A decent week for the props on the PGA Tour, with the bonus of an Aaron Wise top-5 foiled by a shot having gone missing on Friday.

This week, a pair of events on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour that call for accuracy over brute strength. Whilst they (sort of) match in that regard, the betting markets couldn’t be more different.

A week after Jon Rahm justified his superior world ranking in Mexico, Rory McIlroy attempts the same at TPC Potomac, home for the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship. As short as +750, this is in complete contrast to the British Masters at The Belfry, an event that sees bookmakers go +2200 about the favourite, Robert MacIntyre.

Let’s leave others, including our own Matt Vincenzi, to worry about outright winners. Here are four of the best prop bets for the week.

Corey Conners Top-20 +120 

No surprise that Conners is strongly fancied to go close, and at around +2000, he looks the one to take advantage of the emphasis on iron play.

Indeed, this column put up the Canadian for place returns at the Texas Open (against favourite McIlroy), which sadly failed, and at The Masters, and I see no reason not to go in again this week.

The 30-year-old started the season well in Hawaii before going through a rough spell as the tour hit California.

However, in five ‘proper’ events starting with Bay Hill at the beginning of March, Conners has recorded three top-11 finishes, 26th and 35th, all that without featuring his bronze medal at the World Matchplay. Those couple of finishes outside of the top-20 feature one poor round each, with him standing in fifth place at halfway at the Players, and 27th when fancied in Texas.

Conners ranks 6th off-the-tee and 33rd in approaches for the season lending itself to a ranking of 3rd in greens-in-regulation, and whilst his putting can always be improved, winners around here include Francesco Molinari and Kyle Stanley. Demons with the irons but hardly special on the dance floor.

DK’s -125 looks far closer to the correct number, so jump in where you can.

Ryan Armour Top-40 +240

The 46-year-old isn’t one to spring off the page as a contender, but once going past the top-15 or so of the field this week, it all becomes very hard to separate.

It might be four years since he finished runner-up to a rampant Molinari around here, but Armour thrives in conditions that put emphasis on accuracy and long iron play, and after hints of his best over the last year or so, he can take advantage of his standing as a quality tee-to-green merchant.

Currently leading the tour in driving accuracy, he ranks 38th for green-finding, again topping the tour in proximity to the pin.

Of course, like most of these types, he lacks a little on the greens and at his age is hardly likely to improve – Richard Bland may have something to say about that – but on a course with some severe par-4s (yardages of 450, 495, 477, 470 and 500) his status in the top-25 from 150 to 175 yards in will give him an advantage over many of the ‘rags’ this week.

Whilst he tends to find his best in lesser events, Armour can add a 12th top-40 to the previous 11 in his last 32 outings.

Justin Harding Win +4500

Justin Harding Top-10 +450

I’m pleasantly surprised that a three-time winner on the DP Tour goes off at a bigger price than a couple of players that find it very hard to get their nose in front, but that just creates more appeal.

The 36-year-old South African has been near the top of his home contingent for several years now, and whilst he may not repeat his stellar year of 2019, he is showing enough progressive form to think he can contend around this tree-lined track.

Throughout that impressive period, in 2018, Harding won four times in six events on the Sunshine and Asia tours before taking that form on to better class, gaining a win in Qatar, top-10s at the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour, and the Byron Nelson. In between, a 12th at Augusta and two further top-10s in Europe cemented his best-ever world ranking of 72.

In 2021, Harding won the first of a double-header in Kenya and should have followed up a week later when leading after three rounds before collapsing on Sunday. Shaking that off, he returned five top-10s for the rest of the year, along with four top-20 finishes, including when 19th here behind Richard Bland.

Referring to that effort 12 months ago, Harding stood in the top-10 for all three opening rounds and added to yet another good finish in the Dubai Desert Classic; he ticks all the boxes for course and relative form, especially given both Bland and Rasmus Hojgaard (winner here in 2020) both have an excellent form line at the Emirates GC.

Thriving on tree-lined courses, recent form is also good, the 5th in Qatar cementing the idea that he repeats form at the same tracks, and last weekend’s seventh place at his home Tour Championship just shows he is trending in the right direction.

With a smart all-around game, I expect Harding to outplay his starting odds and shouldn’t shirk any issues should he find himself in the mix over the weekend.