank and Scott Purdy. Shank returns as the highest ranking MGA player in the entire Mid-Atlantic region last year, but he'll be teeing it up from the regular tees this year (more to come in the rules updates on that). He and Scott still have a solid chance to beat this field though on a course that both should be familiar with. I wouldn't count them out!

THE NEXT BEST

20 to 1 odds - Gabriel Robison and Abe Prontnicki. Gabe is certainly one of the heavy favorites for the Individual Gross Award and Abe could bring a little first-timer magic with him, but this team will need to avoid distractions like white-tailed deer and red-tailed hawks if they want to bring home the title. At 20/1 odds though, could be worth a sprinkle!

20 to 1 odds - Chris Drumheller and Rob Kingston. It will be interesting to see how the Simulator Superhero performs out in the real world, but rumors have it both Chris and Rob are bringing much improved swings in their return to the tour! Chris is a safe bet to place well and Rob is a wild card; as a team, these 2 could finish anywhere from 1st to 20th, but I'd lean towards a podium finish!

20 to 1 odds - Scott Jacobson and John Jacobson. Scott returns for his second season and he's bringing in the ringer! Team Jacobson could certainly start the season with a bang, but they will have to overcome John's 5 penalty strokes. Not surprised to see Vegas giving this team a decent chance!

20 to 1 odds - Larry Mihalko and Tom Lees. This dynamic duo returns as one of only 2 teams that remain the same from last season. Last year they teamed up to finish in a tie for 3rd place at 50 to 1 odds! Clearly, vegas is admitting it's mistake in pricing them at 20 to 1 odds this year. We'll see if their senior tee chemistry pays dividends this time around!

25 to 1 odds - Shaun Sawyer and Sean McTague. This team features 2 guys that I expect to have penalty strokes by the end of the season, but don't have any currently! That puts them in solid position to take home the trophies this month, but they'll need to bring their A-games!

25 to 1 odds - Tim Moyer and Kyle Lees. Kyle took home the trophy last year at this event, and at these same odds too! This year he'll team up with Tim Moyer instead of Justin Finnerty, so he's still got a decent shot and defending his title. Neither guy has any penalty strokes, and both guys have the game to contend. This may be my dark horse pick!

THE OUTSIDE SHOTS

30 to 1 odds - Matt Dean and Matt O'Boyle. The winning score last year was 185. Dean could certainly shoot an 85 but can O'Boyle break 100?? It's happened once before, so never say never! This team could surprise, but Vegas sees them as an outside shot.

30 to 1 odds - Danny Adams and Andrew Adams. The Adams Family will certainly be looking to beat their brother in law (Chris), as they did quite handily in the Cocks Cup last year. Will Danny's new sticks and Andrew's improved game make it happen? It's certainly possible, but I don't know if I'm taking that bet.

30 to 1 odds - Zac Hawkins and Ryan Barger. Their average scores suggest this team should post a score between 195 and 205. Could be a sneaky bet for top 5, but a win for this team seems just out of reach.

35 to 1 odds - Jeff Russo and Chris Conley. These 2 smooth swinging gents are pretty safe bets for high 90s at their worst, but even that may not be enough to win it all. Both Jeff and Chris finished middle of the pack in last year's event, and vegas sees a similar result this year.

40 to 1 odds - Joe Hastings and Chas Garber. Another team of newcomers that will be looking to make an early-season statement! If I'm placing a bet on a team in this "outside shot" range, I'm putting my money on this team!

THE LONGSHOTS

50 to 1 odds - Sid Payakachat and Lambert Kim. Another team of rookies that showed off their stuff at the pre-season event. Vegas simply hasn't seen enough to label them contenders just yet, but a top 5 finish is certainly doable for this duo! 

50 to 1 odds - John Wszalek and Danny McTague. If this isn't the blind leading the blind... John will cite his off season surgeries and nagging wife as the reason his game is off. Danny is Danny. Crazier things have happened, but on a tricky course in early-spring conditions, this team is a longshot for a reason. (if his wife sees this, those are vegas' words, not Jake's! Jake thinks you are the best!)

60 to 1 odds - Vince Giancola and Chris Palumbo. Another team featuring 2 rookies teeing it up for the first time on tour, so the data is skim. Palumbo was hitting bombs during the pre-season event, so I'm sure these 2 will be competitive, but vegas wants to see more before boosting their odds.

60 to 1 odds - Terry Hoffman and Gray Garber. Our 5th team of newcomers in this first event! A lot of unknowns, but these guys' handicaps suggest their longshot odds won't stay long forever. It will be interesting to see where this team and all of our newcomers finish in their first MGA starts.

60 to 1 odds - Michael Blazo and Eddie Knight. Blazo finished 2nd at this event last year and has 4 top 10 finishes in 7 career starts on tour. He'll team up this year with Long-Drive competitor, Eddie, in his return to the tour after a 1-year hiatus. If Eddie brings his best, this team could surprise from the back of the pack!

75 to 1 odds - Dave Scibetta and Joe Dibiase. One of only 2 teams to return as the same pairing from last year! This team posted a score of 216 which was good for 17th place last year. A solid squad who's sure to enjoy themselves, but vegas doesn't see them hoisting the trophies just yet.