Controversial LIV Golf Tour comes to America

Like it or not, we can't ignore the LIV Tour's current place in the golf world. And now that we can bet on it, let's scan the board and find us some value for this week's tournament in Portland. It's the first LIV Tour event in America, and the field has some notable names.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club brings an unknown element to betting the field - We don't have much available data on how this group of players has performed on this course, as there hasn't been much PGA Tour action here in some time. What we do know about the event is that golfers will be playing on both courses at this golf club. The 36 holes seem to benefit those who don't rely on their drivers, which has us fading golfers such as Bryson Dechambeau (+1600) and Brooks Koepka (+1200). 

Dustin Johnson is the favorite at +500, but with a tournament that brings about so much unknown, we see no reason to bet on a guy at such odds. Our attention turns to Branden Grace at +2800. Grace had a solid showing in LIV London, finishing tied for third with a final score of -5. With the big names continuing to get most of the attention, we like the South African to build on his most recent LIV outing. Elsewhere, we like the value on Talor Gooch to finish in the top five at +250. Many are saying a course like this favors the short to intermediate game that Gooch thrives on, so monitor the 33-year-old in this one.

In other news ...

Dejounte Murray traded to Atlanta Hawks - The big news out of the NBA yesterday was the San Antonio Spurs trading Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. Murray was an All-Star last season and joins Trae Young in a very intriguing backcourt pairing for Atlanta. Young is reportedly excited for his new teammate, and we like the move from the Hawks' end. Atlanta owns the sixth-best odds to win the East next season, at +1400.

Novak Djokovic rolling along in Wimbledon - The betting favorite from the men's side at Wimbledon has shown more of the same on the court through two rounds. While some were worried seeing Djokovic drop a set in the first round, he responded with a dominant effort in Round 2. The six-time Wimbledon champ remains the favorite to win again: his odds have grown to -190 from -125.

Mets aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer progressing in rehab - The New York Mets are getting some good news in the form of their two star pitchers' health. Both deGrom and Scherzer are making rehab starts soon in the minors and look to be on their way to a return to the big leagues. It's remarkable what the Mets have done this year without two of their most important pieces. Should these pitchers regain their place as some of the league's best, the Mets have to be considered one of the favorites to win the World Series. You can bet on that at +750, the fourth-best odds in the league. We love that value considering no team in the NL has more wins than New York.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll